Anna McNaught- Photoshop Artist & Landscape Photographer
This week's episode is Anna Mcnaught. She is a photoshop artist, as well as a photographer in the NFT scene. A funny story about this interview is that she was one of the first artists I came across back in March when I was doing my research. We discuss her story in great detail, from her childhood to her corporate career, the transition to photography & photoshop, and her NFT experience so far. We also share her stories behind the pieces, as well as how they make me feel.
This is such a great episode, as Anna is super raw and transparent and dives deep into the wins and losses of her journey.
Anna Socials:
Portfolio & NFT Collection
Boonafide Socials:
Twitter
Website
Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/Boonafidexp)
[boona]:
Uh, Jaim, Anna, how are you?
[anna_mcnaught]:
I'm good. how are you? Thank you for having me on.
[boona]:
Absolutely? Absolutely. it's it's my pleasure. Um, you know I. I. we planned this about. I think it was like two or three weeks ago. Uh, my timing wasn't too great because you were planning a trip to Iceland. Uh, I believe or wait.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
Yeah, like right, like right when I reached out, but that's okay. We're here now. Um, walk them
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep. yep.
[boona]:
onto the show.
[anna_mcnaught]:
thank you. Yeah. it was like crazy timing because it was the Iceland trip and then I came back and I got super sick and luckily it wasn't covet, but I was sick for like a week. I'm still dealing with like the throat and
[boona]:
Mm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
cough thing, but feeling good today.
[boona]:
rock on. Yeah, I, I'm not going to lie. It's the the weather here in O. So I'm here in Austin, Texas, and Um, the weather has been. We've been getting a lot of rain. It's kind of been like the transition from summer to fall, and
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
my, my body just doesn't do good. you know it, it, it. It always is a little. It takes a little while to get adjusted. I personally love the winter and love the fall, but that transition phase from summer to fall is a pretty rough one for me.
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, yeah, I definitely hear that. I know we've been getting a lot of rain too, and we had to turn the heat on for the first time last night, so
[boona]:
Oh my God, did your smoke alarm go offcause of because of how long it's been since you turn it on
[anna_mcnaught]:
no, no. Luckily it was fine and everything worked perfectly, so I'm very happy about that, especially because it's a new house. So or it's a old house that's new for us, so
[boona]:
right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
I don't know if this is going to work out.
[boona]:
Rockcod. Yeah, yeah, it's I. I can only imaginecause Like when you go to an apartment, you just have this like expectation that everything's just going to work. you know like it's just going to
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep.
[boona]:
like. maintenance takes care of everything. like you don't have to like. It's all. it's all part of the contract. it's all part at you. Just have that expectation so, um, I can only imagine moving into a house. You're just like well it. They said it was going to work. Will it work?
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, yeah, exactly. I have learned a lot from Youtube. I've become a swimming pool expert. I've become uh, let's see a painting expert, a moulding expert Like all sorts of, I know how to like scrape them, and uh, and repaint them now, and
[boona]:
Oh my god,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, it's a whole thing.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, all the random shit that you don't think you'd ever learn until it. It's like that's what. That's what comes with home ownership Like
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yup,
[boona]:
I like when when my dad does like he knows this, like these random things about fixing homes, I'm like. How do you know this, because I don't want to pay someone to do it. You just figure it out,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
you know.
[anna_mcnaught]:
yep. Same with my dad, so luckily he's been a great resource for us with in this,
[boona]:
Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
but I'm like you know, I. I used to always make fun of friends. that would be like. Oh, I'm working at my house today. I'm doing house things. I'm like you're so boring and now I'm like I get it like your house won't function if you don't work on it.
[boona]:
right, right, like I, and in my mind I'm like you're such a fucking square like let's go do something.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, exactly exactly, and now I'm like I'm doing house things.
[boona]:
Mhm. I think I'll be the perfect homeowner, like when I get there, because like I, I spend most of my time here anyway, and so like I'm all about like the vibe and keeping everything like, Like, like the way I'm the way I want it, And it's like, especially during
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
cobid, like when we had to spend all of our time at home. I have like a quarter life crisis and like completely like change everything in my apartment. Like even should, I didn't need new things of like my T vs were perfectly fine. My couch is fine, but you know what
[anna_mcnaught]:
wow,
[boona]:
it had to go like everything just got completely revamped. Um, and I'm just like this is so much better.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I love that. Yeah, that's awesome.
[boona]:
Yeah, so I think once I get a home, that's like I may just not ever leave, you know, cause I'll just I'll
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
constantly be working on it. But, um, how? how long ago you buy your house?
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, I mean it's hard it. Um. so we bought it in May, and then we moved in in, like, uh, kind of end of June, July, Uh, we were working on painting a lot, And then we had a trip and so we had to balance that in. And and now are like finally fully settled
[boona]:
Wow,
[anna_mcnaught]:
And it's just like, Oh my God, we're obsessed with it, so that that is the other problem. Not only are we working on it, but we have created the most incredible perfect space
[boona]:
love
[anna_mcnaught]:
and so we're like, Oh, we're not leaving tonight,
[boona]:
that that's awesome. Is that is that kind of like a thing like you just don't ever want to leave? Is that is that like a common trait?
[anna_mcnaught]:
N
[boona]:
or is that just a You trait?
[anna_mcnaught]:
no, I don't know. I mean it's definitely I as a traveler for the past two years or more, Like leaving has always been my thing, like I'm like. I can't sit still for very long like I need to be on the go
[boona]:
Mhm?
[anna_mcnaught]:
and I'm a sagtarius, Like we just. we constantly need adventure constantly need to be on the move. And yet like I have been finding this major sense of like joy and pride in having a place that like my husband and I paid for on our
[boona]:
That's so cool
[anna_mcnaught]:
own that we have created all these like d i y projects in the house, and that we have like furnished and decorated, and then also just feeling like I'm thirty Now I'm like starting to have my nesting phase. I'm like, Okay, what are we go to have kids? And you know goes into that whole thing too. so
[boona]:
right right? I can imagine that's really cool though, I mean, especially for someone who's a traveler and someone who's an explorer. like, uh, I mean, that's that's got to be a paradigm shift too. you know, um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh, big time.
[boona]:
yeah, that's interesting. I didn't even think about that. Um, until you brought it up. Well, I think this sag gos into a great like intro. like, like, we kind of started bullshiting about weer and coffee and traveling in homes. you know, so Uh, want to want to allow you to give a brief interest to yourself. you know, like who are you?
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
What do you do for a living?
[anna_mcnaught]:
for sure. so, uh, as you may know, by now my name is Anicnott. Um, I am a digital artist. I create most of my work in Photoshop. I'm also a photographer and graphic designer, and Um, my husband and I started a com called Leave the Map a few years ago, And we quitt our jobs in Los Angeles and decided to work for ourselves and bought a camper van and started traveling the country. Um. It was originally supposed to be full time. It ended up kind of being part time because of covet, and luckily my parents were gracious enough to give us a home base and a place to kind of rest their head when traveling got tough. But, um, so we, we were on the road for a while and have had many jobs around the world, And uh, that's pretty much like our full time thing of working on this travel business. Uh, and it transitioned a lot from my artwork into more of the travel business together. And then Uh, once c, n f t world kind of came about. I, I kind of reevaluated my artwork and went back to what I was working on. Found a bit of a new found creativity, a new found, uh, network of people to help fuel my artwork. And so now I'm kind of uh, doing my artwork again as well as our travel work and balancing both a little bit. So that's kind of my story. in a nutshell. There's lots more we could onpack
[boona]:
I love that. I. yeah, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
though,
[boona]:
I, I. I'd like to start a little bit more with the origin story, because a little bit of a you. I don't. I. I definitely didn't tell you this, but Um, the like, I actually found you when I was first entering into the N T scene. Um, and it was in the clubhouse days and it was
[anna_mcnaught]:
okay,
[boona]:
it was. I believe it was from John. because John was one of the first people I found that I trusted in the N f T space. And like he highlighted a project of yours in April. I believe it was, or sometime around this time moves so fast in this space, and it was
[anna_mcnaught]:
right,
[boona]:
sometime around March, April, May, sometime around that area, Uh, and he did a. I. I think it was John and Mayb been someone else be cause. he had a different P. P. He didn't have the cat that he has today. Uh,
[anna_mcnaught]:
right, Yeah, Its like how do we know?
