Cath Simard- Renowned Landscape Photographer & NFT Artist
This week's episode is one that I have been ITCHING to release for quite some time now! Cath is a landscape photographer in the NFT space that has some of the most beautiful work that I've ever seen. Her insane journey, the use of blue, and her natural talent of telling the story of her work just drew me in right from the start.
We discuss everything from her journey before NFTs, her transition into this wild space, the challenges, and the emotions she had to overcome to get to where she's at today. We discuss her controversial Free Hawaii photo, which was the first NFT photograph to be minted with a CCO (Creative Commons License). This photo was the catalyst for a much larger conversation around IP rights that I feel will shape the future in a positive light for artists everywhere.
Towards the end, we do a little Cath appreciation and gaze at her photos as she tells the story behind a few.
Again... I am so excited for you to hear this one, it's jam-packed with value, vibes, blue, and of course, gm.
Cath Links:
inktr.ee/cathsimard
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Website
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[boona]:
All right we're recording now. Uh, g. M. K. how are you?
[cath_simard]:
Hey, Gm. Gm.
[boona]:
Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
I am super good in you.
[boona]:
I'm doing. I'm doing well. I've had two two cups of double shot Epresso, and now I'm on my first cup of coffee. So um, it is, in fact, a ge.
[cath_simard]:
This is great. I had two guru energy drinks cause I slept like three hours, so now I'm feeling great. This is their solution to everything. Two energy drinks.
[boona]:
right, it isn't it. It's not in. It's not an inward solution. It's always notward solution. right,
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
it fixes the problem.
[boona]:
it does. at least, at least mitigates it to where or like to where. Like then, we can finally, like you know, give our bodies a rest. But like we like, there's too much energy here to not do it right.
[cath_simard]:
You know who needs to sleep
[boona]:
No,
[cath_simard]:
when you have the Gm.
[boona]:
that's right. that's right. like Je, like it's right. Like the. the. S. sleepve does not provide the same benefits that G. M does right
[cath_simard]:
No, the G. the Gm wakes you up.
[boona]:
Right.
[cath_simard]:
It gets you going. Starts of the day the right way.
[boona]:
that's right. that's right. Always. You know. What's so funny is that like I? I saw
[cath_simard]:
There you gos.
[boona]:
like when I first started like diving, or like, like dipping my toes in the n f T world. like I didn't understand G. M. like I, I. I like. I didn't understand. I'm like. Why is everyone just saying this all the time? Like why like it? It's like it's It's like six o'clock at night, but people are saying you to each other. Um it? just then it just clicked. I'm like it on on a cultural level like I mean, like number one, n f Ts, and crypto currency is global, so it's always g. M right. It's it's always morningurning It's like that corny jimm buffets song. It's five o'clock somewhere. It's like the same concept. It's like it's always morning. It's always good and we're always having a good time here. you know, and it's always morning somewhere. So um,
[cath_simard]:
Yes,
[boona]:
that was that was like and like, But once I got it, I got it and I think it like. Once it clicks then it's uh. then it's like intoxicating,
[cath_simard]:
you know, I have some friends who used to hate the Gm and I, I am not going to do it. And then yesterday I saw that D did it and I was like Ah, here you go. here you go.
[boona]:
right right.
[cath_simard]:
That's it. Y.
[boona]:
welcome. t. M
[cath_simard]:
Yeah, it's it's going to get to you one day and another.
[boona]:
it it. it will it. And it takes time and we don't need to understand it all at once, but I just i. it was. It was when I finally just got like immersed in the culture and I just like I'm like. Okay. I get it. even though I can't like actually describe why we do it. It's just like this, like unspoken like everyone knows what it means but they don't have to say it. You know what I mean. Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
No, it makes you feel good. It makes other people feel good,
[boona]:
right,
[cath_simard]:
makes people feel connected.
[boona]:
right, right,
[cath_simard]:
It's it's
[boona]:
right and then
[cath_simard]:
it's everything.
[boona]:
all the mes that go along with it like, especially from like sooshi and lupofi, like the with all the
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
with all the good morninging chats, and like you know, reminds others to have a good morning. actually has a good morning. you know, says G.
[cath_simard]:
Yes,
[boona]:
M. That doesn't care what type of d it is of my favorite ones. you know.
[cath_simard]:
I love it. I
[boona]:
Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
saw someone who did a derivative of Uh, the Free Hawai photo with the G. M. And I was like this is this is good. Yeah, I know.
[boona]:
love that. I love that. I mean, we're going to. We're going to dive into the free Hawaii, but I want to. I want to give. I want to let you give a quick iner intro to yourself. Um, you know who are you? What do you do? you know? and uh he. how are you Likelissa vibe?
[cath_simard]:
yeah, um, so I'm a photographer based in Canmore and Alberta. Uh, I love to do landscape photography, composite photography. I love the outdoors. I love the mountains. I love the bears. I love to hike at night. Um, I'm a little bit, uh. I don't want to say crazy, but may be fearless. I would say a little bit,
[boona]:
Little bit.
[cath_simard]:
um, but I think that's just part of who I am, and um, I just love to push myself mentally and physically and that's what really allows me to uh, to actually connect with my work and and then, and be proud of myself. So, yeah, and then I've been doing photography for for about five years now, so
[boona]:
that's it.
[cath_simard]:
that that yeah, that's
[boona]:
Wow.
[cath_simard]:
it five years. Yeah, uh, yeah, back in two thousand, sixteen and then two years after beginning. I uh, became a Sony Al Fa ambassador So that was pretty cool. It was a really big step uh into my career
[boona]:
Mhm.
[cath_simard]:
And then I started to lead photography workshops Um, all over the world,
[boona]:
That's sick.
[cath_simard]:
and um, yeah, but then it stopped with Coolvit, so
[boona]:
right.
[cath_simard]:
I had to mhm.
[boona]:
Find another outlet right, you know? like?
[cath_simard]:
exactly. Actually, you know what? When covet hit That really gave me a nice break because Two thousand nineteen was absolutely crazy for me. I was just I was traveling back to back to back to back. Uh, I think I ran like eight to ten workshops that year. I was not home for an entire year. Um, and uh, I, I kind of burned out, so I think coovet was actually perfect, But in when when Coolvet happened, I was running a workshops down in Patagonia.
[boona]:
Oh? wow.
[cath_simard]:
So it was. It was the general panic.
[boona]:
yeah, Yup.
[cath_simard]:
Uh, it. it. it was absolutely crazy. Um. because the, the, the country was actually shutting down as I was with Uh, my group. so that was pretty scary.
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Um. I have to say
[boona]:
I would. Yeah, I mean, I imagine so like that. that's that's fascinating. because like you know, generally there was like the whole world was panicking, but I feel like I felt like number one. I always felt like I felt obligated to go do things that I didn't want to do by society. you know, and like covet like
[cath_simard]:
Y,
[boona]:
completely eliminated That you know what I mean. Like you like.
[cath_simard]:
that's the introvert life. Though,
[boona]:
Yeah, like I, I'm I'm always like that. I'm introverted except for when I'm in a group of like between one and three Like, like, no matter
[cath_simard]:
okay,
[boona]:
any part of my life, like if I like three people's kind of the max. But like that's typically been my crowd and I've typically never like enjoyed conversations in like large groups, Because when I connect with Pe like I like to connect with people. and if it's more than three people, it's impossible to have like genuine conversations with like more than three people or more than two people. You know what I mean. Um,
[cath_simard]:
yeah, yeah, yeah, I agree.
[boona]:
and I mean, even before I got even before I got sober, like like when I was getting fucked up when I was doing all my partying, Like it was always like a maximum of five people like that. We just vibed with you know, cause I trusted them. you know, like we. Just like we always had a lot talk about, you know, and
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
especially when I was doing all the psychedelics like you know, like I knew that, if for whatever, I was very good on that, but if there was a moment of weakness, I knew that no one was ever going to take advantage. You know, like I knew that no one wass going to try to
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
fuck me over. No one was going to like you know, try to fuck with me or like, make me have a bad trip, or like you know, it was all just vibes, you know. right from the very
[cath_simard]:
y.
[boona]:
beginning. Um, and it's always been translated into like, it's kind of crazy. How like that? Like same ethos has like translated into the rest of my life. Like I don't go to parties. I don't like big social events like I don't you know, unless it's a concert. That's that's like the one exception, but like outside of that, it's just like we're like we. We can make such strong connections one on one and like if you're not doing that, I just don't know what the fuck you' doing in life. You know what I mean. Like
[cath_simard]:
yeah. I agree. a hundred percent I. I. I was never like a big group person.
[boona]:
hm,
[cath_simard]:
I remember. Even when I was a teenager, when everybody would go out, I would be the driver, you know, the that boring person
[boona]:
Mhm, Mhm, Mhm,
[cath_simard]:
who, just so I would go to the pre parties and then I would just drop everyone to the party and people would be like Hey, come on, let's go. I'm like No, I'm just going to go home and then I would just come back home because I, for me, it's like I think being in a big group setting, it is just really draining.
[boona]:
Yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Um, At the same time, it depends what you're doing. So when I run my workshops, obviously I'm with, you know, eight to ten to twelve people, and then
[boona]:
yp,
[cath_simard]:
people are relying on me,
[boona]:
right,
[cath_simard]:
but at the same time that setting I'm sharing my passion.
