We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Blakely Scott. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Blakely below.

Blakely, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I think the most essential skill is resilience. You may fail often, but the lessons learned along the way are a gift to your future self. I learn best by doing, so I often try to replicate cool things I see around the internet.

For example, I wanted to learn how to make animations combining AI with traditional video and images. It can be a complex process, especially early on, so I had to search hard to find answers buried in Discord or Reddit threads. Once things started to click, I was able to make it my own. Then, I took some of that knowledge and shared it to make it a little easier for the next person. That’s probably my favorite part—it feels good when someone says that a tutorial I made helped them! I’m grateful for those who made tutorials and shared knowledge with me, so I try to pay it forward when I see a gap I can fill.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Growing up, I loved to draw, paint, and craft, and I also had a strong passion for computers. Throughout my teenage years, I fell in love with the ways in which technology and art overlapped. In college, I traveled to Savannah, Georgia, where I earned my B.F.A. in Interactive Design from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

From there, I was able to build a fulfilling career as a User Experience Designer, which I have done for the past 12 years. I am passionate about creating beautiful, accessible, and functional experiences in the digital space. In my work, I advocate for people’s needs and solve complex problems in ways that appear simple.

During a work trip in June 2022, I found myself quarantined across the country due to a sudden case of COVID-19. I was losing my mind and needed something to pass the time. I checked my email and noticed I had received access to a new Discord tool called Midjourney. A few moments later, I generated my first image—an hd neon cyberpunk mask with robot parts. From that moment, I was hooked. I must have generated a thousand images over the next few days.

Today, I’ve generated close to 100,000 images. I use AI in my work, but I am just an artist, not an AI artist. It just happens to be a medium that I’m enjoying at the moment. I have worked in various formats, including animation, augmented reality, video games, and oil paint. My work explores themes of surrealism, nature, romanticism, math, technology, and Black womanhood.

What I like most about it is that it allows me to quickly get my ideas out before they disappear. I have a lot of ideas that come into my head, and it can be hard to execute them all. This medium has allowed me to quickly explore many of my ideas in ways I never thought possible.

I used to think up music videos—never dreaming I’d be able to create one in less than a day. I’ve always written little songs but lacked the music knowledge to produce them. Now, that’s becoming less of a hurdle. I’ve been able to visualize entire fashion lines and share them with hundreds of thousands of people. My work has now been viewed millions of times, and it has taught me what can happen when a random idea is brought to life instead of fading away.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I have a love/hate relationship with NFTs. I’ve met so many remarkable people in the community who inspire me every day. It can be difficult when you see bad actors, but I’m happy to be surrounded by well-meaning artists and collectors who continue to use NFTs to uplift others.

I would love to see the space grow in terms of accessibility and user experience. I’m a techie person, but sometimes I get frustrated trying to onboard new platforms because there are so many steps and not enough documentation or tutorials on getting started. I even made my own guide to help others onboard to ETH, but things are always evolving, so it can be hard to keep up. That’s an improvement that’s a bit overdue.

Ultimately, I don’t view NFTs as an investment to enrich myself; I view them as a way to invest in art and artists. I only have so much wall space to display all the work I find inspiring, but if I can support artists I admire and own a piece of their work, that is worthwhile! I have ways to display them digitally in my home as well.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

My ultimate mission is to learn new things and challenge myself. I call myself an “experimental artist” because I view my art as experiments. I don’t tie myself to a single medium or style, which can sometimes make it difficult to be recognizable in this space. However, it keeps me going because every day I can try something new or revisit things I created in the past.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://projectgreybird.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/projectgreybird/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blakelyscott/
• Twitter: https://x.com/projectgreybird
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjBLglqXBo5iXyTmFWRytGA
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@blakely.gif