[boona]:
uh, but that was actually how I found you and that was like one of the first like artists at. Like you were one of the first people that like I bookmared and like that's like. Initially How I found
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh, wow,
[boona]:
you was from a clubhouse room, you know, and I'm not sure what project you were dropping at the time. All I remember is like she does a lot of blue and I really like blue. and like, I really vive with the blue. Um, So that's that's actually like. How like you know, I, and and then we recently made the connection about, uh, maybe well, two, three weeks ago. you know where we started. Really, uh, where I
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
entered in that Twitter space and we had a few d. Ms. Um, So it's been really cool just to like See, and for those of you who are in the N of T world like you understand, like between March and now is like a lifetime. You know, so it like when I'm saying
[anna_mcnaught]:
it really is.
[boona]:
these like, like these time frames, like like six months is a long time ago. It's a long fucking time ago. and it's been really cool to like see the journey like even just from March and April, like all the way up until now. You know, through your uh, the
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
manyi phase, I believe it's many phases of the Moon collection
[anna_mcnaught]:
Faces of the moon,
[boona]:
face faces of Okay, Got you all right, so I almost almost. I get credit for trying.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, that's okay. You're close enough.
[boona]:
Oh, um, so it's been really cool to see that journey and I want. I want to get into that a little bit later. but I just wanted to give people some contexts like you know, when it comes to, I didn't know I was a collector or I didn't know. I enjoyed collecting until I entered this like the space like I, I could have give. I, to be honest, I could give two shits about imprescious paintings like I have respect for '. But I
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
would never pay that much money for 'em like you gotta respect the culture and the history of where this whole scene came from. But it's just not something I would ever that ever made me excited enough to like speculate and be curious about. Um. but once I found this space I said Wow, like all of a sudden, I just want to own all the art like I just want to own all, like the the photosho, where the photography work, The the gift artist, You know, Like those are. Those are what I vibe with. and so um, it's you just never know what's gonna happen here when you like when you really first own. like when you really just dive in head first. And youre
[anna_mcnaught]:
right,
[boona]:
you were one of the first you know. So I. I. I. I wanted to
[anna_mcnaught]:
Soe some,
[boona]:
share that, because like it it. you were one of the first artists that was outside of like a p, f P project that I really like kind of vied with that. I'm just like Okay. This is cool. you know. I want to like get to know. I want to get
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
to know story more. Um, and so
[anna_mcnaught]:
thank you,
[boona]:
Yeah, absolutely, and this things kind of just take time and you know and um this is this is what it ends up like these. There's no rules in N f t land. It's just it you just go off of like the moment you go off of what feels right and you just see if it works or not. Um, and you pick
[anna_mcnaught]:
right.
[boona]:
it up and try again, But Um, your website was one of the first things when I first saw I. the reason I say all that is to start from the origin, kind of start from like your business before enities. like that's what grasped me or that's what like initially pulled me in, or your artwork pulled me in and got me curious. But then I started looking at your bio. So looking at your website, Um, and I saw that you had this business. Like. What? What made you like? What was the driving force behind that? Like? What was like? How did you? How did you even start that? You said you quit your job like. But let's like let's pack in. Let's let's like like, let's diick into that. like where did that whole story
[anna_mcnaught]:
Okay,
[boona]:
start from?
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, that's a good one. I like that story a lot. so um, I let's see. let's go all the way
[boona]:
Swet?
[anna_mcnaught]:
back. So I was in college at Um. Ithaca college in New York, And so I'm originally from the East Coast. Grew up in Pennsylvania. Um. I went first to college. Uh, down at Scat Savannah College Baton design. Um, hated. It transferred to Athaca, after Uh, going to a few parties with friends and being like Okay, this is a good, a semi good party school. Also good like photography school. I'm going to see what happens And so they had Um, a Los Angeles program and I did that this summer in between my Uh, junior and senior year and I went out there and I interned for a bunch of different Uh fashion photography businesses and production companies, And I worked with this company called Three Star Productions, and I was on set with them all summer with with Uh, Teen Vogue and Harper's Bazaar and Red Book, and meeting celebrities and it was like the most glamorous, just
[boona]:
Wow,
[anna_mcnaught]:
super fun job. Yeah, everyone was so friendly, I. I mean everyone I worked with was friendly. Not people in the industry aren't friendly. Um,
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
but it was. It was a really good job at the time, and um, and then you know I was living with friends and we were going out every night, so l A just had this like glimmer about it that was like all my hopes and dreams and everything I ever
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
wanted. So I went back to school finish my senior year and was like, Get me the fuck out of here. I'm going to l. A. I'm go to be a big star. I know it's gonna happen and so I moved out to l A. and Um tried to get a job with the company that I was interning with this production company. They had already filled the position and so I was like. Okay. Well, what Now Started searching everywhere for work. I started trying to work in the fashion photography industry. That was really what I wanted to do. Um, I interned for a fashion photographer who mostly made me change her light bulbs, fix her
[boona]:
Oh,
[anna_mcnaught]:
wifi and paint her studio.
[boona]:
wow. talk about humble beginnings.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I. I know I know I did learn a lot of photos shop from her and retouching. However, I did spend most of my time just cleaning up her house,
[boona]:
Y, hm.
[anna_mcnaught]:
and then uh, I wasn't making any money from that so I was like Okay, Well, I have to make some money. and and otherwise my parents are goingnna. you know, put a time line on me and tell me I need to come home, So I got a job selling do to door, Solar, and walked around Los Angeles, knocking on doors saying hi. My name's
[boona]:
Oh, my God,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Anna. I was wondering if you'd be interested in buying some solar panels for me. Please support my dreams.
[boona]:
did you actually say that part of the end? I again,
[anna_mcnaught]:
No, No, but that was essentially what I was say.
[boona]:
right, right, right
[anna_mcnaught]:
I was just like, let me tell you about it.
[boona]:
right
[anna_mcnaught]:
and and I was like, please, please just book an appointment. That's the only way I'm goingnna get paid.
[boona]:
right right right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
So it. yeah, it. it was rough. I did that for a few months, Um, and then came home for Christmas and I was like I'm not going back like l. A has eaten me up and spit me out
[boona]:
Yp,
[anna_mcnaught]:
and I feel miserable. I was like totally destroyed. just crying every day after these rejection after rejection, living in the shitty apartment. Um, you know, just not, excuse me, not making it the way I had envisioned
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
or the way my summer had gone. Um, And so then I got uh. Luckily, one of the Um jobs that I had uh applied to reached out to me while I was home for Christmas. It was a Um. Graphic design job at a branding agency, so I was like, Okay. Finally,
[boona]:
Mhm, yup yup.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I'm getting somewhere. This is what I want to do. Um, my boss was a total asshole when I went in to get the job, He uh was like Okay. Well, youll you're a photographer. You're not a designer, so I'll put you on a probation period to see if you can design. I was like,
[boona]:
Oh, the choice of the corporate world?
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
I like. I went to school for both. I am both,
[boona]:
right right right.
[anna_mcnaught]:
so I was there for a little under a year. I believe, Um. I, so he, he tried to fire me once because I forgot a phone number on a flyer that
[boona]:
Oh, my fuck in God.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I did and I got reamed out and screamed at, Um, he publicly in front of everyone And then he decided to email me the next day and say Um, I'm sorry. You know, you should know better to make sure you always include phone numbers on Uh on a flyer, but I do still need you as my designer, so please come back into the office tomorrow.
[boona]:
Wow, what an apology. What an apology. Wow,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, that. yeah, yeah, good times. I'm like you looked at flyer. You approved it and sent it to the client. You're the head of the agency.
[boona]:
right, right, right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
So so I went back. It was my only job. You know, it was my only option at the
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
time and shortly after, Uh, a thing start of fall apart. I mean he. He was horrible clearly at managing
[boona]:
right.
[anna_mcnaught]:
clients and we ended up working out of his house for a while, and he in this, l. Yeah,
[boona]:
wow, wow,
[anna_mcnaught]:
in this little room and he, my girlfriend and I, He made us dress up every day for work. We couldn't wear like sweat pants or sweats. Shiirts. he said it had to be. Um, a, a very work appropriate outfit. Look. he wasn't creepy or anything.
[boona]:
right right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
I know this sounds creepy.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
but he still was like. You need to dress like in, like a, a dress or
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
slacks or whatever,
[boona]:
right
[anna_mcnaught]:
And I'm like we're working out of your living room.
