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

Erdem, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

I worked as a bartender until the age of 20, starting illegally at the age of 16 due to my family’s financial situation. My career in tattooing began around the age of 22, and now at 32, I’ve had to be creative for 8-9 years to make a living. There are times when I feel exhausted and unable to create, but at other times, I feel the opposite. Yes, now is the perfect time, and I start drawing. The first crucial step for me was to accept this situation and make peace with it during times when I couldn’t create. Later on, I realized that taking notes was essential. I can say that it is the most accelerating factor in the process. Sometimes, I can see a design when looking out of the car window, and when I feel something coming to mind, I jot it down. My notebook becomes very helpful when I sit down to draw. Also, I’d like to mention this: the most challenging part of being creative and establishing an identity in designs is, in my opinion, turning it into an enjoyable experience from a stressful one when we manage to achieve it. My biggest motto related to creativity is this: If anyone can look at your work and recognize that it belongs to you, then you are on the right path.

Erdem, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Hello, I’m Erdem, but everyone calls me Edi. I can’t claim to be very disciplined in my profession, and generally, in my everyday life, I’m not a very disciplined person either. I don’t particularly enjoy being disciplined, and I would say I’m a bit laid-back compared to disciplined individuals because what I do doesn’t require it, I can say.

Sometimes, I find myself unable to sleep at night, and drawing something while everyone else is asleep feels more creative. Until the age of 20, I worked in bars, and later on, I had to complete mandatory military service for a full 15 months. The biggest decision I made during this period was not to work with bosses for the rest of my life. The difficult experiences I went through and the hardships I faced led me to make such a sharp decision.

Since childhood, I’ve always drawn as a hobby, and when I thought about how to turn it into a source of income, I realized it was tattooing. During my military service, I managed to sneak a tattoo machine into the place, and for me, military life turned into a tattoo training camp. That’s precisely what I want to emphasize in my designs! Sometimes you think you’ve experienced something really bad, but it turns out to be the most beautiful thing in your life; you just haven’t noticed. Pursuing what you want to do is, in my opinion, the greatest motivation. At first, everything seems impossible, but I can only say that it takes time.

At the age of 20, when my life should have been colorful and fun, I found myself in a guard booth, imagining these days with a gun in my hand. Now, I’m here with an artist visa, and getting this visa was really challenging. Looking back at some internet interviews I gave about 4-5 years ago while living in Turkey, I mentioned that my dream was to live in LA and experience the city’s vibe. Well, here I am.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

I perceive it as a bubble—identity-less and devoid of emotion. Uploading data to my USB drive can have no significance beyond the materialistic aspect. It conveys nothing to me. Creating something through software and coding, facing it, and living through the process—both are considered art. While I have infinite respect for digital design, replicating a monkey’s variations thousands of times seems absurd.

It excited everyone; people paid millions of dollars, and I’m sure many regret it. If anyone still thinks that a monkey portrait in their possession is worth millions, I can say I feel sorry for them. People paid this money without truly understanding what art is, thinking NFTs could replace art. Now, I can confidently say they are at a 90% loss.

While some are starving, others gave $25 million for a 10-kilobyte monkey image. In fact, I can say that over time, we are losing touch with creativity. In every realm of production, we are merely resorting to copying. We still look at magnificent works created 500 years ago, attempting to understand how they were made. Meanwhile, a monkey generated by a keyboard deceives everyone. Due to the subjective nature of art, everything seems to be considered art nowadays. Even the step you take while walking down the street might be deemed art.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Not working with a boss has been crucial for me; I don’t earn my income within a hierarchical structure. Of course, this is not the same for everyone; it’s entirely personal. I don’t like it.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: ediordu