[boona]:
right,
[cath_simard]:
I'm teaching photography. I'm in the outdoors, So it's not the same as just being like a big social event where everybody's getting fucked up And
[boona]:
right,
[cath_simard]:
you know it's just I usually to stay like ten minutes and then I say Hey, I'm going to go to the restroom and I just leave.
[boona]:
right, Ex, exactly exactly like Like all my, like previous company parties, Ive, if I put that, because, like my previous company parties, I would go. I would show up, you know, and like, Um, and then if I didn't win a prize from like our annual raffle. Like once, I, once they did the prize drawings and I didn itt wind anything. and I never won anything in six years. When I was there, I left like 'cause it it. It's it in in by. Especially by that time people have about three to four drinks in them. and like you know, the the level of sincerity starts to drop like, and the light starts to go away in their eyes, you know, and you just like for someone like me. it's just
[cath_simard]:
Yeah, y,
[boona]:
okay. Well, I'm just going to go vib at home. you know. Um, I get that, Yeah, that's right, Yeah, or h, b, O commitment, whichever one you Um, I get that, Yeah, that's right, Yeah, or h, b, O commitment, whichever one you
[cath_simard]:
yeah, exactly Netflix and Shell,
[boona]:
want, you know what I mean. Uh, want, you know what I mean. Uh,
[cath_simard]:
there go.
[boona]:
yeah, so, uh that that. I think. I. I say that because I think that coved like in a weird way was like one of the biggest blessings, E, depending on how you looked at it, because
[cath_simard]:
y.
[boona]:
the whole world shut down. Um, you know, and a lot of people got to got to sit with themselves. and for someone like me that was very uncomfortable. You know now that I had no distractions like, but I took that as an opportunity to like work on myself and to like really work through some of the issues that like I would just like deploy distractions against. you know, Um, and, but you could also argue like that. This was also the birth of like this wonderful amazing community that were a part of today. You know what? I mean.
[cath_simard]:
yeah. I, I fully agree for me covet. You know, when it hit it was a little bit tough because it was my first year really being able to make a living as
[boona]:
Hm,
[cath_simard]:
a photographer. Before that I've been really struggling. I making a living off my art like I would, um, work as a housekeeper, and
[boona]:
Mm,
[cath_simard]:
then I would uh, go on the weekends to shoot, or I remember, when I came back from one of my trip, I would work at the government and have a desk job, you know,
[boona]:
Jesus, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
nine to five, and then it just like it would kill my soul.
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Um, so you know, when I started doing workshops, I finally felt like I was doing something that I really liked and then covet happened and I, I. I have. maybe like a full year of just really questioning myself. You know what am I doing? Um, and I, I, eventually I drove from uh, quebec, which is where I'm from
[boona]:
Mhm.
[cath_simard]:
all the way across Canada, to the kid, Canadian Rockies,
[boona]:
Oh, my God,
[cath_simard]:
and I decided to live out of my raft, or for six, six months where I would sleep in the parking lot of Uh, the Groce, the local grocery store, Um
[boona]:
I love that.
[cath_simard]:
leg, just living off my car like you know, like, I'm just not giving a fuck
[boona]:
Yeah. yeah,
[cath_simard]:
and be like You know what, I'm not going to work. I'm just going to hike and create non stop for six months, and I'm going to try to get better and and try to gain back that you know
[boona]:
Mhm,
[cath_simard]:
happiness, and it really worked for me and then Um. eventually I came back home, grabbed all my stuff and then drew again. It drove again, Uh, across Canada, Um to move to Canmore, which is really where I fell in love for the first time with the mountains. Um, and here I am today, Um, and it's just it, so yes, it's been a blessing because I am F. Finally able to make a living as an artist, and I'm living where I loved the most, and you know, I think that the n f ts in general have really, um pushed me to um, develop even more my art, so I'm just I'm super grateful it's been amazing.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, and I mean that's that's I didn't. I didn't know that first part of your story like that, for basically what I heard from that you know I like through that. Is it like you said, Fuck this right. And but to me what that in? correct me if I'm wrong. But it from what I gather from is you didn't give yourself any other option like, but to be happy. And if that meant like sacrificing everything that you currently did be cause, none of that brought you any joy. Like you're going to go literally live out of your car in front of a grocery store, and like vibe in the mountains and create, and like to me that there was no other option outside of that, Am I right?
[cath_simard]:
You're a hundred percent right. I was just sort of like hitting a wall and I was like there' no other options,
[boona]:
Hm
[cath_simard]:
so yes, I, for. I mean, okay, I could have gotten myself
[boona]:
could, If
[cath_simard]:
a nice apartment,
[boona]:
right,
[cath_simard]:
but then I decided to uh, with that money, I decided to buy a lenths, a new leance to
[boona]:
Mm,
[cath_simard]:
create more awesome shit. Um, and then you know it's like Okay, end up living comfortably in an apartment or buying a new lens For
[boona]:
right,
[cath_simard]:
me. The choice was pretty easy because I have always prior prioritize my art. and uh, it. It's just that's why I live. I think for me creating is is like, Um, one of the primary needs,
[boona]:
yep, yup, yup,
[cath_simard]:
Um, If when I don't create, I don't feel myself and I, it's there's no chance that I'm going to feel balanced and happy, So that was more important than having a roof. Um,
[boona]:
right.
[cath_simard]:
yeah, Mhm.
[boona]:
But you did a lot of what a lot of people don't do. Is you ask yourself really tough questions like you know? Like what? like? Is this really what I want? you know? Like what am I doing here like in and being really honest and being really accountable. And I think that's what I think for people who were able to do that covet was a blessing for people who aren't able to do that. Coved was a nightmare. You know, because if you're
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
unable to question yourself, if you're unable to question reality, what makes you happy? Like? Just like being another cog in the wheel, like then then then Coved was an absolute nightmare. But it sound like for the people who are true creatives and the people who like were not just going to be a like, a, a housekeeper, or uh, sit at a desk for the rest of their life, Like that, just sounded like the greatest you know like thing that could happen to you, you know, cause I can't. I can't imagine you being a housekeeper or like a death person like that just does. not. I don't. I can't even picture that like.
[cath_simard]:
it it was. You know what I think, that doing housekeeping was actually a little bit better than working at a desk,
[boona]:
sure.
[cath_simard]:
because I was moving my boddy, and
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
I was like staying fit and it's like for me when I move my body, that's my own way to, um, quite my mind. It's almost like a meditation. so I
[boona]:
yp. Yep.
[cath_simard]:
just put some podcast in music and just go really quickly.
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Uh, But that this job was was, it killed me, killed me. Yeah,
[boona]:
I can imagine. yeah, I. I. I just can't. I can't even picture that like it. Just it does it. It doesn't compute it doesn. It doesn't fit the smart contract. You know what I mean. The the. V.
[cath_simard]:
so actually I was bringing my laptop and I was secretly working on my editing instead of doing my job, and A, to be honest, like, I don't even know why they hired me. it was the dumbest most easy job ever. So I got everything done in
[boona]:
Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
like one month out of my form on contract, and then for three months I would just do a little bit here and that I would keep editing And
[boona]:
right
[cath_simard]:
that's actually how I improved my editing a lot during the that time. So happy about that,
[boona]:
that. that's actually really cool. I, I love the like you say that cause you like you, just like you. Got you got your sit done. You're able to create. You're able to like that was like to me that like pe, I think people look for like a simple answer and they look for
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
like a cooki cutter answer. And there's and there's not like. if if you want to break away from it, you have to like. Take a little bit of a risk. right like there. There
[cath_simard]:
yes,
[boona]:
has to be some risk like you, Ha, like, I'm sure that like that was not even though you finish your work. That probably still brought up a lot of emotions and probably some conflict of like you know, like, should I be doing more? Should I be putting an extra effort here or should it be creating? What are people thinking? Like all of the I'm sure that was like a real like thought. That was like a real thing that
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
you had to deal with.
[cath_simard]:
So there's something that I have noticed that my brain does a lot And it's when I'm doing something that I know I'm not meant to do,
[boona]:
Mm.
[cath_simard]:
which is being on a desk, or even I try. I try to be Aw, a waitress,
[boona]:
Mm,
[cath_simard]:
and I most I got fired on the first day. I literally sabotage myself when I know that I'm doing something that does not align with my vibe in
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
my soul. You know. I mean, it's just
[boona]:
yp. I do. I do. Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
yeah. that's what I do.
[boona]:
I got. I got. I got fired. Um, you and me very much relate as far as like the the food industry. I, uh, I was actually working when I was living in Aspen. Um, I was working at like a high in restaurant by like a jax mountain and I got one order wrong. There was like two people. It was wild Yikee. I can't make the shit up. There's two people that ordered the exact same thing, Except one was a V I p table and one wasn't. They literally had two dishes. The exacting thing, they were not a part of each other's table. Like two separate like parties. completely. The V I P table had one additional garnish on it that the other one didn't and I mixed up the plates and I got fired and I'm just like this is not. This is just not for me like O. In an Aspen, they're spending like ninety five dollars on like a regular meal. You know what I mean Like it's it's a. It's a. It's a. It's a non nonsense business. Now what's ironic is like Aspen. There's so many people ycked up on cocaine all the time that like it's it's just a. It's a. It's a, It was a catch twenty two, but in reality it was like one of the best things that ever happened to me because I was. I was so so miserable doing that. Um. and to be held under such scrutiny like one little garnish got me fired. So
[cath_simard]:
That's crazy.
