We recently connected with Daniel Watkins and have shared our conversation below.

Daniel, appreciate you joining 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?

That really depends on what you mean by “what you do.” If we are talking craft then craft is easy to learn. You learn through repetition. If you want to be a filmmaker, then go make a film, then make another, and another and so on. I don’t believe we should be doing anything to “speed up” the learning process. If anything it should be slower. I know that this runs counter to the way people seem to view process, but the learning is part of the making. It’s not linear in the sense that you learn a craft and then you pursue said craft. Each work is its own lesson. And that is a hard truth for people who aren’t interested in putting in the repetitions. But if you are the type of person who gives up on something if it is too hard or they are not immediately successful then that is also fine. I say give up. Don’t persevere, don’t pick yourself up and try again. If you are entertaining the idea of quitting then you should absolutely quit. There are too many bad artists.

Daniel, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am an artist and filmmaker who works in sound, kinetic sculpture, music, and moving image. I prioritize lofi production methodologies, because I don’t believe that artmaking should only be the pursuit of the ruling class. The cost of production is the primary reason people spend more time talking about making work than they actually spend making work, and I feel that the more we elevate the value of cheap technology by using it to produce work of merit, then the closer we come to collapsing those misconceptions.

Thematically I’m interested in redefining landscapes, 9/11, true crime, stuff like that.

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

Crushing my enemies. If that’s not your goal then what are you even doing?

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

Random question, but okay. Capitalism is predicated on the belief in infinite growth. When that proves itself to be a myth, and that growth stagnates, we are forced to create new markets. NFTs are just one of those new markets. When I first learned about them I figured that I was just ignorant and that there had to be more to it then what it seemed, but it actually seems as though there isn’t. What I don’t really understand is the commodity itself. I don’t understand what is gained by owning the asset other than the ability to resell the asset. I guess it just goes to show that value is a fiction that we are constantly reinventing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.landturtlerecords.com
• Instagram: @epcot_fitzgerald