Ali Sabet｜Find the value of digital art with NFT通过 NFT 定义数字艺术的价值
NFT, also known as the non-fungible token has erupted a movement for independent artists, celebrities, and companies to work with artists, musicians, animators, and other creatives to create works that are linked to the blockchain smart contract technology and Ethereum cryptocurrency. Artists such as Beeple, Fewocious, and more are raking in millions through NFT art sales and companies such as Alibaba are showcasing NFT art to reach a new wave of audiences today. With NFTs, the idea of monetizing and trading digital content is becoming more commonplace and digital art is realizing a newfound value among artists and collectors worldwide. So what does an NFT artist think about this? Here’s a look at NFT artist, Ali Sabet’s view on this phenomenon.
NFT，也称为非同质化代币，在独立艺术家、名人和公司之间创造了一场运动，让他们与艺术家、音乐家、动画师和其他创意人员之间进行合作，创作与区块链智能合约技术和以太坊加密货币相关的作品。Beeple、Fewocious 等艺术家通过 NFT 的艺术销售已经赚取了数百万美元，阿里巴巴等公司也正在展示 NFT 艺术，以吸引当今的新一批观众。有了 NFT，数字内容货币化和可交易的想法变得越来越普遍，数字艺术正在全球艺术家和收藏家中实现新的价值。那么 NFT 艺术家对此有何看法呢？NFT 艺术家 Ali Sabet 和我们分享了他的一些观点。
About the Artist
关于艺术家
Ali Sabet is an Iranian-American artist and designer. In 1998, he graduated from California State University, Fullerton with a degree in Communications/Advertising. He quickly jumped into the advertising industry and advanced to the role of Art Director at Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB), one of the top advertising agencies in the world. He would eventually establish his own branding agency, Sabet Brands alongside his artistic endeavors, blending both elements as part of his career.
Ali Sabet 是一位伊朗裔美国艺术家和设计师。1998 年，他毕业于加州州立大学富勒顿分校，获得了传播/广告学学位。之后他进入广告行业，并迅速晋升为世界顶级广告公司之一“ Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB)” 的艺术总监。之后他建立了自己的品牌公司 “Sabet Brands”，在他的艺术事业中融合了品牌的元素，这成为他职业生涯的一部分。
Sabet is a prolific painter and uses painting as an outlet for emotional expression. Through his journey, the expression of love, gratitude, and source energy have become the main themes for his artworks. Using Japanese brushes and Sumi Ink, the artist manifests a portfolio full of vibrant and energetic artworks full of fluidity and expressive strokes.
Sabet 是一位多产的画家，他将绘画作为情感表达的出口。在他的艺术中，爱、感恩和源头能量的表达成为了作品的主题。使用日式毛笔和黑墨汁（Sumi Ink），他展示出一个又一个充满动感和活力的作品，其中充满了流动性和表现力的笔触。
Superstar Tokyo (2021) by Ali Sabet
Montblanc x Ali Sabet
Dyson x Ali Sabet
In 2016, Sabet presented his work at the Tokyo International Art Show and has since been creating NFT artworks. He has also worked with Montblanc, BMW, and other brands while also annually contributing some of the profits from his art for UNICEF, AIDS Services Foundation, PARS Equity Center, HearAid Foundation, and The American Cancer Society.
2016 年，Sabet 在东京国际艺术展上展示了他的作品，此后一直在创作 NFT 艺术作品。他还与万宝龙、宝马和其他品牌合作过，同时每年也将他的艺术作品的部分利润贡献给联合国儿童基金会、艾滋病服务基金会、PARS 股权中心、助听器基金会和美国癌症协会。
Realizing the Value of Digital Art
认识到数字艺术的价值
Digital works by Ali Sabet
Ali Sabet的作品
Ali Sabet creates works by first outlining the works digitally, making his digital works the actual originals of his physical works. This was one of the main reasons Sabet was able to quickly jump into the world of NFTs and build demand for his work. Since February 2021, Ali Sabet has sold over 500 NFTs and has become one of the top 100 NFT artists globally. Using digital art, the artist advances the original copies of his works by adding in more details and applying different variations of colors. He states: “Because my original paintings (outlines) were done digitally, there wasn’t a huge difference when creating. People buy NFTs because they want the original copy.”