[boona]:
we've we vive on that. they' like. um, we fiveve, Yeah, so I want to go back even a little bit further. Like what you know, So you, you were in photography, Uh, you, you were your photographer for five years, Um. What got you into photography in the first place? Like? What was the kind of like the journey leading up to that,
[cath_simard]:
Yeah, so I. I would say that my journey in the arts sort of the industry started um as a model, So I. I did some modeling from the age of sixteen, way to twenty four
[boona]:
Mhm,
[cath_simard]:
and uh. along the way, I also took um some classes to become a fashion, uh, designer, and uh, I was also working as a fashion stylist, and I just sort of like realized at one point that I was not feeling fulfilled anymore from that job. I surely was really passionate about it when I started, but I, I think that the fire just sort of like died down and I
[boona]:
Y, Yep,
[cath_simard]:
was feeling really lost, so I was like, you know what, I'm just gonna break the lease of my apartment, sell all my designer clothing, sell my car, and I'm going to buy a one way ticket to Australia with a working holiday visa.
[boona]:
Wow,
[cath_simard]:
So I, I, so I just said, Fuck it, I'm going, and and then I became a farmer.
[boona]:
I love. I love this.
[cath_simard]:
Yeah, um, so I arrived in Australia, and uh, I started by working at a cherry farm, and uh, we would do some chry picking, maybe twelve hours a day. It was a super superphysical job.
[boona]:
Mhm.
[cath_simard]:
The cherries were massive,
[boona]:
really.
[cath_simard]:
like, like, seriously massive, almost like little apples. And the thing is that when you would do the chair at picking, you would sort of be allowed to eat the cherries
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Um. but at the same time, there were like a lot of uh pesticides on the cherry,
[boona]:
gota
[cath_simard]:
so it was not the best for the digestion, anyway, so I just ate.
[boona]:
I take it, there's a story behind that, but we won't get into that
[cath_simard]:
No, not, um. That's all. I have to say, not the best
[boona]:
right right. We'll leave it there.
[cath_simard]:
for that justest, Um, Yeah, believe it there, Um, But so I would, I would just feed myself of cherries for three months. that was, and I, I did not want it to. I didn't have a lot of money. and to be honest, like that job. if you were not super good, it was still a little bit difficult
[boona]:
M. yeah,
[cath_simard]:
to make some decent money. so that basically the more you would pick, the, the more money that you would make. but also the the the way that you would cherry pick. you needed the, the, the stem, the steam
[boona]:
Mhm, Mhm,
[cath_simard]:
on the on the cherry. And if it was not there, then you would get flagged and then you would. It was like, really, yeah, yeah, and then
[boona]:
Wow, I took their cherry picking very seriously. Yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
very seriously you could you could get kicked out if you had like tree strikes And then so it was very stressful. so
[boona]:
wow,
[cath_simard]:
I was really really slow and I was probably in the worst farmer they've ever had. To Be honest, I was just eating. I was just ending
[boona]:
you're to.
[cath_simard]:
the day. the last one. the mouth all red from eating cherries, non stuff for twelve hours, and that that I was happy and they like me and we were like. You know what cat? You're a pretty shetty farmer, but you're You're kinda cool. so we're going to keep you. So
[boona]:
I love that.
[cath_simard]:
that's all I was able to survive. Uh. but then when once the season ended, Um, we moved to Uh, another farm, and that was a a banana farm in queensland.
[boona]:
Hm.
[cath_simard]:
and uh, this. it was a pretty rough sort of job.
[boona]:
Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Um. They also gave me uh, basically some of the most physical job. So I was driving a cherry picker, and then I would go from treat a tree in order to put the the bags around the banana put bunches, and then I would spray the pesticide, so once again in direct contact with
[boona]:
pesticides yep, yup,
[cath_simard]:
pesticides working at like uh, forty degrees, No mask, know nothing. and then I eventually stied to develop rashes
[boona]:
Oh my god. yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
from being in direct contact. Yeah,
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
uh, so really bad rashes. Um, so then they put me inside, so in the shed and they gave me the worst job, the job that nobody wanted to do. And it was basically when you received the banana bunches, you take out the the. the, the bags
[boona]:
Mhm,
[cath_simard]:
around the bunches. But these bags have been around the bunches
[boona]:
Oh my god.
[cath_simard]:
for like months, so you can only imagine the amount of spiders snakes that would come out of each bag. So it W, like
[boona]:
Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
minimum minimum, like ten times a day I would take out one of the bag and then there would be a snake jumping in my face
[boona]:
oh my god.
[cath_simard]:
or spiders going all over my body, and I, I had to get used to that and actually, my first day doing that, I didn't have long sleeve and no, no gloves.
[boona]:
Oh, oh my God,
[cath_simard]:
so I was just full of spiders.
[boona]:
you and you had no idea what to expect? Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
I was Iv. Okay, a new
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
job Coulkle that you know, it's like
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
I'm goingnna take it. Um, but then I learned my lessons because like I was li, my entire body was like full of spiders, and like, from my, like, really, really small spiders to big ones. and then I had to learn how to uh, you know, manage when there's a snake. So basically when there's a snake you need to catch the snake by the tail and it
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
really fast, and then you make a turn like this be to to make to make the snake sort of like disoriented,
[boona]:
yeah, yeah.
[cath_simard]:
and then A, and then you
[boona]:
oh my god.
[cath_simard]:
put it in a bucket and then you release it back into the jungle.
[boona]:
right,
[cath_simard]:
So that was my job for like one year.
[boona]:
this this the snake Wl.
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
it's insane.
[cath_simard]:
so that was my job.
[boona]:
Oh my god.
[cath_simard]:
Yeah, it, it was it. W. it was insane and I was not doing photography just to come back to photography. I was not doing photography. Um, really at that that time, but I
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
was sort of like documenting my um side adventures when I would not be working just with my phone. I
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
think Iphone tree, you know, the, the, The old phones.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
we had Uh back into Thousand fourteen.
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Um, and then I would post my stuff on Intstergome, and then eventually there's Um. a Uh Bendana company, Australian Banana company, who reached out to me and were like, Hey Catath, We've seen your work on your Uh ingamp page. We loved your work. Would you like to photograph or product? Um, And I was like my work. What do you mean my work? What do you mean my work?
[boona]:
Mhm,
[cath_simard]:
Um? but I, I just sort of like went with it
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
and I was like You know what? Sure, let's go And then they gave me I think fifteen hundred bucks. With that money, I bought a camera and then I started to learn uh photography by uh, taking photos of people wearing the product, either running
[boona]:
yep.
[cath_simard]:
hiking, kayaking,
[boona]:
yep. yup. Yep.
[cath_simard]:
whatever, So that's how I got into photography.
[boona]:
that's sick.
[cath_simard]:
Um, but then yeah, and then when I finished my um, my two years of farming, I decided to take a solo trip, Uh, with my new little camera.
[boona]:
Mhm,
[cath_simard]:
Um, and then I, I went to Um. Indonesia, Hawaiian, and I ended up in the Canadian Rockies, and that was
[boona]:
Wow,
[cath_simard]:
my first time. Uh, seeing you know huge mountains And
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
that's actually, when I realized that I had a thing for mountainscause. I did not really know that before, but they just
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
they gave me the feels that gave me the feels.
[boona]:
Oh my god. Yeah, you and me both
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
like I'm I'm like a fish out of water here in Texas, Because like when I was in Aspen, like I felt so at home like E, especially like I was a worker on the ski resort, and like I got to go up on the mountain on like a Tuesday and snowboard when like with just the locals and there was no tourist there'. No, I'm just like. I literally felt like I owned that mountain and it was like one of
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
the best feelings in the entire world, like there's beach people and there's mountain people like I fucking
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
hate sand. So and like salt water is annoying like, but the mountains like to me. I don't know if you share the same vib, but like to me it's I know. the ocean has its own way of understanding. This is not man made, but like looking at a mountain, you're just like there is absolutely zero way that man or human could ever build something like this Like it was
[cath_simard]:
y,
[boona]:
like my first like moment of like man. There is actually something greater at work here. Because like there's no way a human could actually construct this. You know what I mean.
[cath_simard]:
yes, yeah,
[boona]:
Like it. Just, I felt like that was like my first conce like concept of like something greater than me, You know what I mean.
[cath_simard]:
yeah. I feel that mountains are also super humbling
[boona]:
Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
and like I can't. It's a really specific feeling that I can't really
[boona]:
yep. yep.
[cath_simard]:
explain it and that I've never really felt with anything else, And I remember actually my first time feeling that really insane feeling was
[boona]:
Mm.
[cath_simard]:
um on my first scramble. Do you know scrambling?
[boona]:
Mhm. No.
[cath_simard]:
So so scrambling is like when you go off trail and you make your own way up a mountain. So it
[boona]:
gota
[cath_simard]:
includes bush bush walking, and then usually you need to use your hands a little bit.
[boona]:
Mhm.
[cath_simard]:
so when you use your hands that's considered scrambling. Um, so the first time that I arrived in the Rockies, I did not know
[boona]:
Okay, okay,
[cath_simard]:
anyone. I was sleeping off my rental car on the passenger seat. You know, classic. That's actually how I started doing that and you know
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, yeah, that's so wild.
[cath_simard]:
what you know what? And now it's clicking. I think that this specific trip was so was so insane for me. and it it. It just left me such a feeling of freedom that now sleeping in my car it brings back that feeling. It does.
[boona]:
Ah, I love that. Yeah. I can see that. Yeah.
