Where are you from? (Give a bit of your background, have you moved etc.)
I am from New Jersey USA but I have been traveling for the past 10 years as a photographer and have been to 45 countries.
Can you tell us about your background and what led you down the path to becoming an artist and eventually experimenting with NFTs?
Having traveled and lived in 4 countries in the past 10 years I started documenting my travels through photography. After establishing a presence through Instagram, many of my family and friends inspired me to look at NFTs as a way to show my art to a wider audience. 6 months ago I decided to make my first collection which was a photo series from Cuba, I generated 6 volumes of Eth in 6 months and sold 48 NFT so far.
When did you make your first NFT? What platform did you choose and why?
6 months ago I created my Genesis collection, which was a series called Cubano Streets. I used opensea to create my first collection, now I’m on multiple platforms like foundation and provenance.
Can you tell us one thing you can’t live without? (and why)
I can’t live without the flexibility to travel. It’s a must for me and a big part of keeping myself happy and balanced. I literally can’t stop learning from travel experiences, it’s the only thing that motivates me to keep creating.
Who is your favorite (non-NFT) artist(s)? Yes, their style resonates with you
Fan Ho was a Hong Kong based photographer from the 60s, his way of capturing light and shadow through film photography was absolutely amazing. He is my favorite artist and having lived in Asia for 10 years, his photos really resonated with me.
Who is your favorite NFT artist? What makes this artist unique?
Ali Sabet is my favorite NFT artist, his style is so vibrant and his work flow is so fluid. Watching him create is therapeutic. He is also one of the best people in space. He’s unique in the sense that even though he’s had tremendous success, he’ll still take your calls or jump into a space with you and share knowledge. He is a real artist on earth.
What made you pursue NFT art?
I have always been into crypto learning about new technologies being created on the blockchain. When NFTs came around, I immediately knew this was an opportunity to get my art out there for people to see. It wasn’t until a friend of mine pushed me to produce my first collection and had the patience to fully curate it.
What is that NFT you wish you had bought but missed
Bored Ape and Mutant Ape Yacht Club
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go? Why this place?
Well this question is interesting as I have made a life of traveling and have been to 45 countries so far, however for me my main destination has always been Mongolia, Georgia and Armenia. I love history and these places historically for me are a dream. I want to live among the nomads on the Mongolian steppe and experience their lifestyle by living in a yurt. Documenting them in a photojournalistic way. The landscapes in all those places are very motivating for me to create.
What are your other passions besides art? Why?
I think we can confirm that my biggest passion is traveling, learning new languages and experiencing history and culture. I really enjoy being out of my comfort zone because it forces you to adapt and learn. Being abroad has also made me more aware of the world and helped make my art style unique compared to other artists.
Do you do other art forms?
As a photographer I have found myself venturing into other art mediums through collaboration. It has been an interesting direction to merge my photography with other artist styles such as illustration, oil paints and digital art.
Are you self taught or trained?
Yes, I am self taught, I would say for the past 6 years I have studied the basics and continued to learn more intensive strategies and skills through tutorials and other photographers
How did you come up with your specific style?
To be honest, I’m still trying to figure out if I even have a style. All my art has changed over the years and I’ve done it on purpose because I rarely make things exactly the same. My art is inspired by my location, so I’m never keeping the same theme. Maybe my audience can tell me if they can find a style in my art eventually.
How has your style evolved over the years?
I’ve been experimenting a lot in recent years, changing a lot about how I understand color grading combinations and what I want the focus of my art to be. I started as a drone photographer focusing on landscapes and now I’m doing to show photojournalistic work that empowers change by focusing on history and culture.
What is coming in the near future?
I’m working on some amazing collaborations with some great artists, including my favorite artist that I’m really excited about. I am also planning to make another move to either Latin America or Asia.
If you could collaborate with one artist who would it be? (and why)
Wow what a question because I have already started collaborating with that artist but let’s keep it interesting here. If I were to choose another artist to collaborate with right now, I would go with Michael Yamashita. He is a New Jersey native like me, I believe I can learn a lot from him as he is an experienced photographer, especially with National Geographic, which is a goal of mine to be.
What was your biggest failure and what did you learn from it?
My biggest failure was probably not getting into NFT sooner, but time in the market and patience are certainly key in this space. I’ve had a lot of success even in a bear market, so I’m looking forward to the next cycle. We must realize that we are all artists even before NFTs, so our failures should just be inspiration to keep creating.
How much was sold?
The last NFT I sold was my highest sale which was 1.666 Ethereum
Do you have any upcoming drops?
Yes, I’m currently in the process of switching to super rare. Once that happens, I will be releasing a very important collection for me.
Link to website
www.rovingrivera.com
Social links and NFT market links
https://lynkfire.com/rovingrivera
Anything else you’d like to share?
Thanks so much for the opportunity to watch. Exposure for artists is more important than sales in my opinion and thank you for getting this platform recognized