[boona]:
right
[anna_mcnaught]:
So I, That was when I'm back to the drawing board. Okay, I'm searching for
[boona]:
right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
jobs and I applied everywhere and I ended up getting a job, Um, for a dental company.
[boona]:
I love like like, So this is the funniest shit about your story So far in it, it's been like this, this, this, this, and this,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
right. I love that I had to like make that vis like V, for the people are
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
watching on you too, like you know, Watch my stupid hand gestures.
[anna_mcnaught]:
it really is like. Oh my God, it's been so many ups and downs
[boona]:
Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
on sideways and backwards
[boona]:
y
[anna_mcnaught]:
and taking a step backwards And that's always something that I've hated, but I have done. and um. However, with this job I was like Okay dental company. That's super boring. But medical world, they were paying so much more than
[boona]:
right. right. yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I was getting at my branding job, And so um, I, I got offered the job when in, Um, and the first day I called my parents from the bathroom, bawling my eyes out and was like This is no want. It's a cubicle. It's so terrible, But it's like they made me to sign a magazine like this is worst, and I end up being there for three years.
[boona]:
right right. There's the punchl. Right and then then I was there
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep,
[boona]:
for three years. Yup, Yup.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep. exactly. and um, and it was. actually it ended up being really good 'cause as boring as it was as much as I hated it. Um, during that time I, I was just like working in my little cubic old designing. They gave me full freedom to design how I wanted to, and work with the creative
[boona]:
that's so cool. right
[anna_mcnaught]:
director, and they're like you know, Just make a couple versions of each flyer that you do of each magazine that you do, and and let us see and we'll pick. And so it was it. I mean, I, I got to work with really fun images of like cute kids and braces, and like play with bright
[boona]:
y?
[anna_mcnaught]:
colors. And so it was. it was. really, Um, a good design job. But I had so much free time because I'd finish these projects and then be like. Okay. What am I doing now? and I was like Well, I don't know. Maybe I'll just play around and photos shopp, and I was like, I remember sitting there like watching T V during my
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
lunch break, or like sitting on Netflix, And then I was like I need to do something. So I had a conversation with my then boyfriend who's now my husband. Um, and I said I'm I'm gonna get back into photography. It's been a while. I and I had only really been doing the fashion photography when I first moved to l. A. Um, and I just majorly took a break from
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
it and I wasn't creating anything for myself, so I said Let's like go to downtown l. A and take like weird, creepy photos
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
in abandoned buildings And I don't know if anyone listening like remembers those times and and U K, like the times of, like the abandoned, creepy, dark photography, and
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, yeah.
[anna_mcnaught]:
like the light painting in camera.
[boona]:
yeah. And and I also remember like wildly, like being fascinated with that stuff as a kid. Just like in in general, like the
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep.
[boona]:
kind of like the weird abandoned houses. I guess kids. you always go in and like you know whether it's a house being built or a house is completely abandoned. There's something about being homes like that aren't occupied and that are kind of like not complete that you know now as a kid like I would go and smoke a bunch of wheed in. Know those abandoned houses you know like that. That's the size of the point. Um, but the ones in, Uh, I'm gonna. I'm in. I'm going a sidetrack you just for a moment, but there was like a it. it. It probably has nothing to do with it, but its just, it's a vibe that I got, and there was actually a friend that I had in Louisiana, and we actually found one of those Like it was like a horror story. You know. It's like in backwoods Louisiana,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
you know, and we, we were like. I think I was fourteen, like thirteen, twelve, thirteen, fourteen years old. You know we were just kids, and um, we ended up riding for like there was like we ended up finding this house that was like all the way back in the woods And it was like one. It's like it's like one of those Silent Hill homes. You know. it's like just
[anna_mcnaught]:
wow,
[boona]:
nothing there. like just really weird, creepy ecetic vibe. You know, we we heard like. And and I don't know if this actually like was something or not, but the craziest story was that we, we, when we were like halfway through it was like bone chilling and we were it. it. Youre you're walking over things and you're like dodging spiders. That like are like the size of your
[anna_mcnaught]:
oh,
[boona]:
hand, and it's fucking gr. And and then we hear a like what sounded like a gunshot. It was either like a pop or a gunshot or something. And then we like saw like tracks. Then we saw like a shhockun sheell on the ground, and then we saw like someone shorts, and we're just like nope. like we are getting the fuck out of here. It was one of the craziest
[anna_mcnaught]:
wow,
[boona]:
experiences as a kid. I don't. I don't think I've told that story to like I. That's 'cause I've never had a reason to tell it, Um after.
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
But anyway, that that, just like that struck me with, like that old kind of creepy weird
[anna_mcnaught]:
y.
[boona]:
mansion vibe kind of thing, 'cause you just don't know what the fuck it like happens in those. and I could have just
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah.
[boona]:
seen too many movies or like it. could.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I know.
[boona]:
It could have been actually what I thought it was and I don't know. I'll never know. to this day you know I was twelve. Um, anyway, creepy houses take a vixures, Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, yeah, so scary. And there's something like so intriguing about it. And and I know the exact feelings we went into Um, an abandoned hospital in downtown. l. A. And it was like all closed off and everything.
[boona]:
yeah, oh, wow, yeah, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
And and we went in there and there's it was as if like everyone just left like everything was still there. There were all the
[boona]:
y. Yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
papers, all the phones. like
[boona]:
yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
everything there was. I remember a wheelchair in the middle of the hallway like kids toys on the floor, and like a pediatrics room of all these
[boona]:
Oh my god.
[anna_mcnaught]:
like, uh little like cribs and stuff, and like toys and high chairs, And then there was
[boona]:
Yeah.
[anna_mcnaught]:
a huge x ray room and the light was still on and the x rays were still on the board.
[boona]:
wow.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I'm like, Did you all just boom, vanish? Done, It was like they were just
[boona]:
right. it's like it's like. it's like a worldworzy movie. It's like a worldworzy
[anna_mcnaught]:
there yesterday. Yeah,
[boona]:
movie. Yeah, it's like where you just there was like it was all normal one day and then it wasn't normal and then they all just left and they left
[anna_mcnaught]:
yep.
[boona]:
everything there. Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
exactly. That's how it felt and it was. It was so crazy, but that was like, really the beginning of kind of this different type of thinking creatively. for me. it was away from the glitt and glam of the fashion
[boona]:
m.
[anna_mcnaught]:
world, away from someone telling me how to create my photography, my design, my artwork. It was a chance for me to just be like. What do I want to make? Whether it's creepy, dark,
[boona]:
yp,
[anna_mcnaught]:
weird. Whatever whether my friends and family will disapprove of me, I'm like, finally able to just play. And so I took a couple of the photos from the hospital and Um put them in photoshos. Started playing with like blood dripping off my arm like I, So I'd laid on this this table and then we had. we put a smoke bomb in the background
[boona]:
Oh my god,
[anna_mcnaught]:
and then Um. I, So I photo shopp, like blood dripping down my arm, and then like all this purple haze around me, and Um, do you remember the page game of Tones? They were like super popular on Instigagram, Um, like six years ago, So they. I think they had like five
[boona]:
uhuh, uhuh.
[anna_mcnaught]:
hundred thousand or million followers or something? They. I remember they were pretty big, and Um, they featured it and it was like Ooh. Yes, Finally Sos recognizing my work. Um, and so I just was like this is cool. like people are starting to notice it. And and uh, I started just making all these like weird composites. And and like I remember, I did one where I was like ha, I
[boona]:
'. s.
[anna_mcnaught]:
photo shopped it myself, So my. it looked like I was hanging off a bridge in downtown. l. A, like, I actually just stuck my hands kind of up through the railing, but I made it look like I was hanging
[boona]:
that's awesome.
[anna_mcnaught]:
there. Uh, there. Uh, And and that took off. And so so while I was at work at my job, I'm like working on these creations during my free time and it just started like, And that was during in the days of this was like, Um, six years ago, now,
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
maybe, and uh, during the time where you could grow easily on intigram. So and and digital art wasn't really a thing yet people didn't
[boona]:
right, right right. Yeah, it wasn't recognized as art. it wasn't yeah. yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
really. Yeah, Ex, Exactly. So people were like. What are you doing? It's so crazy. It's so cool. It is awesome. And and then I kind of started softening up on the dark stuff, and E to like the dreamy
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
fantasy And I think a lot of my world changed at the time too. I was, um, like I said, I was working in this corporate job. I was single. I was going out with friends and and kind of not who I am now and then. Um, as James and I like got
[boona]:
yeah. yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
closer, and life got really good, we moved in together. That was a lot. I think that was where my art started to transition into like this happier vibe.
