We recently connected with Peiran Dong and have shared our conversation below.

Peiran, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Art has been my interest since childhood, with drawing and painting as my main hobbies. but I had never imagined that I would be pursuing a professional artistic path until I went to high school. It was there, I experienced a pivotal shift in how I viewed art—not merely as a hobby but as a potential career. Attending an art-focused school exposed me to new techniques, ideas, theoretical foundations, most importantly surrounded by people who shared the same passion for art. The moment I decided to go to this school, I was prepared for the reality that I would be working in art industry, which I knew would be very challenging. However, the support from my family has always offered me the courage needed to face these challenges.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I was born and raised in China, where I developed a deep interest in art, specifically in illustration. I feel fortunate to have learned about art from an early age and to have persisted with it. Currently, I am continuing my art journey at Parsons School of Design.

My work revolves around bringing stories to life through illustration, employing a blend of traditional techniques and digital tools to create visually compelling narratives. I specialize in creating art that not only captures the essence of a subject but also tells a story that resonates with the viewer on a deeper level. The goal if mine is very simple, just try to bring joy, curiosity, and positives to the world.

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

It is very simple for me, which is when an idea transforms into something tangible that interacts and resonate with others. Bringing something out of imagination and turn it into a piece of work that communicate truths and emotions is deeply fulfilling.

However, if we think from another perspectives, the creative process serves as a metaphor for life itself at some point. Just as our lives fulfilled with unexpected challenges that we need to face and overcome them one by one, so too the creative process, the process of creating is rarely linear or predictable, It flows, with periods of intensive productivities and time of stillness and reflection. The effort poured into this process culminates in a result that is rewarding in its own unique way.

Ultimately, the most rewarding aspects is seeing that idea in your mind materialize into a piece of work that has potential to inspire people, or at the very least, convey something meaningful to the world.

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

I think what makes NFTs so controversial is because of its digital value of uniqueness being appreciated within certain communities. Conversely, for those accustomed to physical, tangible art, understanding the value of digital uniqueness can be challenging.

As a printmaker, I find concept of NFT is quite similar to mono print which is one of the technique in printmaking. Mono prints, in traditional art, is a one-of-a-kind print made by transferring a drawing or painting from a smooth surface onto paper, creating a single impression. Similarly, NFTs are unique in the digital realm, representing the ownership of a specific assets. Both share the quality of uniqueness; just as a mono print cannot be exactly duplicated due to its creation process.

The emergence of NFTs indeed feels like a natural progression in the digital age, where digital contents such as art, music, photography, movie and so on—has become increasingly in our lives, so too the way we interact with. So in the world of internet, where everything can be duplicated easily by Command C, Command V, NFT offers people with a way to certify and preserve the uniqueness of digital assets. The rise of NFT, the growing market, the digital content we can not live without, all shows the reason of this culture shift.

New Technologies often flourish with the new forms of artistic expression, here NFT represent not just as a technological developments but also a culture shift, reframe the way of art trade in the 21st century, as many major changes, there will be different voices and challenges, but the potential for NFT to transform the art industries is undeniable.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peiran-dong-abb4a4263/