[cath_simard]:
It does. And and it just sort of clicked out, but back to the back to the scramble. Um. So I met up with like eight strangers, Um to go on a well hike, more like a scramble.
[boona]:
right right right right.
[cath_simard]:
And there was only one guy who has ever did any sort of scrambling before, So
[boona]:
Wow.
[cath_simard]:
we were all like inexperienced people.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
So what we did was like, Hey, there's a peak there. let's try to go up there. So we just started like bush walking, scrambling up like just really sketchy
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
um gullies and and making our way up there and it. it was really interesting 'cause there were there. there were a few people in the group that were really Um scared.
[boona]:
sure. yeah. naturally. so right. le. yeah,
[cath_simard]:
You know, because it. Yeah, I would. which is which is normal,
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
especially when it's your first time, but for me I remember, I was like. What the hell is this? This is the best thing ever. Like the adrenaline.
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
The views, like W. this is a real
[boona]:
yeah.
[cath_simard]:
life adventure. So we reached that peak and then instead of going back down we decided to stay on the ridge and make our way all the way to the Nu to another peak.
[boona]:
oh my god.
[cath_simard]:
And and, because we all did not have experience and we were like, Oh, you know what, two hours will be fine. It took. It literally took us like six hours to go to that other ridge because we needed to go up and down and um, it, just like go go on really, uh, narrow ridges and do
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
some really technical moves and stuff like that, But it was the best thing ever we discovered. Like small glacier lakes, like glaciers like giant weird
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, yeah.
[cath_simard]:
rugs. It just it felt like Lord of the Rings, but I, it felt like I was in the movie Lord of The Rings. It felt so amazing, And then we reached that crazy viewpoint which was overlooking a glacier transforming into a glacier lake, transforming into that giant waterfall, going into that bluest giant lake.
[boona]:
oh my god. Yeah.
[cath_simard]:
And I was like What is this like? And I'm talking about that and I have. I still have like the shivers. It's just and I remember, at that moment I took my camera and I took a photo and I was like this is what I want to do. This is
[boona]:
H.
[cath_simard]:
what I want to do. This Is this like? I've never felt anything like that and I feel that Up until that day I've I've been chasing that specific feeling like since they won that I started, So that's why I, that's That's one of the reason why I pushed myself so much.
[boona]:
yeah.
[cath_simard]:
Because I'm not only chasing the the shot, but I'm chasing that specific feeling that I felt, which I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to, Because you know it was sort of like
[boona]:
right.
[cath_simard]:
my first time, but I'm still sort of like trying to to reach that point. so
[boona]:
but I love that story because like it's it gives you something to like. Be like. I think there's like. There's like really big moments that like when when humans like experience things it like you just like, can't mistake it for anything else like you don't know exactly what it is. but like it. just it's It's so authentic and it's so real And it's just like there's nothing that quite feels like it. And you can't really describe this feeling to a person like who's never experienced it before and everyone has their own like thing that makes them feel like
[cath_simard]:
yes,
[boona]:
that. You know what I mean, Um, and and that and that's and it's almost worth everything. you know. like it was a very similar. Not not the same story, but very similar. Like when I first came into the n f T world. Like, like I had really had my worst. Um, I was like broken down. P. It was like my worst point in my professional career like I just received the worst news of my life. Um, and I, I literally called out for a week like it was like it was like the thing, like it. It shook me to my core, but it was one of the best learning experiences Um, that I've ever had, and at the same time it was right when Bee like sold his like sixty nine million dollar grail and I'm just like. What the fuck is this right? like I like this Is this is not nothing. I. I. I literally said that without being immersed in the culture like I'm like this is something like this is definitely not nothing. Um, and I remember it felt very renaissancey like I was. I was in this clubhe room, um, with like medicovin and tubidor, and like Saeram, who was on the good time show who was hosting this, and also the uh, I can't remember his name, but the punk with the the alien punk with the fedora and the pipe, I can't I. I. I can't remember
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
his name. Um, and they were just like expressing this imagination that like I had like stuffed so far down inside me, because like I just never felt like anyone would ever understand like the gibberish or the feeling that I had when I would think of like this world, or like with how technology can enrich our lives. But then these people were speaking this language. Uh, that? like I didn't even know that I spoke myself. You know what I mean it was, and I and I remember I was so hyped up on passion and coffee, and also, yet I incredibly emotionally depressed at the same time. like I Ca. I think I felt every emotion on the spectrum that humans can expect in that week Because like I maybe had slept for ten hours, you know, and I just
[cath_simard]:
wow,
[boona]:
I. I can't describe it and that is like what? Like Laun, and I still don't fully know what my real role and all of this is right now. it's storytelling and relationship building. I love podcasting, but I know that there's something beyond it but that and it's like that feeling is the exact feeling I get every time that like I connect with someone that understands it. That gets it that understands G. M that like you know what I mean, like this is just like a community that I've never. I never even dreamed. I could never even dream of this. You know, it felt like the moment that I realized that I didn't have to put like I'm a recovered heroaic. I didn't have to put heroin in my body to be okay anymore. It
[cath_simard]:
yeah.
[boona]:
was like that same feeling like both of those moments were like synonymous with each other like they felt. The ex Exact is like holy shit. I have
[cath_simard]:
y.
[boona]:
arrived. You know what I mean? Like,
[cath_simard]:
do you know? Do you think it's sort of like an awakening feeling
[boona]:
yeah, Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
something happens.
[boona]:
it, it. it is because I with me and it's it's weird. I. My journey has many awakenings and you know like 'cause I got. I got busy really early with getting you know with with with like, I guess you could call it fucking my life up. Um, you know, but I, I got sober at twenty one. and when I finally like, like, When I finally had that moment where I shared that that body of work that did it for me, I remember it was like this like burning bush moment where like the grass was a different color green, like the sky was the most blue it had ever been. Um, and it was the first realization that I had that I didn't have to put anything in my body to be able to be okay to be liked to function like, 'cause those were all things that. like I would like. Drugs were the solution to my feeling of inadequacy. That that was the solution to the way I felt. Um, And this was the first moment where I said I don't have to do this anymore. You know what I mean, and
[cath_simard]:
Yeah, yeah, that's crazy.
[boona]:
it's such a wild feeling that like you when you know you know, like when you know like there, there's just feelings that are unmistakable Like you just cannot mistake them for anything else. But what they are? You know what I mean. um,
[cath_simard]:
Yes,
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, I just I felt like sharing that because it, that was like a very similar feeling. And then when I experienced that, like with this community, I said, Oh my God, you know like this is. this is the same feeling. I, this is the same feeling like when I actually got over and I didn't feel like I could ever recapture that.
[cath_simard]:
and I feel that this community also has sort of like regrouped
[boona]:
yeah, y.
[cath_simard]:
similar thinkers and
[boona]:
yeah.
[cath_simard]:
I think that's why we connect so much because we all share perhaps that same type of energy
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
and we're just really open minded.
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
and yeah, I think all artists together and just like, really, um, passionate people and open minded people just forms that awesome really strong community.
[boona]:
and I feel like we're square pegs and round holes to the rest of the world like. I feel like we just don't fit in anywhere else. You know what I mean. Like it. Just
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
it's it we can. we can do it, but it's not really like. it just doesn't work like we're all
[cath_simard]:
it's all the black sheeps reruuping on Untwitter, with all the black sheavs
[boona]:
it. I know. I, Yeah, And and that's E. I, I've even heard that analogy like that's
[cath_simard]:
together. I love it.
[boona]:
like. probably my. that's the best description that I've heard is like were all the dejens that like, put on a smile, but really like, couldn't stand doing the rest of this. you know, like the the
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
regular life shit, you know what I mean. Yeah, yeah, um, so I think this is a great segway into like your, n f ts, and like your photography likecause, like I, I actually found you through fractional. That's how I figured out about you was
[cath_simard]:
really.
[boona]:
through fractional yet, um, and through the photovult. Um, and that's how I found De. That's how I found you. That's how I found be. That's how I, You know. like a. And and I'm just like, like you're blue. Like was like the most like earth shattering feeling that I'd ever experienced. I'm like. Oh my God, like this like I, I didn't realize how much of a connection I have a blue tiil. I working. I'm like Okay, like we got to like. Talk to her. We got to like. Learn more about this, Like amazing woman, So you know, like tell me about. We're going to showcase some of your work here. I want to. We'll do a screen chair, but tell me about like your journey, like into like en. T like the learning of it like you know some of the shortcomings you knowcause. I think that'll help people who are like coming in and they're still unsure and they're like wondering what the journey's like. Like I want to hear, some like the The good, and some of like the the doubt or some of the uncertainty that you have when you came in.
[cath_simard]:
yeah. yeah, for sure, So I actually learned about N. F. Ts. I think back in December twenty twenty through Tiick talk.
[boona]:
No shit.
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
Okay, fuck, yeah, let's go.
[cath_simard]:
I saw a video and I was like I was like. What is? well, not really learning about N f. T's just like being very intrigued.
[boona]:
Yeah. it sparked of curiosity.
[cath_simard]:
Uh, and I can't remember. Yeah, exactly.
[boona]:
Yep.
[cath_simard]:
and then I. I. I. It's sort of like stayed and I started seeing Uh other uh photographers that I've been following for a long time getting into an f. t, just like Uh, Dave Cririgman, so I I remember asking him some questions and being and being like.