[boona]:
that's so. That's so cool that like it's I love the story that you tell with. It's like you know. your your outward projections were a lot of what your realities were. You know a lot of what your
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
realities are. I, I had to take. I. I got Chs. when you said thatcause like that, There's a lot. I think there's so many things that can be applied to. Is that like our, Our, what we express atward is a direct result of what we're experiencing, you know in our own lives,
[anna_mcnaught]:
absolutely yeah.
[boona]:
And I just think that's so fucking cool. So, now that that's awesome, Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
thanks. yeah. yeah, it was really cool to see, and it was a very subconscious thing. And and I almost didn't recognize that until like looking
[boona]:
yp. Yep,
[anna_mcnaught]:
back on it, Um, and so so fast forward a little bit of time. I started then a business for my artwork. Um, uh, not only doing like sponsored stuff and working with Adobe. they're like. Still, you know, we're like this working with them all the time.
[boona]:
that's so cool.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Um, and yeah, I, I speak on their live uh show every week and I'm usually a host or guest And then I'm going to be speaking at a doobe Max, And
[boona]:
Love that.
[anna_mcnaught]:
so they've become like a big awesome partner of ours. I, I love their team and love everyone
[boona]:
Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
there. Um, but but yeah, so so aside from that, I decided I was going to teach people how to do inigram and uh how to grow a business on Instigagram, and then um how to do photoshop. So I started a whole business called the Liked Photo and it was really funny for a while like people were super into it And then I ended up like, Like, further out, merging it just into my name and having everything as animicno. So that picked up, Um, and I was like, You know, I'm done. I'm quitting, my job. I am able to now make enough money from my art and from this business.
[boona]:
that's so cool.
[anna_mcnaught]:
So when I told the creative director um, that he that I was quitting, he, um, had just turned sixty, five was the age of retiring and he was like Well, you know what, I can't do this without you so I'm quitting, too.
[boona]:
Wow,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, so he put his notice in literally the next day and retired and Um, everyone was like What's happening here? Why are they both quitting? At the same time it was so weird so he. um. To this day He still like he and his wife are like my really good friends, and came to our wedding, Um for a few years after. Uh, quitting, my job. He was my copywrighter. Um, I hired him for a number of jobs, and so like my boss, became my my employee. For a while I became his
[boona]:
Wow, wow,
[anna_mcnaught]:
boss and now we like collaborate on projects. I. I called them. Actually. After I launched Faces of the Moon and I was like this is a failure. Nothing's happening with it And he was like he said, Banana. At least always call me Banana. Go back to the drawing board and just keep working on your. And he's like girl. You got this and was
[boona]:
right right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
like you always been that like father, extra father figure for me.
[boona]:
I, I'm I'm and I'm actually like Point here in a secondle. we'll start showing some of your work off likecause. I. I, I think that's that. That's fantastic and like. Because I remember. I remember that Twitter post when you were like like you were like incredibly down on yourself. Um, you're like. What am I doing
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
wrong? Um, and I'm just like, And and I felt like you know, as a as as I mentioned earlier, Like I didn't realize I. I enjoyed collecting until I got into the scene. but I, I was. I was in such a r rock in a hear place because I'm like I. I just I was out you know, In still today, I'm a theory and poor, you know, and I'm just like
[anna_mcnaught]:
y,
[boona]:
I want this. I vibe with it so hard, but I can't do anything. I'm like landlocked. You know what I mean and I'm just like. How
[anna_mcnaught]:
right,
[boona]:
the fuck is this not selling out? You know what I mean? Um, but a lot of it's what I see. you know. As we mentioned an offline chattel. You know, like I came from the Twitch community. I came, you know from the online shreing community. And you know the one thing, one of the positives, like, I mean, there was a lot of negatives, but a couple of the positives that I really took away. Is that like the people who really shine are the people? It was regardless of like, regardless of like what was going on, They were consistent and it's not about. it's not about the content you're creating as being bad. it's just that there is so many eyeballs and and humans need so many different reasons to like, give you attention or to like, pull
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
their, 'cause. like when when you're new and you're breaking in like people are Al, People are creatures of habit. you know, we have. Like our favorite streamers, we have our favorite content we like to watch. So as something new emerging in the face, you have to not only pull attention but all like you have to be captivating. have to pull the attention, but also to be like Okay, like number one, pull up, but number two. keep em. You know. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yup,
[boona]:
and that's something I've noticed Is that like there's so many content Ctors that fizzle out, Because like they didn't, they didn't get you know famous in six months. you know, like they thought they would. I mean it's not that your
[anna_mcnaught]:
right, right,
[boona]:
content sucks. It's just that like
[anna_mcnaught]:
right.
[boona]:
it takes time for people to like
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
do that you know, and I think it was like what
[anna_mcnaught]:
it's so true.
[boona]:
it was like a week after you made that post or two weeks after you made that post. Like the shit sold out.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah. yeah. So it was like a month from when I launched it, and then Yeah, like half way in I. I posted. Just like you know what what am I doing
[boona]:
right.
[anna_mcnaught]:
here? Like this is so
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
pointless. And and it wasn't even because it didn't sell as much as it was. Just like it was like dead
[boona]:
right.
[anna_mcnaught]:
artwork. I was like screaming into avoid. I'm like I just spent like a couple weeks and hours on the couch like I, I'm a very much like laptop couch
[boona]:
gotcha got to get it.
[anna_mcnaught]:
worker, Um, hours on the couch like everyone's like, Wait, what.
[boona]:
Yeah. yeah, yeah.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Um, but I don't. I don't ever sit it to us. This is James's studio. so I'm always on the couch working. Um, but
[boona]:
oh, that's awesome.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I I just like to be cosy. I like to have a
[boona]:
Yeah.
[anna_mcnaught]:
blanket around me with a cup of tea with my like trash t V on and like
[boona]:
yeah, there you go. Yeah, I love that, I love that because I I find there's certain
[anna_mcnaught]:
working away.
[boona]:
things that like with my. Obviously, with my podcast I have to be in like my own little studio. but like any any time I, what's weird is I've spent so much money on my setup like I have, like the game or computer, and like all the graphics cards and all like the high andship are like. I consly, trying to find ways to not be here. You know what I mean, like
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
I love it, but like also, at the same time like, let me just go to a coffee shop. Let me go somewhere else and like if I could edit my
[anna_mcnaught]:
yup
[boona]:
podcasts like I can, but I just don't have the power that I need here it. it. It would
[anna_mcnaught]:
right
[boona]:
be more annoying than than helpful. anyway. I, I get
[anna_mcnaught]:
right.
[boona]:
that, Um, maybe
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
one day my laptop will be powerful enough where I can just vive on the couch. You know,
[anna_mcnaught]:
I know, I know I, I definitely need a new laptop. I'm looking at it longingly right now
[boona]:
Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
like it's just it's starting to. Uh, you know, reach that point, but um. Oh, here comes my cat. She snuck in.
[boona]:
love it, love it. We like the cats.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Um, I guess like I, I feel like working at a desk for me, brings back like P. t, s. D or something
[boona]:
Mm, mm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
of being in the little cubicle. And and I, so I never work at a desk anymore, like ever ever, because it makes it feel like work. and I think as an artist like I, whether it's sitting at the dining room table, sitting on the couch,
[boona]:
yp,
[anna_mcnaught]:
like laying in bed and working. For some reason. It just it makes it feel like play. and
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
it makes it feel like I' just doing this, Uh, for enjoyment and not because I'm sitting down to work. You know,
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, it's a whole different vib, and like I have a friend that. Um, you know one of my great friends that actually met in my last job, and he, he, he's really big on. Like, like every space being intentional for something he's like. when you're at your desk,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
this is the intention, so he's like You need to keep this clean. You need to keep things organized you like. But when you're here, this is what you do and it's a. It's a whole
[anna_mcnaught]:
right,
[boona]:
mindset shift like y. When you're at your work desk, you're not like you're not like doing meditation. You're not like doing like this is a work desk and it's only used for work. Your meditation spot is on that couch, and that's where you get. It's just it's being very purposeful and being very intentional about the spaces that we create. Um, and like
[anna_mcnaught]:
right,
[boona]:
cause. That makes a huge difference and I never really thought about it until that moment. you know.
