Shantell Martin is proud to announce her debut on Nifty Gateway with "The Importance of Process", an exclusive collection of both 1 of 1 and Editioned NFTs that drops June 13 at 7 PM EST. 

An NFT (Non-Fungible Token) is best defined as a unique digital identifier created and observed on a blockchain.  Almost like a digital passport for a product that enables authorship and ownership to be transparent. This transparency is the inspiration for the collection which includes animated Shantell drawings by Ben Sheppee/Observatory, music by Eric Lee/Easterner, and live drawings captured by Colton Moyer. 

"Often, the process is overlooked. We give importance to the result of it. But I truly believe that the gravity of the process is the value of art. It can create real connections and a shared experience. Artists can sometimes fear sharing the process. As if the magic of the work will be lost in some way and thereby devaluing the work. From my experience, which has shaped my perspective, sharing the process gives you the opportunity to share the magic of it all and it becomes an ever-expanding circulation of reciprocity and recognition of self and the collective." - Shantell Martin

"I use algorithms and randomization a lot in the early stages of creation to quickly generate lots of starting points. I typically use particle systems to output a number of designs, from which I select those which are most visually pleasing... from there I get more hands-on and go deeper into the details. I've also done lots of collaborative projects as well, and it's always a great way to get insight into your own work. When you allow interpretation and afford someone to shed new light onto your designs it can inspire and lead to new directions and change the dynamic. I think it's important to allow yourself to take influences in this way." - Ben Sheppee

"I wear a lot of hats, as an artist, film composer, creative coder, and music producer, among other things. As well as making audiovisual art and recently starting to release some of those pieces as NFTs--with Shantell's encouragement and support!--I am also working on an album of music, titled Anthropocenity, all under the moniker, Easterner. All of this tends to share the kinds of processes and tools and themes that I brought to this collaboration too. The themes that motivate me to include how humans incorporate technology into ourselves, and how technology can intersect with and worsen the capacity for oppression, but also how technology can have emancipatory potential. So my process tends to be experimental and tends to look at where technology fails or breaks down or is imperfect as a place to understand, be critical of, or even subvert how technologies are intended to work. Too often, technologies don't challenge power and try to be frictionless and invisible in our lives, and our politics." - Eric Lee

"Process for me is about repeatability and adaptability. Video and photo are about working with the same general tools in a wide variety of situations.  I try to approach every project the same way; going through a mental checklist and comparing similar past experiences to the current ones.  The more similarities I can identify, the easier it is for me to focus on solving the unique, creative elements.  My process allows me to find my creative sweet spot, 'the zone' if you will, more easily.  That was one of the most interesting parts of collaborating with Shantell on this project.  She seems to get herself into an active creative mindset almost instantly, then can turn it off just as quickly as it came." - Colton Moyer