[boona]:
Mhm. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Hey, like, what is this? Like? How can I start and I was so confused
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
like I remember, I was like I made. I remember, I made like a um, a post on Facebook. If anyone knows about N f ts, I am willing to pay you so you can teach me. I could not find any information
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
and then I heard that clubhouse was the place to be,
[boona]:
right, Yup, Yep.
[cath_simard]:
so I, um, I started to spend you know, a few hours per down clubhe, and started maybe two hours, four hours, eight hours on Club
[boona]:
yeah.
[cath_simard]:
Housee, and I'm like Damn, I'm I'm spending a lot of time and like I was not working.
[boona]:
M.
[cath_simard]:
During that time I had. I had just released a course, which was just enough to you know, cover
[boona]:
pay the bills. Yup Yup,
[cath_simard]:
rent and food. Um, Exactly so, I was just fully committed into learning about that and Um. I, I was really pushing myself to jump on stage and and and talk about me and talk my work and I hated it like I've never liked Um, talking about myself in general and just uh, I'm just not. I'm more like a of a thinker
[boona]:
Yeah.
[cath_simard]:
and a writer than a speaker.
[boona]:
yep. yup,
[cath_simard]:
Um, so I? I. I remember, I would like take a shot of taquila and'd be like Okay, Today is the day I will have one interaction. It was that much and I would
[boona]:
yeah.
[cath_simard]:
sweat. and like the way that I was speak was like very nervous. And I
[boona]:
yep.
[cath_simard]:
remember people were like. we can't really hear you, Cat. I'm like yeah, 'cause I'm so nervous. I can't speak. I was so nervous. Um, So I? I? actually, what? I? I? I remember the most was just me just being that nervous, sweaty person for four months on clubhouse, trying to communicate my art and talk to people and try to create connections.
[boona]:
yep. yep.
[cath_simard]:
And Um, I remember, like you know, if I was in the space,
[boona]:
Mhm.
[cath_simard]:
Uh, for about you know, a few months and people like so Catholic. When are you dropping? I'm like. Well, actually, I'm not really in a hurry. I just want to keep learning.
[boona]:
yep.
[cath_simard]:
I really want to um, do, do, uh, something that I'm proud of and I, I really want to take my time, so I decided to apply on Nft to Gateway. I decided
[boona]:
Mhm,
[cath_simard]:
to apply on super. a. Um. I did have already a foundation invite, but I was like. I really really really want to get on Super. I just I just
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
know that this is how I want to start my journey, so I decided to be patient and to wait, and then eventually I got accepted and that was like so insane because I think I was the second photograph, second or third photographer on the platform.
[boona]:
wow, wow.
[cath_simard]:
So I was part of the first photographers and I remember at that time people were like, Oh, they're not go to accept you 'cause like they're just starting to to
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
experiment with photography. And like they're not really sure.
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
but I think so well. I think for a fact, I know that what helped me get on the platform was that I proposed to release an n that included an ex in real life trip with me to the Canadian Rockies,
[boona]:
ah, yep.
[cath_simard]:
and uh that that
[boona]:
yup, Yup,
[cath_simard]:
like hasn't been done before they were like. This is so cool.
[boona]:
Yup.
[cath_simard]:
This is new. Um. So then I, I started to release a few photos, and then I ended up with them with the Um, with the in life experience and and that went really well. Um,
[boona]:
I was going to ask like. how was that like? Is that was that?
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
Yeah? like cause that that to me is like such a a fascinating story about Like and I. What? I don't think that people understand how much we can actually do with this technology. You know what I mean,
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
so like was that like? If you, I know, we're going to interrupt this story and I want to come back to it. But what was like that? What was like that? I r, l, experience like with your like with with the collector?
[cath_simard]:
so I have not done it yet.
[boona]:
Oh, you haven't done it. Oh, okay, okay, someway
[cath_simard]:
No,
[boona]:
we'll have to have another recording when you do that and then we'll
[cath_simard]:
perfect.
[boona]:
we're going to ask other. So okay, super
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
reor, I, r, l experience, Yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
yeah, but so so actually, for my genesusis drop, I don't know if you saw, but I took the time to create a promo video with my good friend Matt. Um, who's been helping me a lot with marketing and with uh videos, But
[boona]:
yep,
[cath_simard]:
we literally worked two to three hundred hours just for that Genesis drop video. And so it was an insane amount of work. Um, and I just really wanted to do something that reflects my aesthetic
[boona]:
yep,
[cath_simard]:
and and my work, and some sort of like, more like of a you know a high effort drop.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Um, and I was really really happy with that. I think people really connected with the video. So I released the Genesis video, and then I, I released my first photo and I sold I think within a few days, But then after that I didn't sell anything for two months,
[boona]:
wow, okay,
[cath_simard]:
and that was definitely. That definitely brought some doubts because I was like Well, you know, I spend so much money, you know on that video and so much time and energy on that video. And like okay, I was happy about selling a photo, but I still had a few more to come,
[boona]:
Mhm,
[cath_simard]:
Um, and I think at that time that I did not sell anything, I probably had three or four photos available in my superor. Um, so you know, I was like, definitely disappointed and I, I was just
[boona]:
Mhm, Mhm,
[cath_simard]:
it was making me doubt that that entire thing like it was that worth
[boona]:
right all that.
[cath_simard]:
putting you know. taking like six months
[boona]:
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
of my of my of my life to learn about N f T's like. Is this worth it? And then there's one day I jump on one of these these space and there was Uh, Justin a vazero
[boona]:
Mhm.
[cath_simard]:
on stage. That was Ds, and it. I think there was Ferook.
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
I can't remember. Um, and I remember. There's just and it was like Hey, I'm seeing cats some more in the audience Like let's bring her on stage. She just released an interny life experience. That's pretty cool.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
so I jump on stage. and then I. I. I. I spoke about that. Were you in that room?
[boona]:
no, I was not
[cath_simard]:
Okay?
[boona]:
I. I was actually not I. I think that was still like when I was doing my like research and I still didn't quite like. I knew I wanted to be here, but I also, I didn't
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
know if I wanted to be here. You know what? I mean.
[cath_simard]:
yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
like I was in that phase. Yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
it. it was. It was a crazy room because I really took the time to tell my story. talk about my work. talk
[boona]:
hm,
[cath_simard]:
about the release and people seemed generally interested, And like
[boona]:
y.
[cath_simard]:
that was something that I did not really felt before.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Uh, except for the person who bought my geneseech, but I was like. Well, people do truly don't give a photg on my story, And then that kind of like really changed because on the same night I received an an an offer from these, and I received an another offer from somebody else or or on another piece, and I was like Whoa, Like what is happening
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
and then and then things that it. It was sort of like a blockage. And what
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
I realized is that I know that there were a few collectors interested in my work, but they were just waiting to see if somebody else would bid if that was a good idea. And you know which I don't blame them. That's fine to wait to see if you know an artist you know is worth Um.
[boona]:
right right,
[cath_simard]:
investing S some money. But that really really helped me. And then you know that just really gave me a big, a big push for for the rest of my release.
[boona]:
I love that.
[cath_simard]:
So I would say that that was the the biggest sort of doubt. Um, I was not planning on quitting. but I was just like you know. Well, let's wait another a few months and see what happens.
[boona]:
yeah. yeah.
[cath_simard]:
But yeah, and so so then I, I released a few other pieces and then I decided to work on Um, another really big project which is free Hawaii photo.
[boona]:
Mhm, we're going to bring that up. We're going to
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
we. We're going to bring it because like I, I fell in love. Like as I remember you, it was right after one of your big drops. I can't remember which one it was like. Uh, and then I I saw your tweet and you're like my next project is going to be something that like is like pushing the boundaries, like going to break the rules, Like going to like, be really innovative and I'm just like Okay. Well, not that you didn't have my attention before, Because you already did. I'm like Okay, Like now You really have my attention. Um, because for someone like me like I, whether it fops or it succeeds, like I have such a soft spot and such a genuine interest in people that like are trying to do things that no one else either does. It's incredibly risky. It changes people's thinking, like it disrupts the way people like
[cath_simard]:
yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
like, look at things, and like I havecause. That's part of like Why I don't feel like I fit in a lot of other societiescause. Like those are the type of people that like I like to be around because it's not common. It's not. It's
[cath_simard]:
yeah.
[boona]:
not the way things are. It's something brand new, so we're going to do a uh, screen share while you tell this story. so um, I, Yes, I cannot like I love this.
[cath_simard]:
And it's funny because in that tweet, I also added that people will either love it or hate
[boona]:
Yup. Yep,
[cath_simard]:
it, And that's exactly what happened like I. I. I got a lot of love, but I got
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss,
[cath_simard]:
a lot of hate too. I'm not going. Oh, yeah, oh yes. hey. when I, yeah, I, I
[boona]:
you did you did? Yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
can't tell the story, but it it was pretty pretty insane, but I was expecting it because it it. The goal with this was to disrupt what we know, as you know, the traditional licensing, and uh, okay, so yeah, so now you're on the website.
[boona]:
Mhm, let's go into that. Let's go. Let let's go into that. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Yeah, so basically fear y is. as I'm reading. It's the world's first image to have its rights released after the one one n f T's purchased. And the idea with that is that I had a specific photo that I posted Uh back in two thousand seventeen and that became absolutely viral And you know what, this photo is not blue, and that really pisses me off. That, my most
[boona]:
I, I al. almost. I, almostqu. I'm like. Is this a cath piece because it's not fucking blue.