Ali Sabet 首先以数字的方式勾勒出作品的原型，使他的数字作品成为最终成品的创作实体。这也是 Sabet 为什么能够迅速进入 NFT 世界并且可以快速建立起市场对他作品需求的主要原因。自 2021 年 2 月以来，Ali Sabet 已售出 500 多个 NFT，成为全球前 100 名 NFT 艺术家之一。使用数字艺术，艺术家通过添加更多细节和应用不同的颜色变化来改进其作品的原始副本。他说：“因为我的原画（轮廓）是用数字方式完成的，所以在创作时没有太大的区别。人们购买 NFT 是因为他们想要原始副本。”
Ali Sabet’s view of the art world is full of wonder and possibility, but like many artists, he is aware of the financial difficulties many artists face when starting off. For him, NFTs have been a revolutionary advancement for the art world that may free artists from conventional fine art practices that make artists depend heavily on gallery sales. In fact, an artist is driven to create and express through the process, but at the same time, they are wary of the restrictions on the physical sale and creative direction of their works. With NFTs, the artist has now been able to communicate directly with his collectors while taking more control of his branding and creation.
Ali Sabet 眼中的艺术世界充满了神奇和可能性，但和许多同行一样，他也意识到艺术家们在起步时面临的经济困难。对他来说，NFT 对艺术界来说是一项革命性的进步。传统的美术创作严重依赖画廊销售，而NFT可以使艺术家们摆脱这种传统。事实上，艺术家在这个过程中是被驱使去创作和表达，但同时，他们也对作品的实体销售和创作方向的限制持谨慎态度。借助 NFT，艺术家现在可以直接与收藏家交流，同时更好地控制自己的品牌和创作。
“They have an input on some of the stuff that I put up. They’re grateful that they’re able to purchase a piece, which is insane to me.”
“他们对我提供的一些作品会有意见。他们又很感激能买到我的作品，这对我来说太疯狂了。”
- Ali Sabet
Gasoline (2021) by Ali Sabet
For those who make animation, short clips, and digital forms of art, monetizing the artwork as part of the fine art market had many barriers due to issues such as reproduction, provenance, the claim of ownership, and authenticity. With the help of blockchain technology, these issues are addressed and have been opening up a new avenue for artistic exploration with less financial burden. Beyond financial reasons, NFTs have been providing independent artists a wider audience that is not bound by physical location. The sale of an NFT is inclusive of the artist even when reselling, meaning the artist is given a portion of the secondary or tertiary sales, which is usually not the case for secondary sales at auctions or galleries.
对于制作动画、短片和数字艺术的人来说，由于复制、出处、所有权声明和真实性等问题，将数字艺术品作为传统美术市场的一部分进行货币化还存在许多障碍。在区块链技术的帮助下，这些问题将得到解决，艺术家们的财务负担会减轻，为艺术的探索开辟了新的途径。除了财务上的原因，NFT 还能为独立艺术家提供更广泛的受众，因为观众将不受空间位置的限制。即使作品在转售时，NFT 的销售也会将艺术家包括在内，这意味着艺术家可以获得二级或三级销售的一部分利润，而传统的拍卖或画廊的二级销售通常是另一种情况。
Energies and the Language of Love
能量和爱的语言
Lovescript "Heart Potion" (2021) by Ali Sabet
Poetry, calligraphy, and symbolism play a big part in Sabet’s paintings and NFTs with love and energy at the center of it all. Sabet’s LOVEQUALS Symbol is part of his custom calligraphy that can be deciphered throughout many of his artworks. This would further evolve into the Sabet LOVESCRIPT, a mode of self-reflection which was rooted in love. He recalls:
诗歌、书法和象征主义在 Sabet 的绘画和 NFT 作品中以爱和能量为中心，扮演着重要的角色。Sabet 的 LOVEQUALS 符号是他定制书法的一部分，可以在他的许多作品中看到。后来进一步演变成到 Sabet LOVESCRIPT，一种植根于爱的自我反射。他回忆道：
“I received a symbol from the ether. I called it LOVEQUALS SERVICE. The word love looks like a person holding the equal sign. But it’s also made up of the number 1, omega, square root, and the equal sign. From alpha to omega, the Root of all is “LOVE”. This divine discovery created a new layer and dimension to my work… In 2016 the repetition of the SABET LOVE SYMBOLS gave way to a mysterious script. One that I can write and paint in a fluent fashion but have yet to decode. This script has been called the SABET LOVESCRIPT and has culminated into what defines me as a person, brother, father, husband, and artist which is always rooted in LOVE.”
