Rusty Spoons

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GM GM Everyone,

It has been a minute since we have done a written interview but we back. Really excited to talk to yall about this artist feature. I "met" RustySpoons pretty early on in my Farcaster journey and her style instantly jumped out at me because of the style and really buttery smooth animations. Back when Warpcast had animated PFPs, I knew I had to get in contact with RustySpoons to get a custom PFP after seeing this one.

And she did not disappoint one bit. Although animated pfps are not a thing on Warpcast anymore, I still treasure this piece and I am excited and happy to share this feature with you all. So grab some coffee and lets dive in!

Interview

Who is RustySpoons?

I have been trying to figure that out myself. Fundamentally I like to make things: art, music, websites, food. I am self taught in these areas, so I am always trying to expand and learn new things about them. I was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa and I lived in Germany for a couple of years, but always felt a longing to be back home with my family. I have a wonderful partner and a dog named Rusty. I work from home and really enjoy the solitude it brings.
To some extent Rusty Spoons has been functioning as my alter ego in the web3 space, providing a level of anonymity that I really appreciate. I feel less exposed and more relaxed about sharing my art and connecting with people. It’s interesting, it kind of strips away all the pretences.

What are five words you would use to describe yourself? and why?

This is a hard one, but I guess:
Empathetic
Versatile
Playful
Dedicated
Tired
I love solving problems and figuring things out. Over the years, working with a wide range of people has taught me to adapt to various personalities and workflows. It’s important to empathise with others' approaches while staying true to your own. I’ve found that this helps projects progress more smoothly. If I can, I try to make it fun, but some people are very serious, then I will be serious too lol. I like working in various disciplines like illustration, animation, web design/development, making music and soundtracks. I tend to get bored if I stick to one ‘category’ for too long, so I like to mix things up and blend them all if I can.

What are some of your hobbies or activities you like to do to unplug from the space?

I take my dog on a long walk in the forest or park around noon each day. On days when I miss this break, I find my brain feels fizzled out. It's super important for me to defrag and let things fall into place, then I can get back to it when I get home.

What is the web3 or crypto scene like in South Africa? Is it big? Booming?

I honestly have no idea. However, most people I know own some form of crypto, even my parents. I find that people get sort of turned off by crypto chats in social situations, so many people keep to themselves or stick to their own circles. I’ve had friends ask for help with creating assets for their NFT projects, but those projects were typically US-based. There are a few web3/crypto events in South Africa, but I haven’t attended any myself because they seem to be more suited for on-chain buildors rather than for someone like me who is just playing around and making art and posting memes.

How did you get involved in web3? What brought you to web3?

My brother (7Parsnips) onboarded me on Warpcast at the start of the year.

What were you first impressions of Warpcast? Does this also mean that your main web3 presence is Farcaster vs Twitter?

I’ve always been a Twitter lurker, so Farcaster is the first experience for me in terms of actually building a profile and engaging. I love Warpcast, it feels really authentic (bar the bots and engagement farmers). The people I’ve engaged with on there feel like they are genuinely excited to be part of the community - build, share and help each other. It doesn’t feel as sour as others platform I’ve been on.

How did you get started with making art? How long have you been doing that?

I feel like I've been creating art in one way or another all my life. Making art has always given me a sense of accomplishment, even if I never show it to anyone. When I’m working on a piece, I get this warm, content feeling in my stomach that’s hard to explain. Usually, I don’t create art for money - that’s what the side quests are for like design or web work etc. They pay the bills, but the art fills the heart.

What are some challenges you may have faced in the space (web3 or art) as a woman?

I think at first a lot of people on warpcast assume I am a man because of my handle, so it has been interesting having interactions as a ‘man’, before they figure it out. But really web3 has been an extremely welcoming community and I haven’t felt that being a woman has had a disadvantage. In the real world (not to get too deep, but I know many of my female friends share this feeling), I've often struggled to add value to my work or skills. I frequently question whether I’m charging too much or doubt my abilities. I’ve worked hard to build my confidence and advocate for myself, but those doubts can still creep in from time to time.

You have a very distinct style many like, including myself, is there a reason you have not minted any of your work onchain?

I have been thinking about it, but since I am quite new to the space, I am still just trying to get a feel for it honestly.

How did you land or find this distinct style?

One of my favourite artists, George Wylesol, has been a massive influence on how I developed my style. I remember seeing his work for the first time years ago and really loving how minimalist yet thought provoking it was. His illustrations took me to liminal spaces, and I wanted my work to do the same. I like using strong, clean outlines and colours, balancing empty space, drawing things from every day life, maybe adding one element that makes it feel a bit strange or slightly off. The most important part is that I didn’t want my illustrations to have any unnecessary frills: I rarely use shadows and tapered lines, I like to keep it very flat. That is satisfying to me.

When will you know when you are ready to mint onchain? How will you be able to know it is time?

I am getting there, maybe I am overthinking it. It feels very official for some reason, but I also don’t see a reason not to do it. Maybe my reluctance lies more with choosing the right pieces to mint.

Do you collect any pieces from any other artists, if so who are your favorites?

I have collected some. I haven’t been able to get pieces from all my favourite artists, but here are some I really love on WC.
Blank Embrace (@blankembrace)
FEELS (@feelsxart)
Esra Eslen (@esraeslen)
klaus (@klauzzz)
cap’n (@capn)
Ex_mortal (@ex-mortal)
bluretina (@bluretina)
Dix (@dix0x1.eth)
Sean Luke (@seanluke)
Ykha Amelz (@ykha)

Final Remarks

Before wrapping up, I also want to take the time to thank the Onchain Alien Ambassadors out there that support my work. You all give me the energy and support to do all this .

Seattledog.eth
Macvynls.eth
OG.eth
Lucrece.eth
thebluffer.eth
Nonlinear.eth
Brennen.eth
Pi-chi.eth
Inceptionally.eth
T0p0s.eth
Tani.eth

A couple thoughts stood out to me while researching RustySpoons, one was just how quickly she already had a style from the go, most people struggle with finding something that makes them distinct but she does not have this problem. The next thing that stood out to me is how methodical she is being about minting and approaching the space by learning first and before even minting vs many who come in right away and mint. That level of though, foresight and with the unique style I look forward to the day Rusty mints something and for me being there bidding and cheering her own in her journey!

I hope you all have a great rest of your week. Make sure to share and tag a friend that may enjoy this content. If you have other artist, collectors or builders you would like me to speak to, message me.