[cath_simard]:
right, I was like. How come the only nob little photo of my entire portfolio
[boona]:
Yeah, yeah, but I th. but I think that it speaks to the importance of this piece as
[cath_simard]:
becomes viral?
[boona]:
well like is it's so different from the rest of your work like that. I
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
that we're all used to that like it almost has to stand out. It almost has like
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
it it. it. It's broken apart to where no one can get it confused. No one has any doubts or any questions. Um,
[cath_simard]:
yeah, I agree with that.
[boona]:
so anyway, I just made that connection. Um, and I think that that it's it's not supposed to be blue like we like the green hereir We like the green
[cath_simard]:
Yeah.
[boona]:
only for this one, but we no, really like the blue
[cath_simard]:
well, okay, the road is kind of it, blue green kind of, but it's moody.
[boona]:
kind of kind of. but let's let's not kid. Oursves. Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Okay,
[boona]:
yeah, let's not kit ourselves here. You got mountains.
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
That's that we got. We got mountains right right.
[cath_simard]:
there's macins. Yeah, okay. okay, th, that's that's
[boona]:
Yup, Yup,
[cath_simard]:
It's good enough good enough.
[boona]:
Yeah.
[cath_simard]:
I'm so basically I posted that photo back into Thousand Seventeen and uh it it. It became vial like almost instantly like all the big hubs started res. Share it and I, at first I was really happy. I was like wow, like it's kind of the
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[cath_simard]:
first time that I'm receiving so much attention for my work and for me that was like a super. That was like a super. Um, sort of like simple and easy photo. I literally just got out of my car. Took the photo came back. It was literally the most, the easiest photo I've ever taken. So I. I. I did like the photo, but I was not expecting anything from it more than any of the rest of my work. And then so you know, it started to to to be used by like really big hubs, like on Intgram on um, phasebook, um, it. and then it started to be reshaarred but mostly without credits. Um. I even saw the photo a few times on big travel pages with a hundred thousands of likes, Uh, with millions of use, No credits. Nothing back to me and that lasted for four
[boona]:
Wow,
[cath_simard]:
years, and um, I like along the way, I decided to um try two different services which help people help photographer, Uh, recover some of
[boona]:
the royalties or some? the? yeah? yeah, yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
uh, the infringements. Yeah, exactly. Um. So you know with some lawyers like really specialize in that and none of these two services were able to recover any money from the
[boona]:
wow.
[cath_simard]:
cases. zero. I, I never received a single dollar for that. Um.
[boona]:
Wow, and how much did that cost
[cath_simard]:
So
[boona]:
you to like? hire these like people to do that?
[cath_simard]:
so what's cool with both of these services Is that? Well, the the first that I use. it was like free for the first few months.
[boona]:
Okay, Okay,
[cath_simard]:
Um, and then you need to start paying. Uh, but it usually when you pay, it's just like a personage of
[boona]:
the whateverever they get back. Okay gota gadget again?
[cath_simard]:
the recovered case, So if you don't, if, if they, if you know, they don't win the case, you don't have to pay
[boona]:
That's good. at least okay.
[cath_simard]:
anything. So, yeah, exactly, and then I had. I think only one or two other of my images that I was able to recover some money out of my entire portfolio. uploading thirty images on both of these websites. two cases out of a hundred hundreds, and ho, hundreds of uh cases across my entire
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[boona]:
Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
portfolio. So it's like well, Yes, you do have these services, but it's not guaranteed that you're going to get anything out of it and it might take years.
[boona]:
right.
[cath_simard]:
you know. Um, so I would. I. I came to a point where I really wanted to uh,
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
drop that photo, but in a way that would be meaningful full, and in a way that would tell a story.
[boona]:
mm, hm.
[cath_simard]:
and um, I remember I was. I was uh, drinking some wine, smoking some pod one night with my friend Matt, who did my Genesis video before And we were just sort of pitching crazy ideas And we came to this idea and at first I was like. Well, why would I give away my rights to like the people who stole it? you know,
[boona]:
right,
[cath_simard]:
and it just felt so weird at first. But then the more you thought about it, the more it made sense and the more you thought about, you know what r n f ts. for me? The more an image is shared across the world, the more the value of the one one n f t goes up.
[boona]:
exactly
[cath_simard]:
And so that was sort of like the way that I was personally, I understanding N f ts. that. and that was maybe three to four months ago when we started to to discuss the idea.
[boona]:
y.
[cath_simard]:
and Um, also, I was like Wow, that would be a crazy statement to be like. You know what you've been trying to steal my photos for years and I have never been able to win. Then you can't steal what you're being given. So this is my way to reclaim sort of like my rights on this photo by releasing it and making it free to everyone. So that was sort of like my way to regain control by letting go of control. Um, So lots of like different statements in this project. and Um, I was really lucky because I was able to um. Basically, um, present the project to someone who was already interested in purchasing my work and that person, Um,
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[cath_simard]:
was really, Um, loved, Uh, anything that is like disruptive and innovative And he just really connected with it with this idea And that's g. money.
[boona]:
Mhm. Yep.
[cath_simard]:
and uh, I pitched him the idea. We had a call right after and he was on board and he was. He just saw something into the P project without even showing any form of marketing promo video. Whatever, just with the idea, he was on board and I'm like so thankful for him that he was. Um. you know, I interested in the project and I basically included him um in in the development of the idea, Like keeping him posted about the website and everything, And he was just he was just amazing. So he also agreed Um. In uh, doing a an auction instead of just a private cell, because he knows that you know, the more this project would make noise and attract eyes. The The, the, the more lasting the effect would be after. So
[boona]:
right,
[cath_simard]:
he agreed to taking a chance to lose the sale. Uh, but he won and I'm I'm I'm super happy about that and um, Yeah, and then you know he. The The image was
[boona]:
yeah, right, right,
[cath_simard]:
released after the the purchase and everything was, you know, super cool and I did not receive hate at that. Uh, at that time I can't re, really say that.
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
actually, I would say that things started to move after. Um, A, a collector, a punk, sixty five, twenty five, I think, um,
[boona]:
sixty five, twenty nine. yeah, yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
twenty nine. Um, So he? we? we? we discussed, Um, the project and he was like, Hey Cat, I would love to reproduce what you did, but like offer a few people that, Um, you know, if they're willing to release their images to the world, just like you did, I will purchase their work so he made a huge tread. Um, about you know
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, as he does always like that, his threads are so insightful. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
A. As yeah, it's so insightful. And then it was really controversial
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
because when he released a tread, it was like Well, I have one ehb budget per
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[cath_simard]:
photo. so there was very. I think. I think. um it. it. It caused a lot of panic
[boona]:
gota
[cath_simard]:
because people were like. Well, Are people are going to start releasing their photos for one eighth and then just a lot of controversy. And
[boona]:
y. it just want to stop for a minute. How much did your
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
so just to give some people some contxts like with their free Hawaii Piiece. How much did this sell for? So that way there people have some like relevancency to this.
[cath_simard]:
yeah, yeah, so the pie sold for a hundred E.
[boona]:
Yeah. okay,
[cath_simard]:
And for me, that was, that was the minimum that I would be Um.
[boona]:
Mhm,
[cath_simard]:
willing to let it go.
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Um, and my calc. My calculations, Uh, For this specific price came from the hundreds of infringements that I received. Well That that I uh, filed. Um, So let's say you know, let's say a
[boona]:
yup yup,
[cath_simard]:
hundred, Um, and then at, let's say five thousand dollars per Um. you know use,
[boona]:
Yep.
[cath_simard]:
which is usually sort of like a normal fee when you're Um. Using Um content illegally, So so you need to pay the base, and then you need to pay a
[boona]:
someone else's work. Yup yup,
[cath_simard]:
Fi on Upp of that. So I was like, You know what hundred five hundred? I would like you know, Um between three and five hundred thousand dollars.
[boona]:
Yep.
[cath_simard]:
For that. I think that having that big number also will help bring eyes on the on another problem. And it actually really helped
[boona]:
Yep.
[cath_simard]:
because right after I made the sale, I had peda pixel, uh, modern art. I had a few big um hubs that decided to make uh articles about that, so if I would have sold that photo for let's say tenthoreum, nobody would make an article about that. Um, and then so I, I think that yeah,
[boona]:
no, No, No, which is wild Because that's like Tenthorum is like fifty thousand dollars. You know what I mean. Like Th that. That's the wildest part just to gives some people some context of like
[cath_simard]:
I know, yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
what we're dealing with here. Like in how early we are like this is like like no one's going to write an article. That's how much money there is in this scene. And that's how like. there's a lot more to it than just like jpeg. Flipping there's there'. Because if you haven't heard Cath's story like there's so much under the hood that is really meaningful. Like rights will get in. I'm going to do a like a, a quick
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[boona]:
recap when you're done of like why this is actually important and why ownership is like Digital Ownership means so much. Um, but just to give you some context like, like we, we say it's like Yeah, only we. ten a thirty. Di. That's fifty thousand dollars. You know, like to the common person, which is, I'm just, I just like to like
[cath_simard]:
oh yeah,
[boona]:
bring things into the context, because how fucking nuts that actually is right. yeah,
[cath_simard]:
yeah. that's in. That's absolutely insane and I do
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
think that sometimes we lose that perspective
[boona]:
we do. yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
and uh, you know, I think that's why I, um,
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
can be very easy to start buying a bunch of n f ts,
[boona]:
right.