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, it really really does
[boona]:
Yeah, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
here. I have a little gu for everyone.
[boona]:
yes, yes, well, hello there. What's the name?
[anna_mcnaught]:
This is my cat, Lucy. We call her Guss, Though,
[boona]:
Why? so story timee Why? why? guss,
[anna_mcnaught]:
well, we started calling her Uh, Lucy Goosey, and then
[boona]:
Ah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
she became goose and goose became Guss.
[boona]:
It's funny how that works like. it's funny how the language.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I know
[boona]:
Yes, Yes, I love that.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I know it's yeah, and we also call her Chowter, too. That that came about in Maine, So she traveled in the van with us for two years, and Um, she was all over the country. She's been to Uh, forty eight states.
[boona]:
Wow,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
wow,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, pretty good for a cat. right,
[boona]:
look at you. You've seen more W. You see more the world than most humans have's. like Mom, get me out of here.
[anna_mcnaught]:
say hi. she's like. No, I know.
[boona]:
That's adorable. That's adorable.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, she's awesome.
[boona]:
Yeah, I mean, I, I would love to do an inter introduction like with my dog, but sometimes she uh, yells at, Uh, everything in the background And so it's I, But if you can see in my in my like above my bed there like that's like an image
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep.
[boona]:
of my dog. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh, she looks so cute.
[boona]:
she is. You know what fuck it? we're go to. We're going to bring her in. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yes, who have a pet show?
[boona]:
she's very camera shy. Um, so she won't stay here
[anna_mcnaught]:
Ah, she's so cute.
[boona]:
for like, come here. Yes,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Hi.
[boona]:
Yes,
[anna_mcnaught]:
what's her name?
[boona]:
princess Leyah.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh princess La. I'm obsessed.
[boona]:
Yes, yes, so she's she? Um, I've had her for about three years, Um, going on for and um. she's a rescue puppy. and
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh,
[boona]:
um, you know I like I, I've adopted for most like my whole life. you know, like we, we always get. We always try to go to the shelter as much as we can. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah.
[boona]:
and when I had the same experience with her as I did with a dog I had when I was a kid, where like It doesn't matter what the history of the dog is like when you just walk by the kennel and you just like you, just like intuitively know. Um, and with her, the story with her was was fascinating. 'cause like I, I didn't have a dog for the longest time when I was living on my own because I was just like you know, I'm not ready for the responsibility. Dogs are a lot of work. Like you know, I grew up with dogs, but my parents did all the hard work. You know, my parents let me
[anna_mcnaught]:
y. yep.
[boona]:
experience the best part of a dog because I'm an only child, so they allowed me to like, Have a really cool experience. They took care of the vet bills, they took care of the feeding. they took care of any in the accidents, and they, you know, both financially and physically. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
and so I just there was a point where I'm just like I know that I would love to have a dog right now, but it's just I would be doing the dog into serviceervice. Like, because I'm not
[anna_mcnaught]:
right
[boona]:
willing to take care of it right now, you know what I mean.
[anna_mcnaught]:
right. absolutely
[boona]:
and but once I got the itch like it, it took me all of like a week to scratch it, you know, and I'm like, like I
[anna_mcnaught]:
no punn intended with the dog.
[boona]:
right, right, Yeah, like, like, I'm one of those people that like hates organization. I hate planning. I hate this. I just like like pe.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep.
[boona]:
I don't like time lines. I think they're completely erroneous and any time line I set like, I just don't ever follow it. It's almost like I'm like driven to not follow the timeline. Um. but when I got her it was. the story was like I went to my favorite shelter that I volunteered for. Um. every dog they recommended I didn't want, and every dog I wanted. They didn't recommend. you know, Um, and I
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep.
[boona]:
trusted them Because like they do a lot of good work in the community and like they really do care like Austin. O. People in Austin really really take the dog thing seriously, and they said, Look like I. we realized that like this was not a win for you today. But like go visit our partners. Um, you know, down the road they're about to close, but they may you know, we work with them a lot. Go check 'em out and I almost didn't go. Um, but I did 'cause they were goingnna, C. Like, what's the point? They're goingnna close in ten minutes Like, but I knew that like. I knew that like if I went back, I wasn't gonna go again because looking at animals
[anna_mcnaught]:
right.
[boona]:
and shelters is really a traumatic experience And it's it's
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh, for sure.
[boona]:
It's so fucking sad. Um. but I went there and she was the last kennel. Um. And it was in the middle of winter's. like December. It was in December and Um, I just I came across and I looked at her and I felt like she just like stared right into my soul and I'm just like Okay, like there was this cute little black lab puppy that I was like. Really emotionally attached to, but like when I ca, I kept going back and forth and when I went to her, I'm just like it's unmistakable. You know you just can't and they're like she's
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
aggressive towards other dogs. Like Is that okay? I'm like. I don't give two shits about like it. Just when you know you know, and what I didn't realize is like with this dog like that was right. I didn't realize how much I needed a dog that needed me so much, because that was like the toughest part of my professional career was right when I got her and I need it 'cause we've sent dogs to the hospital like we like. We don't like other dogs. like not at all like we try to go for the kill and it's really it's it's a.
[anna_mcnaught]:
wow.
[boona]:
It's a really tough thing. Um, but she's a sweetheart to people and uh and so, but I, but I didn't realize how much I needed that, you know, and it's funny how like she was passed up on by so many people. You know. She was there for forty two days. Um, which is a long time for a shelter. Uh,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, wow. yeah,
[boona]:
and you know, Um, that was like that was just the story behind her and she's like literally the center piece to like all my branding. all of my stuff. Like, like this, this dog, like is, is a, is my child and she is a part of my life. And um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
I love that.
[boona]:
yeah, so I love the Vi like I love the little sight, little little animal chat. 'cause I think it's you know. we always got to bring our best ceves in everywhere we go. You know, Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh, absolutely yeah.
[boona]:
and she's She's part of my best self, you know. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
oh so
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
sweet. I. I couldn't agree more with my little Lucy. She's like like exactly the same thing, And it's funny because our stories are so similar of finding
[boona]:
Mhm, Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
them. Um, because she, James and I had decided we wanted a cat we like looked online. same thing like everyone that we were kind of interested in when we went to see them. We didn't like them. We didn't f with them. And then people were like, Oh, How about this one? How about this one? and uh, by the end of the day, like James is somewhat allergic to cats, so he was like all congested. His
[boona]:
right, right, right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
face was swollen, although now he's fine, but um, but then it was like the last place that we went and we had looked around the whole shelter like I don't know. Just it's not working out. Maybe we'll come back another day, and I was like kind of upset.
[boona]:
yp,
[anna_mcnaught]:
and and then they're like. Well, do you want to look in this F. I V positive cage? We're like. No, we don't want a cat with Aids like they're
[boona]:
right, right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
sick and the woman was like. No, they're going to live a perfectly normal long life. They just can't be around other cats that don't have f. I.
[boona]:
Oh
[anna_mcnaught]:
V. We're like Okay, Well, we don't have other cats. So um,
[boona]:
enough.
[anna_mcnaught]:
and and then their their immune systems like are a little lowered. and you have to you know, have some upkeep with them. But um, so we' go into the cage to Anne or into the little kennel, and I sit down on the floor and Lucy immediately comes
[boona]:
Oh my god.
[anna_mcnaught]:
up to me, hops up on my lab and starts kissing my cheek
[boona]:
Yep. that's you.
[anna_mcnaught]:
And
[boona]:
Yp, yup, Yep,
[anna_mcnaught]:
it was. It was so perfect and then uh, another one, our other cat, Leo, who unfortunately had to put down a few years ago. Um, he came up to James, and the same thing like
[boona]:
Yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
just started loving on 'em and purring. And so we had originally planned on getting one and we're like Okay. Well, I guess we're taking home
[boona]:
right. that's
[anna_mcnaught]:
too. And and they? C. they came home with us the next day. It was like Oh so perfect.
[boona]:
yeah. No. No, put a dinner with the pur. Um, you know it. it's
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep.