“我收到了来自以太的符号。我称之为LOVEQUALS SERVICE。爱这个词看起来像一个拿着等号的人。但它也由数字 1、Ω（欧米茄）、√（平方根）和=（等号）组成。从阿尔法到欧米茄，一切的根源都是“爱”。这个神圣的发现为我的作品创造了一个新的层次和维度……在 2016 年，SABET LOVE SYMBOLS 系列的重复让位于神秘出现的一个脚本。一个我可以流畅地书写和绘画的脚本，但我至今尚未解码。这个脚本被称为 SABET LOVESCRIPT ，并最终将我定义为一个根基为爱的人类、兄弟、父亲、丈夫和艺术家。”
Overcoming misconceptions of the NFT market
克服对 NFT 市场的误解
Quarantine Magic (2020) by Ali Sabet
When Ali Sabet first heard of NFTs, he was very skeptical of their future. Digital art was more associated with a freelance or labor-intensive work. He was also unsure about its future, but with the constant push from his friends, Sabet was able to realize the potential of NFTs. After witnessing the realized value of the digital artworks he had created for over 6 years, he has built a strong reputation within the NFT world and has come to appreciate its community.
当 Ali Sabet 第一次听说 NFT 时，他也对它的未来持怀疑态度。数字艺术更多地与自由职业或劳动密集型工作联系在一起。他也不确定它的未来发展会怎么样，但在朋友的不断推动下，Sabet 发掘了 NFT 的潜力。在见证了他 6 年多来创造的数字艺术作品的转化成的实际价值后，他在 NFT 世界中建立了良好的声誉，也开始欣赏起这个社区。
While NFTs have significantly changed the way the art market deals, it is not a market without risk. Sabet cautions collectors to not invest blindly into NFTs just for commercial gains, instead, he pleads them to buy artworks that they really find value in. Does the work resonate with them? Do they understand the details of the work? What is the purpose of the work and why was it created?– Some of the questions a collector should ask. In a single artwork, there may be many questions that need to be answered and explained to a buyer. For such discussions with artists, Sabet recommends collectors to join free NFT discussions on the Clubhouse app where the collector and artist can directly communicate with each other.
虽然 NFT 已经显着改变了艺术市场的交易方式，但它并不是一个没有风险的市场。Sabet 告诫收藏家们不要为了商业利益而盲目投资 NFT，相反，他呼吁他们购买他们真正认为有价值的艺术品。这些作品是否能引起他们的共鸣？他们了解作品的细节吗？作品的目的是什么，为什么被创作？——这都是收藏家应该问的一些问题。在一件艺术品中，可能有很多问题需要向买家回答和解释。对于此类与艺术家的讨论，Sabet 建议收藏家在 Clubhouse软件里加入免费的 NFT 讨论，收藏家和艺术家可以在其中直接相互交流。
PIXOPOP CUTIE: Stitch Bunny #130 by Ali Sabet
For artists interested in creating NFTs, Ali Sabet hopes artists can pursue their own artistic endeavors rather than seeking out instant fortune and fame. He explains: "I remember making my Pixopop characters and hoping they would be the next Hello Kitty. It wasn’t until 20 years later that it really started getting recognition and now on NFT they are collectibles. The lesson is to do what you love and not worry about immediate success. You will be in awe at how it all comes together at some point…even if it is 20 years later!”
对于有兴趣创造 NFT 的艺术家，Ali Sabet 希望艺术家们可以追求自己的艺术尝试，而不是寻求即刻的财富和名望。他解释说：“我记得当时制作我的 Pixopop 角色，并希望它们成为下一个 Hello Kitty。但直到 20 年后它才真正开始得到认可，现在在 NFT 上它们是收藏品。我从此得到的经验是，做你喜欢做的事，不要担心眼前是否成功。有一刻你会惊叹，这一切在某个时候是如何结合在一起的……即使这一刻是 20 年后！”
Zero Resistance (2021) by Ali Sabet
For artist and agency owner, Ali Sabet NFTs are not only about creating what he loves. It is also about creating impact and instilling a sense of healing and positive energy into the viewer. With the ever-growing number of NFTs and connections he has made with collectors and other artists in the community, he believes NFTs have forever changed the way we view and collect art.
对于艺术家和广告人Ali Sabet来说， NFT 不仅仅是创造他喜欢的东西。这也是关于创造影响力并向观众提供治愈感和正能量。随着他越来越多的 NFT作品产出， 以及他与收藏家和社区中其他艺术家建立的联系，他相信 NFT 已经永远改变了我们看待和收集艺术的方式。
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Translation 翻译 Rona Xia
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