Presented by Voice
Career stability can be a difficult thing to walk away from. When passion calls, we often look to others to help decide whether or not to follow it. For Darel Carey, his wife was the tipping point for leaving his career behind.
“I received a lot of pushback,” Carey explained. “Every person…was trying to convince me not to do it, except my wife. I was already halfway through a military career and could retire in 10 years, so why would I throw it away for a dream?”
Carey traded the logistics and structure of the Air Force for his true calling, abstract digital art. He found his true love in art school when his instructors noticed his MC Escher inspired work and opened more doors. “My professors in art school told me some of the work I did resembled Bridget Riley. Looking into Riley’s work…I learned there was a name for what I was doing. It was Optical Art.”
Originally struggling and selling his work on t-shirts, Carey focused on constantly creating and expanding his idea of what art is. Thankfully social media provided a new and exciting medium.
“I was making time-lapse videos of my tape installations and sharing them on YouTube and Instagram,” says Carey. “Eventually a couple of them caught a wave and went viral” As his social media presence expanded, so did the scope of his work beyond prints and digital images.
At first, it was art installations, where Carey could see viewers walking across, jumping around, and engaging with his art. “I also hope that my art makes people think and gives them a sense of wonder,” he explained. “How do we perceive the world? What do our brains tell us that our eyes are seeing? Can our minds be tricked about what we’re looking at?”
Now his art is taking the next leap, outside of gallery installations and social media conversation and into the world of NFTs. “NFTs have helped digital artists by giving them a legit way to sell their art. Digital art has been viewed as not rare or valuable because a digital file can be copied infinitely.”
By minting art on the blockchain Carey is able to give customers the authenticity of ownership. But beyond allowing him to expand his own business, NFTs represent something more.
“NFTs are just part of our digital future. As we have more of a presence online, in the clouds, and in the metaverse, we will do more things in the digital realm,” Carey enthusiastically explains.
According to the artist, “NFTs are a natural progression of authentication, and that applies to more than just art.” By getting in on the ground floor, Carey, and the fans of his art, are ensuring their place in the digital future known as the Metaverse.
It’s fitting given the mind-bending forms Darel Carey’s pieces take that he’s found a home in NFTs. Like his work, NFTs take more than just a glance to understand, but those who look deeper will find the reward.
You can discover the psychedelic, evolving world of Darel Carey’s art on the NFT platform, Voice. Click here to purchase his work for your future in the Metaverse.
Darel Carey
Darel Carey is a visual artist with a focus on optical and spatial perception. His current work includes digital art, murals, and immersive tape installations.
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