We were lucky to catch up with Rayanna Perry recently and have shared our conversation below.

​

​

Rayanna, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

I have actually been asked by other creatives, “can you do real art?”. As if digital art is not real because I’m not using a paintbrush or pen. It was disheartening at first. I thought, if they don’t get it, then a non-creative really won’t get it. But I have learned that is not true. Art, like many things, is subjective. People don’t have to understand it to love it. All that really matters is that I love doing it and if it makes just one other person happy then that’s the cherry on top.

​

​

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

Although I consider myself a digital/visual artist, I don’t limit myself to one medium. My pieces are typically multifaceted. For example, sometimes I start with a photograph that I might turn into a digital piece, which I then might use to make a physical item like a chair or a bomber jacket. Instead of offering one piece to hang on a wall, I like to offer an entire experience. Most of the time it’s bright and colorful pop art which my passion for music and pop culture can be seen throughout. Since 2005, I’ve been commissioned to make elaborate centerpieces for events, custom music boxes, sculptures, drawings, paintings, and digital art. Currently, I am focused on digital as it gives me endless opportunities because it can be printed on almost anything.

​

​

We’d love to hear your thoughts on NFTs. (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I have such mixed feelings about NFT’s. It’s a philosophical debate I have with myself often. Of course, there are pros and cons to any money channel, and let’s be honest, we all don’t want to be a “starving artist”. It used to be an artist might sell a piece for pennies, but then the buyer was the one that made 100% of the increased value when they resold the piece after the artist gained popularity. One of the top pros is the ability to make money off of your art forever. One of the cons I struggle with is someone buying my art for other reasons than loving it and what damage that could potentially have on the industry. As a digital artist, so many people tell me I should sell my art as NFTs. But I think they say that because they don’t really know what it is. I would never recommend getting into something that you don’t understand just because it’s the latest thing. The first thing to do is research what it actually is to be able to truly understand if it will work for you. Ultimately, I am an artist because I love the process of making art. I don’t love the sales side of it, that is why I partner with curators & agents. There is a lot of work that goes into the marketing of NFTs that I am not ready to dive into today. But who knows, that could change tomorrow as my strategy evolves.

​

​

Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?

I am very much into personal growth and development. One of my absolute favorites is the Be Extraordinary Quest by Vishen Lakhiani on the Mindvalley platform. It is a 30-day self-mastery curriculum focused on evolving to your fullest potential. By optimizing your inner self, you then in return transform how you think, perform, and show up in the world. This course stretches you to go deep within which can be uncomfortable at times. But the end results are worth it!

​

​

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rayannaincolor.com

• Instagram: @majesticmelodies