[boona]:
it's uh, but that's just it's that you just like you have a plan again. Like like you have a plane And but then that happens and it's like you can't say no to that right. Like you can't say you're only
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
planning on getting one, But like when when you have an experience like that, Um, I have a very similar one. It. it's not around animals, but it's around. Um. it's just a r. Like there was actually a a landscaping company that was that comes and does our, uh, like trims up our apartment, and Um, I was on the patio just taking a break and this is like when I I had a job I didn't like you know, and we live in a nice comple. I live in a nice complex, but it's a very affordable complex. It's kind of like one of those diamonds in the rough here in Austin, and
[anna_mcnaught]:
Mhm,
[boona]:
Um, he looked at me and he was like He's like man. like, Where did you go to school? And I'm like I didn't finish college. you know, And
[anna_mcnaught]:
Mhm,
[boona]:
like the look that he gave me from that like it was almost like this sign of like you don't have to like. Have this plan in this Bu like that. You don't have to go through all this shit to make it, you know what I mean, and in my eyes I hadn't even made it, but after that moment I'm like Wow, I kinda have made it. You know what I mean Where it's like
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
I'm not. I didn't go to. I didn't finish school. I didn't like I'm I'm working a job, even though I don't like it. I have a job and I can afford this place, you know, and I have the ability to
[anna_mcnaught]:
right,
[boona]:
like. Go search for something else, But like watching that 'cause I've always been on on the Ter online. Do I go back? Do I not? Is it go to beneficial? is it not? And but after I have an experience like that, it's like. How could I, you know? like when you inspire someone like that who may not have the means or the ability, or just not to drive to to do it? And that's I think. it's mostly I. I don't want to say. They building, most people have the ability. They just don't want to, 'cause. especially in this time. Like
[anna_mcnaught]:
right, right,
[boona]:
why you know? Why
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah.
[boona]:
do we? especially now when we can sell jpex, you know for for thousands of dollars.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh, my God, for real, I love it, thoughcause. I feel like it comes full
[boona]:
Yep,
[anna_mcnaught]:
circle into our space when we were first talking about the woo,
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
and kind of this like like, meant to be stuff that happened to us, whether it's jobs or pets or people telling you the right thing at the right time. I'm when
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
you need it most, and it really is, I think, the way of Um, the universe or God, or
[boona]:
yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
whatever everyone believes in, like speaking to us and
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
having a direct line of communication saying this is okay. You're okay. Everything's going to work out. Just keep on keeping on.
[boona]:
right, and I think that's what confuses people so much. Is that like what we're doing here is like we're combining vibes art, you know, and like community like it's like vibes. you can't measure. You can't measure vibes. Like vibes are just vibes, and you can't measure that and you can't measure the connection that we have in these like audio chat, like these, like clubhouse chats, these twitter spaces, like, like, there's something about the audio chat. like, Um, there's something about it that's just magical And it was the. the. The first time I entered the n f T space was right when I received the worst news of my life at this job. It was like the straw that broke the camels back. That finally motivated me to like to cut, like to, to like, uh, to get my resume really well'. like start searching. Um, and it was the lowest point I'd ever been in my life, and but I, but it was also right around when that beeple piece sold for sixty nine million dollars. Um, and
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah. yeah,
[boona]:
the and and and Saerm had the good time show and they had you know medicoven on. They had tubidor and they had like they. They had all the people and they had. Um. The, you know, the one of the alien punks. I can't remember what his name is, but the fedora punk with the with the pipe, they had him on two.
[anna_mcnaught]:
oh yeah,
[boona]:
and and I'm just like listening to this story around this, this like eight bit character in this piece that's being sold, and like I couldn't like. I couldn't like define it, but I'm just like I'm equ like I'm distraught. I'm depressed like I don't want to do this anymore, and like I'm equally on the opposite end of the spectrum of like. Holy shit. what is this? You know, and
[anna_mcnaught]:
right.
[boona]:
I may have slept for a total of ten hours that entire week. You know, Uh,
[anna_mcnaught]:
wow,
[boona]:
I was just off. I was living off coffee and clubhouse. You know,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yep.
[boona]:
Um, and you can't. You can't describe that because I think I feel like. secretly I knew how big this was, but I couldn't define. I couldn't put intooors. I'm just like all
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
I can do is listen and all I can do is like. Like reach out to the friend that I think that might understand this. You know, just because I got to tell someone about this who might understand. Um, I think that's the fascinating part about N f. Ts. though is like. this whole community is just like we just like you. You can't like it. It breaks all the normal rules of. like. What currently is? you know? Um, there's no structure. There's no this like ever like even with Kath talking about, like the
[anna_mcnaught]:
right, yeah,
[boona]:
whole, like that free Hawaii photo, you know, and like
[anna_mcnaught]:
right,
[boona]:
you can't. But when you tell someone, Yeah, that pieel for three hundred and fifty k, Like if they don't know the story behind it. if they don't there's just so much to unpack in this space that like you can't like define, you can look at numbers, you can look at metrics. you can look at all this, but none of it fucking makes sense to any way we've done things before. You
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
know what I mean. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, I, totally
[boona]:
Yeah, and so that's like I don't know. It's just a fascinating. it's it's a. it's a. it's a fascinating time to be alive. You know. it's uh, and I wantnna, and I want to get into like your transition a little bit from the photography. like your, from your from your courseus, To like when you first came in, and it, he's like. How the hell did you hear about this industry like H. Like what? what was that like? and like, Tell it just like a little
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah.
[boona]:
bit. a little bit of the story there.
[anna_mcnaught]:
for sure. um, let's see. so I guess I had started seeing Um. Well, first of all, I'm really sad that I didn't get involved in this like last
[boona]:
Mm. yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
year because I feel like a lot of people got in on it in like uh, no, October, November, like exactly a year ago,
[boona]:
yep. yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
And they were the first people to be on nifty Gateway, Super rare,
[boona]:
Mhm.
[anna_mcnaught]:
like all the big platforms. And to like, really be involved in this. And now you know it's so hard to get into any of those platforms. I've been denied
[boona]:
Yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
from super rare like
[boona]:
yep. yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
three times now, so just you know, it's like fuck my life. but anyways, um, um, so I saw people like posting about. I guess the beele
[boona]:
yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
stuff first, and um, I was like Oh, that's cool. Yeah,
[boona]:
right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
okay, like I've seen his work like this is crazy and I guess I had heard about N f ts a little bit in terms of like gaming. Because my brother's into all of that and and my brother in law and like it he. I was talking to my brother in law about it. He's like, Yeah, you know, it's like when you buy sneakers for your character or something. It's like this online, uh thing that you owned and like what we were talking about earlier before we hopped on here. And so it's like okay, I guess I understand, And then I saw a few friends posting about it on Intagram and Um, Ted Chin, Ted's little dream. Um. he's a good friend of mine and he posted and I messaged him and I was like. What is this and he said he was doing, Um, a drop on Nifty Gateway. It was like. Can you explain this to me? He's like, Call me and it's like, Oh God, Okay,
[boona]:
right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
so I guess this is more than just like a
[boona]:
right, right
[anna_mcnaught]:
text. Um, and so I called him. We talked for like two hours
[boona]:
right, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
on the phone and I, and he told me everything about what it was and I was like, Yeah, I really have been like feeling kind of lost in my artwork and to be honest, I took like most of twenty twenty off of doing any art because I was
[boona]:
right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
like depressed with the
[boona]:
right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
pandemic. I wasn't feeling creative. I wasn't out
[boona]:
right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
in the world as with the rest of us like
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
you know, losing that sense of
[boona]:
yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
creativity. Um, he's like, Yeah, I've noticed that you haven't really been doing anything. And and he's like you need to just create for you like you need to get back into it. And like, Why are you trying so hard to create to the style that you've like come become known for. Like, just do whatever you want Like put green in there. Put something different in there. If you want you don't need to be blue. paint purple.
[boona]:
right, right, right, right
[anna_mcnaught]:
So I was like, No, my world is crumbling. I have to be blue, pink and purple.
[boona]:
you. Yeah. yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
I, I wish you could see my my desktop background right now, too, because it's literally like shades
[boona]:
pink and purple. Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
of blue, pink and purple and it's like it's It's uh, a couple of my pieces that are becoming like abstracted by the monitor and it literally iss just like my color pallet.
[boona]:
right. and that's the color pallt that Arguably I, you know, like that's what got me curious about youcause. I saw like the blue. The, the, you know blue purple was a pink like Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep,
[boona]:
like, like I'm a huge blue. I'm one of those blue color guys that like It's you really emotional and really like you know. Intuit. that's like that's who I am. So anything blue
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep,
[boona]:
has my name written all over it.