[cath_simard]:
Because Ah, it's just one theorem here. What a theorem there, but you forget that it' actually quite a bit of money.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah. yeah. It is it is, but that makes sense to
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
like to for yourcause When I heard the story around the pricing. Um, Like it
[cath_simard]:
y.
[boona]:
that that makes a lot of sense. It almost makes too much sense. But the one, the great, The, The, The double edgedword of the Internet is like number one. Like it it, it made ripples and we'. I. I know I'm interrupting here. I' want to get back to it, but it it makes the ripples, but it also people. There's a. There's a lot of layers. This, because the internet is great for spreading information, but it doesn't spread context. it doesn't it? it? It's hard to understand the context and the story behind it and getting this story to people hear the full story, and not just a slice of the story can cause so
[cath_simard]:
yeah. yeah,
[boona]:
much disruption and cause. That's like the beautiful thing and shitty thing about Twitter is that nothing has context to it, You know. Um, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
exactly. and I know that you know with with just going back to that big to that big tread like
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
I, I'm going to say ninety percent of the people who were mad about
[boona]:
they didn't read it. They didn't read it. Yeah, they didn't Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
about it did not read it. That's it. and then clearly you know, In another thread, Uh punk made it clear that that was actually just like. whatever it. like, pitch me anything like
[boona]:
right,
[cath_simard]:
it. It was just like a round number that he had, and then you know what he ended up beinging on a bunch of projects
[boona]:
yep,
[cath_simard]:
at like eight, ten, fifteen, sixteen, twentyi, etheium, and um,
[boona]:
Yup, yup, Yep,
[cath_simard]:
and that's
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[cath_simard]:
that's when. actually, I think that people were like, Oh, okay, Actually, this guy is you know, willing to put like a bigger budget, but
[boona]:
Yep.
[cath_simard]:
at the same time we need to remember that one Ethereum for someone. let's say who might be starting.
[boona]:
that's a lot.
[cath_simard]:
Uh, so I? I? Yeah,
[boona]:
Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
if I, if I, if I go back to you know cats, some are two thousand, sixteen, Um, unable to make a living off my art, receiving five thousand dollars for like a fool, like like, release the image to the world would have been massive for me,
[boona]:
Mhm,
[cath_simard]:
So I think that also made me realize that we need to respect people's pricing,
[boona]:
Yup Yup.
[cath_simard]:
and I think that that's just to make like a parallel with C. with collections. I've seen a lot of photographers releasing you know pieces on Super at five, ten fiftyfteen ethorium, and then releasing collections at point five.
[boona]:
Yeah. yeah,
[cath_simard]:
It's it's there. It's it's it belongs to them.
[boona]:
right.
[cath_simard]:
So I think that's why pricing. We need to remember that pricing is personal
[boona]:
Yup,
[cath_simard]:
and we can't. We can't start regulating pricing because this is a decentralized place.
[boona]:
Mhm.
[cath_simard]:
Everybody, if you want to release an image to the world for point zero one ethoreum, this is, That's up to you. It's up to you exactly so I. I think it also opened a lot of conversation
[boona]:
it's your prerogative. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
around pricing around. You know how how personal it is.
[boona]:
yup,
[cath_simard]:
Uh. but also it opened the conversation about people jumping on this trend, because Di, like definitely punk created a trend.
[boona]:
sure. yeah, yuck
[cath_simard]:
Um, and Um, and I saw like a lot of people jumping on that and really really getting interested into that that idea and I was very excited about that because just going back to the pro to the Free Hari photo project. The original project was me doing that, Me doing a statement. I was not necessarily saying that everybody needs to do that.
[boona]:
right. right.
[cath_simard]:
However, I was saying that this might be a possible path for people that have
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[cath_simard]:
had their photos stolen. So now that's seeing everybody jumping on c, c, e O, and starting to release their images that you know are not necessarily viral images. that are maybe even new images. I am extremely happy to see that
[boona]:
right.
[cath_simard]:
because this is just breaking the Ru rules of traditional licensing and we need that because that system is not working
[boona]:
Yep. Yeah, I mean, I mean, so if you don't break things, nothing ever improves. Nothing ever changes right. And
[cath_simard]:
exactly
[boona]:
and and and I wanna, I want to wrap this up in a bow. Because like I, I think that this, a lot of people still are like you know, W. Like you know what is like. Why is this j P? work? So much wise is P and G were so much like. Why like there's it's It's hard to like wrap the mind around it. but we have to go beyond even n f ts. until like what the block chain actually means, You know. the the. The block Chain is a public, immutable unchangeable ledger where it shows transactions that cannot be changed. And if it came from a certain address then it's real and it cannot be. It cannot be uh, messed with. It cannot be altered. And so what happens is when what ha like in, and the you layer in a theoreem, and you layer in smart contracts. What this does. is this? This allows people to prove that this person actually has ownership and has whatever rights attached to it. It can be baked into a contract that lives forever that is unchangeable. That is unalterable, and it came from your address, and it's now in their address, And that's what makes ownership like. That's what digital ownership means is because like the person who owns the N f T, it's the jpeg Is is the cherry on top. Like the jpeg is the cherry on top. And and under the hood is why all of this means so much is because we have a way to prove that this person in fact created this photo, and this person in fact owns the rights. they own the token they have. They have every claimed ownership of this piece and I. I. I. I just don't think people understand how big of a deal that that actually is is because when used in
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[boona]:
licensing it will. uh. there's probably a lot more technical conversations need to go on about that. I was actually in your space when you held that wonderful Twitter space. Um, but just to just to like simplify things, is that like the block chain, like these, n f ts, or these tokens are unique assets that cannot be altered or changed once they're created And this is what digital ownership means? It's like a digital deed to a home. a digital like Uh, I don't even know what you call it like when you own a car. Whatever that piece of paper is, this is just the digital version of that and it's public. It's unchangeable and there's no humans involved when it comes to meeting certain criteria for these smart contracts to operate. And so I just I like to like put up just context around like that because that's that's why this was able to sell. That's why, like there was the years of fraud, there was a years of of piracy. There is the years of all of these things that happened. Um, and this is why that peace number one was so expensive, But it's really why ethoreem and enities are valued at what they are is because it's it's not the. It's The jpeg is almost the smallest part of it in. In reality you know, so
[cath_simard]:
exactly and I would add to that, I think this also opened like a lot of conversations around licesing.
[boona]:
yep,
[cath_simard]:
The number one comment that I would receive was like, Well, what if somebody uses on the billboard Or what if like you know, someone starts selling it like for millions of dollars in China. This is what I want
[boona]:
right right
[cath_simard]:
Like because, because the the concept here is that the more the more images used through the world, the more the value of the Nf
[boona]:
goes up. Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
goes up. So I think that the way you explain it is was really good,
[boona]:
yeah, I, no, I. I. I appreciate. And that's and that's what drives the value. but like because we en ifities were what was missing to social media in the past, Because like you know, like, especially with like, Spotify and and and and uh, and music and
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[boona]:
artists. And you know of any site like you're like. Well, you know, like I should be able to use this as a mix up or a maash Upp, and I don't have to pay a copyright infringement because it's really just getting the the work out there more. It's really. it's really exposing them. But but what I think people like me in, and I'll I'll like, show my show my cards here. show my hand here. like like. That's what I thought you know. But like what I didn't realize is like. after hearing these stories in the opposite end, that exposure does not translate to actual dollars. Most of the time you know like and and there's no guarantee on that, but what this does is this
[cath_simard]:
Mhmlyly, exactly right.
[boona]:
allows the artist to get compensated for what they've done and they get the discoverability of the piece of the work of of everything that they created. You know. And so it's like the missing cog in the wheel. Like what we? what we were missing? We had one part right, Like we can agree that we had one part right. The Discover build is what was great, but we didn't have a great model to compensate any the artist who created these masterpieces. You know. so um, I, I, I like. I. I, just it's hard to like you know. when I, when I talk to people about this, it's just like that's That's why, Like this is the y. and and and and you could argue like you know well. That's just not the way things are, But how did the way? How did the current system get to where it is is? Because a bunch of people decided that this was the way and we are together a group of people, not only deciding this is the way, but it actually makes sense when you open your mind to it, you know. Yeah, this is the way right. Um,
[cath_simard]:
It's the way
[boona]:
it's the way I love that and so I, I think it's only fair to to want to start wrapping things up here because I think I love that story. Um, but I want to. I. I want to go into some of the blue because I, I think I would be doing myself a disservice if we didn't get to admire the blue and tell some St. Like, tell a like, at least one story around the blue before we wrapped this up. Um,
[cath_simard]:
sure
[boona]:
let's go it.
[cath_simard]:
on one of my pieces on Super,
[boona]:
Yeah, so let's go. Let's go to
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[boona]:
all right.
[cath_simard]:
so I could totally tell the story of. actually. The two pieces that I currently have available in Superra are from a big trek that I did in Peru.
[boona]:
Mhm. Yeah, let's do that with. So which so we have. Okay, let's go to your actual profile. They go.
[cath_simard]:
cats, Somemart.
