Dylan Newton: Photographic Odyssey in the World of Cyberpunk Artistry

View Dylan Newton's NFTs on Sloika https://sloika.xyz/picklefig.eth

Share your journey to becoming a photographer.

Around 2016, I began playing a captivating game called "Life Is Strange." In this game, you follow the story of Max, a young girl studying photography at an arts high school in a fictional Northwestern Pacific town. Max discovers a unique power that allows her to reverse time and redo her actions. What particularly fascinated me was the option to use a Polaroid camera to capture moments that Max found intriguing. This concept prompted me to reflect on the memories of my life that I could permanently preserve through photographs.

With Christmas approaching, I approached my father and inquired about the possibility of getting a Polaroid camera. His response was somewhat dismissive, stating, "Oh, you don't need a Polaroid! Do you know how expensive the film is? It's quite a luxury to shoot with that." While his answer left me somewhat disappointed, when Christmas finally arrived, my dad surprised me with a Pentax Spotmatic 35mm SLR Camera equipped with a 50mm lens. He took the time to sit me down and impart knowledge about the exposure triangle, encouraging me to go out and start taking pictures.

This gift from my dad marked the beginning of a bonding hobby for us. We embarked on small trips to the coast, where we captured images of fishermen and their surroundings. I'm incredibly grateful that I embarked on my photography journey with my father through the medium of film. Film photography continues to excite me, and I'm thankful for the solid learning foundation it provided me with.

Where do you find creative inspiration?

Cyberpunk genre is an abundant source of inspiration. There's a wealth of fantastic movies, books, and video games that allow you to immerse yourself in the dark and gritty world of Cyberpunk. Additionally, the Cyberpunk art community on Twitter is among the most vibrant and supportive out there. The camaraderie and encouragement from fellow artists in this space are truly motivating and have spurred me to refine my craft and enhance my creative processes continuously.

What's especially thrilling is how the work of artists in these groups often serves as the foundation for my own pieces. Recently, I completed a mask that drew inspiration from the color scheme found in one of Josue Zabeau's artworks. It's amazing to see someone else's creation and realize the endless possibilities it opens up for me to craft my own unique art. This sense of excitement and the creative synergy within the Cyberpunk art community are truly invigorating.

Describe a memorable experience you've had with a collector of your NFTs?

Although I don't have much personal experience with collectors, one of the most memorable moments I had involving a collector occurred in 2022 when my work was curated for the CYBERPUNK Volume 4 exhibition by RANDOM GHOST and Superchief in New York City. I flew out to NYC, and the night before the exhibition, my friend Emily and I decided to visit NFT Sea. Since I was relatively new to the NFT scene, I didn't know anyone there, so I spent the night making new friends and enjoying cocktails.

During the event, I struck up a conversation with a group of people about my photography. Little did I know that one of them was Techbubble! He casually mentioned, "When the auction goes live tomorrow, let me know, and I'll place a bid on your piece." This statement took me by surprise, as I wasn't aware of Techbubble's prominence as a collector at the time, and my piece was priced at just 1 ETH.

The following night at the gallery, I had an incredible experience. Many of my friends had gathered to celebrate my artwork being featured, and the atmosphere was electric. Pussyriot and Nick Neutronz were DJing, the model from my photograph was at the show dressed as the character, the gallery itself looked stunning, and people from all over were captivated by my hand-made masks. Right in the midst of this excitement, I messaged Techbubble to inform him that he could place a bid. Moments later, I received an email notification that he had indeed placed a bid for 1 ETH. It felt like a picture-perfect moment, and my friends and I were jumping with joy to celebrate. It was an absolutely perfect night.

What are some of the goals you intend to achieve in the photography NFT space?

Earlier this year, I experienced a sense of disappointment when I realized that I had forgotten to submit any of my work to NFT NYC. Witnessing artists coming together to celebrate their creations being displayed and purchased lit a fire under my ass. This motivation pushed me to focus on gaining entry into gallery exhibitions and potentially securing representation.

Since that moment, I've been fortunate enough to have my work showcased in cities all around the world, including Austin, Rome, Valencia, Paris, Miami, Tokyo, Seoul, and Toronto. It's still somewhat surreal for me to process that my art has been displayed internationally. Achieving this was a primary goal for me this year—to have my work featured in more galleries and shows.

While I continue to concentrate on pursuing various opportunities and getting curated into different exhibitions, I'm also exploring avenues to potentially make a sale by the end of the year. I understand that this may pose a challenge, given the bear market and the prevalence of scams in the NFT space. Nonetheless, I have no intention of pressuring myself. Still, it would be incredibly gratifying if I could achieve the milestone of selling just one NFT before the year's end. Regardless of the challenges, if I can accomplish this, I'll be genuinely thrilled and consider it a significant achievement.