[anna_mcnaught]:
yep. same.
[boona]:
Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
I'm like obsessed with
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
blue. I, I love your lamp in the background. By the way,
[boona]:
that was intentional. very intentional.
[anna_mcnaught]:
creating the blue glow,
[boona]:
Yeah.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I know normally like if I was in my own studio or like when I've set up a little mockup studio for myself. It's always like the blue light behind me and like a
[boona]:
yeah.
[anna_mcnaught]:
pink. Like creating that kind of like what I have my profile picture where it's like bouncing the the two
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
lights, but um, but yeah, uh, anyways. like like I essentially just realized. Okay, I need to just create something again. and Um, and so I started just kind of playing around with some crazy artwork and having fun with it and learning more about N f Ts. and then trying to remember, I guess I got on Twitter. Um, and I had already had a Twitter. but I hadn't been on there. like since college,
[boona]:
Mhm, Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
you know, and and um, I started like connecting with people. I'm trying to remember. I think actually, one of the first people who reached out to me was John Noph, and he messaged me and was like Yo. I love your work. It's so good like Let's get you in club
[boona]:
y,
[anna_mcnaught]:
housee, And it was like uh, no, I don't think so. not doing clubhouse.
[boona]:
right, right, right, right, yeah, yup,
[anna_mcnaught]:
And then like two days later I was on
[boona]:
sure,
[anna_mcnaught]:
clubhouse like every single day for the next
[boona]:
yp, Yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
three months, So
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
it was it like it was like crazy, And then we, Um. we had a work trip for Leave the map. Um. We went down south for a client and like did a whole like two week van trip and it was so tough during that time because it was like right when N f Ts were kind of just like
[boona]:
yep,
[anna_mcnaught]:
blowing up Clubhouse was like taking off and I had like met this group of people. Um. We were talking on Telegram all the time, and Um and then you know, hopping into discord. I'm like I can't keep
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
track of this, so I'm trying to like sit in the van with James and carry on a conversation with my husband, while also like managing all these
[boona]:
yep,
[anna_mcnaught]:
apps and figuring out what the fuck is going on in the Internet right now and then, trying to do this work with him and do the photography that we were hired to
[boona]:
right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
do, and also enjoy like we're very much like. When we get to a campsite we shut things off.
[boona]:
right
[anna_mcnaught]:
we enjoy each other. We have a beer
[boona]:
right right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
together, we walk around and I couldn't do it and he was like. What is going on like this sucks like. I feel like I can't hang out with you because you're like you were like
[boona]:
yeah. yeah, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
this with your Fa. I'm like literally like.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, competing with the phone. Yeah, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, and I'm not like that with him ever.
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
You know, like we're very much like phones away at
[boona]:
yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
dinner like we spend our
[boona]:
yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
evenings together And Um, so it was like kind of a weird time and I and he one night he was out, Um, working on the campfire and like hanging out and I was sitting in the van and I'm like I'm listening to his clubhouse or room right now. Like check back
[boona]:
Mhm.
[anna_mcnaught]:
later, And it was like four hours later. He's like, Are you still in there and I'm like Yeah, I guess I should probably get out now and then, so I got off and then I saw the next day that it had gone for twelve hours and I was like Okay. something needs to change here.
[boona]:
Holy shit. right, right, right. yeah, yeah, that's insane
[anna_mcnaught]:
I, Yeah, and that was kind of a big wake up call to me. And and so then I kind of like toned back on Clubhouse a little bit, Um, but was still trying to keep up with telegram and
[boona]:
right. Yep,
[anna_mcnaught]:
chatting with people. And and then that was when I released my first n f. t, which is the um, jellyfish in the bottle, with like kind of the sunset background behind it
[boona]:
where is that? is that on? Is
[anna_mcnaught]:
and
[boona]:
that on open C, or is that on? Where is that at?
[anna_mcnaught]:
it's on foundation.
[boona]:
On Foundation? Okay, so we're going to pull it while you're
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
talking about that. we're going to pull that up and we're do a little screen share. Um, just to like
[anna_mcnaught]:
perfect.
[boona]:
show that, So let's
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
yeahy, let's do thatcause. Here we go. Okay, So
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss,
[boona]:
here, that's probably one of my favorites. The Capturing the stars, Um, there's a
[anna_mcnaught]:
should be.
[boona]:
jellyfish.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh, yeah. No one liked that. I actually burned it because I was like. this is
[boona]:
I fucky love that one. Oh, oh my God,
[anna_mcnaught]:
just sitting here, so I'll give that one to you.
[boona]:
Are you serious? Oh my god,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yes, I absolutely will.
[boona]:
Oh my God, thank you so much. Um, because
[anna_mcnaught]:
of course,
[boona]:
I fuck you, love that like. it's like capturing the energy
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh that.
[boona]:
and the stars of the U. Yeah, putting in a bottle. Yeah, I love that.
[anna_mcnaught]:
but I could even make it blue for you if you want
[boona]:
Oh my fucking god. Yes, Yes, Yes, I would love that.
[anna_mcnaught]:
a
[boona]:
thank you. So so is this?
[anna_mcnaught]:
okay. cool.
[boona]:
Is this the jellyfish?
[anna_mcnaught]:
No, no, so go
[boona]:
Okay,
[anna_mcnaught]:
back that one. It's It's sad because I really like that one too, and it. I don't know how many people notice that it has like an earth inside the jellyfish and that was like a very kind of like deep one
[boona]:
Oh, wow,
[anna_mcnaught]:
for me. And maybe I didn't explain it well enough. Maybe I never showed it well enough, but it just kind of it flopped on intram. It flopped on Twitter and it clearly flopped your own foundation.
[boona]:
Oh my God, that's dud. but that's incredible though I. I didn't know that I didn't notice until you said it because we're I'm not looking at it deeply because we're we have we mission here. but like um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
That's that's really interesting that you said that, because I've had a lot of people say the same thing, and I'm like, Hm. How do I like? Maybe I need to do something different with it or bring up a
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
closeup. So there's the lost Souls is the first one that sold for me. If you
[boona]:
Oh, my. Oh my God, look at that. That's so cool.
[anna_mcnaught]:
scroll all the way down, it's my absolute favorite piece of all time. It's my desktop background,
[boona]:
that is so pretty.
[anna_mcnaught]:
and um, if you look at right in the center, this was completely unintentional, but it looks like a skull that the jellyfish have
[boona]:
Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
formed right there. If
[boona]:
right
[anna_mcnaught]:
you, you kind of see down down and left a little. you
[boona]:
like that one.
[anna_mcnaught]:
right, right a little down right there. Do you see the two eyes and the nose in the mouth?
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss,
[boona]:
hold on. It's going to take me a little bit. I may not. I may not yet. I may have to look at this a little bit more like.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Okay, move, move your moue down a little and then you can see Okay, So you're right right now. You're on it's mouth and then right above it is its nose. It's funny 'cause I bet no one ever has notic. this. but someone pointed out to me and I can't unsee it now.
[boona]:
so it's going to. why can I not see it? I don't know why I can't see it. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
it's okay. it wasn't intentional. so I'm not offended. It was like a total
[boona]:
So you're going to have me like. like looking at this shit all day. Like trying to
[anna_mcnaught]:
accident. Um,
[boona]:
like figure it out. Um and try to find it and try to find this. So
[anna_mcnaught]:
I wish I could like. I don't know. Uh, I'll have to.
[boona]:
it's going to be one of things. when it hits me, it's going to hit me right. It's it, it it
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep, and then you won't unsee it.
[boona]:
right. Yeah, and what sucks is likecause like, and I'm kind of ashamed. because like I'm a huge pirate to the Caribbean fan, you know, and like I'm like.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh yeah.
[boona]:
Why the fuck can I not see this? This is like one of my favorite series
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah.
[boona]:
and movies of all time. Um, so we're going to. We'll come back to that.
[anna_mcnaught]:
oh my god. okay, so all, um, oh yeah, I'll have to send you a little mark up
[boona]:
Yes, That would help so much. Now what? I? yes, yes, yes, Wow, this is. this is real.
[anna_mcnaught]:
of it. I'll like. I'll circle it.
[boona]:
I like this is the the turtle one, Uh, with the tra of life,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
that's so cool.