[boona]:
Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Yeah, So that animation and then the other,
[boona]:
let's do this song be cause I want to hear the story behind the selfishly. So
[cath_simard]:
Okay, perfect perfect. So that's actually, Um, That's actually a a. a composite. So it's a digital piece where the foreground with the link in the mountain were taken with a drone. And um, the the way this the story starts is uh. Basically I took that image during a an eight day treck and Peru. and um, it was a high altitude trick so we would go up and down mountain passes of like I don't know. forty two hundred to six thousand meters, So pretty high. like Usually
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
at four thousand meters you already start feeling the the. the altitude sickness. Um, and uh, I had like, really really big plans for that specific trek and most people do it like in a very, let's say laid back relaxed way, but for me I was like, No, I want to wake up at one a M. Every morning, so we hike in the darkness and then we reach out the best viewpoints for night and sunrise, because most of my work is sticking at that time, and I was like Well, I'm not going to be able to create anything if we're just hiking during the day. So I was with two other guys. Um, and I just forced them to wake up super early every morning and we had a guide and our guide was like Cath. I have never had a client crazy like you in twenty years of guiding like this is madness, and um, and it it was really tough. We would hike like twelve hours a day every day like up and down up and down like in high altitude with like
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[cath_simard]:
minimum minimum, Uh, sleep, Um, and um. it was just absolutely crazy and Um. There's actually one day that I made them wake up at eleven P. M. So we just we went to bed at like what? nine, So two hours of sleep and then we hiked in the dark to a certain viewpoint in the rain and I was just being very sort of like. No, like I know, it's raining like we're still going. Let's go like one or two degrees. Um, you know, almost snowing. And then we reached that viewpoint and it's completely covered and it's like three to four hours before sunrise.
[boona]:
now,
[cath_simard]:
So then I was like well, okay, so we just had. We just hid uh underneath a rock with like the emergency blanket we were soaked. and then the the. the. the temperature dropped below zero. So it what we literally had frust on us
[boona]:
Oh my god,
[cath_simard]:
That was like it was like one of the craziest day. and then after that we still had like a twelve hours of hiking before reaching camp. So anyway, sunrise was. let's say okay. I got a few shots and then we just kept hiking and Um, Basically that specific image was taken Ah during the last day of the hike, and uh that basically the night before we hyped uh up the highest mountain pass,
[boona]:
Hm,
[cath_simard]:
so six thousand meters in the dark went down. Our buddies were just like. After eight days of doing that you can't imagine.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
like I, youj. Your entire board buddy is like a sore. It's like a you're. You're just a sore.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, yeah,
[cath_simard]:
Um, you have no energy left, but I was like guide. I know you will hate me. I know you think I'm crazy, but please can we just do one last like night, sunrise hike. So we left the campsite and then we. we. We crushed a few rivers, and then we bushed walk up a peak and we were not really able to get the full leke and everything, So I had my drone, so I decided to fly my drone at Blue
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[cath_simard]:
hour, Um, and then I, I, I flew my drone and then I took the foreground and then I, um. I basically the other elements we were taking during a Tck, so I
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
just added the stars separately and then just to create something that is halfway between between reality and my imagination. Because this is how I like to present my work like I, I don't consider myself as a documentary photographer. I like to add little dreamy elements that kind of blured that line between reality, and you know, and and and dreams. Um, so that that's why I decided to um, to create a piece like that, and with that really slow movement so like, If you stare at it like for long enough it, you're almost like hypnotized because it's so slow And then you kind of notice that the the moon is changing really really slowly And I just wanted to create some that sort of like meditative, uh, peace, where you know when you just like, get lost in your thoughts, and Um, that's actually, you know the title. That's why I, h. I pick like a really abstract title. Um, so that that's the story behind that piece, Um,
[boona]:
I love that
[cath_simard]:
lots of sweats and and and tears and exhaustion. but that's why I'm so proud of it.
[boona]:
in a lot of in a lot of uh, salesmanship. Um, because, like you had to like, sell these people to like. like, I mean, I think that's an under That is an undervalued trait of yours Is the ability to like sell this shit. Um, and to like say like No, This is going to work. and when you have, when, I mean you have experience that this is works in the past. But like, you don't really know if it's going to work or not, but you're like this is going to work.
[cath_simard]:
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
Yeah, I think that's a very undervalued trait that a lot of people don't like. It's easy to look over. but like that. that to me is one of my favorite parts of the storycause, Like you had to convince these people that hadn't done
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
something before that this was that this was the way right. Like the.
[cath_simard]:
and I, actually, we actually had to to stop. the trek Earlier was supposed to be a like a twelve or fourteen day track, but they were like Ha, we need to
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[boona]:
yeah,
[cath_simard]:
stop like we're exhausted. This is too much. So I was a little bit disappointed like you know, I, I could have kept going, but at the same time I understand that you know not everything and not everybody is just has that craziness. and
[boona]:
right,
[cath_simard]:
I, it was it. W. It was a little bit pushy I'm not going to lie like there was one guy he literally slept for. I think like twenty hours after that he was
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
[cath_simard]:
dead. he was completead yeah,
[boona]:
well, that's that's fucking cool. though, so I love that we get to like. I mean, you know what, but he'll rest and recover. Um, and you know what this beautiful piece was be able was was able to be captured. And so
[cath_simard]:
yes,
[boona]:
um, I love that. Uh, kath. it has been an absolute treat to have you on. Um, this has been a lot of fun. Um, I like to like. Have the I like to reserve the end to you know, like if there's if there's any sort of advice. Uh, for people that are, cause you know when you entered the scene is very different from the scene today or the Sp. Like what we call the space, you know. So
[cath_simard]:
yeah,
[boona]:
with current current, I, we can call it vibess, Current. like, I guess market, you know what, for photographers who are looking to enter the scene or just any, any, if any artist is looking to ining. Uh today, you know what would be? I guess what would be some advice? Like like, what would be some? Some, like whether it's words of encouragement, tough love, you know, or mix of the both, Um, what would be your message?
[cath_simard]:
I would say be ready to work hard. I don't think it's a space where you can just put out work and just wait. You
[boona]:
Yeah, yep,
[cath_simard]:
need to put your story out there. You need it to put the extra work to. Um, you know, just like tell a bit more about the pieces. You need to jump on spaces. you need to you know, be an nice human, and also you know, support other artists by either retreating, leaving a like. I. This is like a community based space and if you're not part of this community, I don't think I. Well, you
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[cath_simard]:
could make it, but I think it might be more difficult to make it. Um, so just
[boona]:
yep,
[cath_simard]:
be you know, just be yourself. Be a nice person. share your story and also be patient. I know it's like such a fast paced space that being patient is the most difficult thing. but I just remind myself, You know when I, it took me two months to sell my work. if I would have been like, You know what, fuck it. I'm just going to you know, leave it there, or you know, just like not push it. I would not be here today, so be patient and like patience always spaces off. always so Th. these would be the the words of advice.
[boona]:
yeah, I love that. I love that. It's it's it. It's It's even as someone who's not like a like. even someone's not an artist like this. Like I get. I get so wrapped up in like the impatience of it because it's it's it moves so fast and naturally we think that like we can just like avoid being patient because of how fast everything moves. But it's it's like an
[cath_simard]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
oxyoron like it's like it's a. It's a catch twenty two because patience is like one of the most like needed assets, Um, or the most needed skills in the space. Because no one has it. We. We're moving at the speed of sound. We're moving so fast. People are doing incredible things every day And it's hard to not like it's hard. It's it's hard. I mean, it's just like I. I was trying to think of something like grandeus to say, but it's just fucking hard. you know. Yeah,
[cath_simard]:
it's fucking hard, but that's why it's so important and that's why people who are actually patient succeed.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, absolutely. And so, speaking of success, work can people find your work? Where? where do you want people to connect with you on? uh, uh, going forward.
[cath_simard]:
Well, I'm going to say, Twitter, Uh, my website. they want to check out my pieces. They can go in. Super.
[boona]:
Yep,
[cath_simard]:
I'm going to say in to Grara. You know, it's the old days. I think not as active there.
[boona]:
Mhm.
[cath_simard]:
but yeah, why not?
[boona]:
Yeah, it's actually how we connected. Believe it or not, I don't know if you remember that, um, we, I. I randomly found I found your work on photo, Um,
[cath_simard]:
Yes,
[screenshare_hd]:
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
and then I followed you an inigram, and then I commented on one of your pictures that said this should be an n. f, T. And then you
[cath_simard]:
yes, yes,
[boona]:
reached out to me and we had a dialogue. And then you made that n f. t. and I'm like, Why can't afford this, But I'm really glad that like this is going to be sold to people. You know what I mean. Um,
[cath_simard]:
yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
so,
[cath_simard]:
I can't remember. What was that pie? though,
[boona]:
oh, let's let's find it. Um, 'cause I, it was. It was one of the ones. I think it was in the cave. Uh, it was one of the cave ones.
[cath_simard]:
Oh, was's probably an I. Oh, yeah. I think it was one of the ice caves.
[boona]:
Yeah, it it was
[cath_simard]:
Actually, I think it was one of the ice cubes from the Canadian Rockies.
[boona]:
man. okay, okay, uh, so yeah, like, let's go to the. I love this is one of my favorite ones. Um, it was
[cath_simard]:
Yeah, Me too.
[boona]:
either this one. It was either this one or this
[cath_simard]:
Yeah. I think it was this one. Yeah, I think was this one. Yeah, that's cool.
[boona]:
one. It was one of those two. Yeah, yeah, yeah, one of my favorites. Yeah, man, well,
[cath_simard]:
Thank you.
[boona]:
kath, it has
[cath_simard]:
appreciated.
[boona]:
been an absolute treat. Um, yeah, I guess we'll just sign off and go have another G. M.
[cath_simard]:
that sounds good to me. G. M. See you on Twitter.
[boona]:
Absolutely all right.
[screenshare_hd]:
yeah, yeah, yeah.