[anna_mcnaught]:
and that was a super exciting moment that was like, Um, maybe a month or two into learning about N. f. Ts. and Um. I spoke with eight, eight eight and he's like I want this and I want one of your other pieces. And it was Um. and that one's on Maker's Place, and it's uh, like hands holding an earth
[boona]:
Oh my God,
[anna_mcnaught]:
with a T. a turtle swimming through, And so he bought both of those so that I was like. Holy shit.
[boona]:
that that's so cool. That is like. I like you know. it's like this is like the word. like, Really, where the magic is right here. but I'm just like look at the
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
stars. look at the blue.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I know I know. Oh, it's the blue.
[boona]:
Yep, and in the and the purple rate here. Like what was the? Is that just like his shadow? or is that like? What? Like? I,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, it's supposed to be like a shadow, and then kind of uh, like the glow
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[anna_mcnaught]:
coming off of Um from the water, so I actually um, collaborated with one of
[boona]:
I love that.
[anna_mcnaught]:
James's high school friends on this, uh, panda, um, Al. Also, Joe is his real
[boona]:
Uh,
[anna_mcnaught]:
name and Um, and he does all of the animation that you see on these. So he did the tur, the turtle, Um, the space Boyo, and the next journey, Um, and so he's really really good at it.
[boona]:
very cool, very cool. I love that. No, this
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
is. these are some. This is a very fascinating one too. Like what? What's the story behind this one? Like the origin,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yes, that's another one that I was sad that like no one was really interested in. Because, Um, it was one of the first pictures that I took actually, even before Um, the hospital image that I was
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
telling you about where kind of like help
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
blow up. This was like one of the very first when I was like I am reinventing myself as an
[boona]:
Yep, yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
artist. Re going on this creative journey again, so James and I, um, went to Joshua Tree and I had got this white dress from Amazon for a Halloween costume and I was like I going to use this for every picture from here on out, and I still use it to this day. Um and I brought a frame with me and then we found this little sand spot on the side of the road, so I put the frame in the ground, and Um and I laid through it and I was like this is kind of sweet. I'm going to like erase
[boona]:
yeah, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
my legs and make it like I have just fallen kind of out of this picture And it was like, really, this um idea of kind of like this, uh, dark desert vibe, and like, very like film Newar, and then like starting over, And it was like
[boona]:
yeah, Mhm.
[anna_mcnaught]:
my new kind of awakening moment as an artist And it did really well on Ingram. I think
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
I had like like five thousand followers at the time and it got six thousand
[boona]:
holy shit.
[anna_mcnaught]:
likes. So I was like, Yeah,
[boona]:
yeah.
[anna_mcnaught]:
and and now like engagement, I can't even get more than a thousand likes on
[boona]:
wow.
[anna_mcnaught]:
something. And so I'm like you know that that was the premo time back then.
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[anna_mcnaught]:
in. Uh, what was it like? two thousand, sixteen or two thousand and fifteen like it was so good.
[boona]:
yeah. yeah, yeah. and that was before I really entered into. Like to look to the content scing that I didn't really start coming on until like just in general until like two thousand, seventeen thousand, and eighteen. Um, So like
[anna_mcnaught]:
Okay.
[boona]:
like you know, and you know what's funny? Like like I like. I have. I like. I feel like there's cobb weebs on my instigram, You knowcause, like I don't. I don't ha like to me as a as a gaming content. Craator. it was so hard. It's there's so many parameters in rules on insigram. I'm like I feel like I have to work to use this application. you know or on Twitter.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
I can just fuck and vibe, and like you know, like have
[anna_mcnaught]:
right.
[boona]:
conversations and share dope work and I'm like there's no Ru. there's there's hardly any rules on Twitter. you know, Um, I guess the rules I can, I can form more to '. Or I, I guess I like them more. but
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, so true.
[boona]:
anyway, um, no, these are very cool. I want to hop over to. I fucking thank you so much. I. I fuck and love that one. um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah?
[boona]:
uh, let's hop over to your. to your faces of the moon. Um be cause there's a couple of them that like I am so happy they exploded, but I'm also selfishly so sad, because like I don't have the money to like pay for it right now Of there's one. Which one was it? Um, Okay, There's a couple of them. They're like. Let me just make Okay. So this was the first one and it's not for sale. This is probably my favorite one out of all of them.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh, that's
[boona]:
Yes,
[anna_mcnaught]:
awesome. I love that that' your favorite?
[boona]:
Yes, like for me what I got from that and I'll like. I want to share the what I gathered from that and Versus like what you were portraying, I want to see how similar they are. Um, you know the planets. I don't know too much about the planet's like I, I know planets have like a lot
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
of different feelings, different emotions and there's differently you know. Like Saturn has a. I'm a big tool fan. So like Saturn is always mentioned in a lot of their songs. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yes, wow, I haven't thought about tool for a long time. I love tool and a perfect circle. My god.
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[boona]:
I'm actually going to see 'em in February. They're doing another tour. Yeah, yeah, so
[anna_mcnaught]:
really,
[boona]:
me and some friends. I'll that. it'll be my fifth fifth time seeing '. Um, I'm a nut.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Wow, that's awesome.
[boona]:
It's like the only band I like enjoy right now to go see, um, like you know, Like the. uh, I can't remember what song Saturn's in, Um is in the grudge but anyway, Saturn's always got a big thing, but Venus always has, like you know. Um, but what? what really struck me on this one was that like it was the person on the mountain top and it's like this person in space. Um, that like climb this mountain and there's
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah. yeah.
[boona]:
like this like really bright light shining of light, you know, and there's darkness right here. like on the climb and then once they reach this top like there's this, like incredible shining light right here That like signifies like the one of the greatest accomplishments ever. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
love that.
[boona]:
and I'm equally. This actually just came to out like I'm equally terr like I am so terrified abouter space. I get so fascinating, but I find it equally
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
terrifying because like one little like screw goes loose, or like one little thing happens and you're fucked right Like,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yep.
[boona]:
but it so. But what this mountain represents is like this journey into this incredibly scary place that some accomplished and they realize, like at the time like, Oh, it's not so fucking bad up here like there's embracing
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
the scary, embracing the unknown, embracing like the journey, regardless of where it the scary, embracing the unknown, embracing like the journey, regardless of where it takes you, And then you realize that that the where you were wanting to go wasn't takes you, And then you realize that that the where you were wanting to go wasn't that scary. You know what? I mean? Um that, that scary. You know what? I mean? Um that,
[anna_mcnaught]:
wow, I love that. I'm just going to use your description from now
[boona]:
okay,
[anna_mcnaught]:
on when someone as me about it.
[boona]:
that's that's like what I gathered from that. I'm like. This is like the piece that like I was so mad that it have an Ethereum to like buy whenever it went on sale. and like
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh
[boona]:
so it. But it's okay though, like it got into the hands of someone who like obviously like it. I'm like I gotta take myself out of it. You know what I mean. Um, but that's
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
a really cool one. Um, and this one. I don't even know the story behind this like this is just a fucking W.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I love that one.
[boona]:
A wild picture. You know what I mean. What is?
[screenshare_hd]:
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[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, that one' one of my favorites and it hasn't sold yet, which is sad.
[boona]:
Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Hopefully, all the rest of that. so there are still five that are available
[boona]:
Okay. That's one of '.
[anna_mcnaught]:
and um, uh, I, I don't know. I have toyed with. Maybe it's too pricey on. Then, um,
[boona]:
Mm. no, No, if it's your favorite.
[anna_mcnaught]:
no, okay,
[boona]:
if it's your favorite, like leave it like That's like one of the things where it's just like 'cause as a as a collector sometimes I've seen that like when when when artists like lower their price and something, it's like I'm like. Oh, why you know? Like why, Like, Like
[anna_mcnaught]:
right,
[boona]:
what you know 'cause I, I see it in the p. f P world. I see it'. It's a little bit different the p. h. P world, but it's almost like these people that listen tofiveeth and then the next day they listen it for like point two. They're just like Okay,
[anna_mcnaught]:
right,
[boona]:
you know, Um, and I've done that
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
before when I just didn't know what the fuck I was doing. You know what I mean. So if
[anna_mcnaught]:
right, right,
[boona]:
you really like that piece like this is just coming from a collector like I would really love to own this piece, so next time I have four theorem, you know. Uh,
[anna_mcnaught]:
also,
[boona]:
yeah, so that no, keep that there. because like the blue is really cool here. I don't even know the story around why I like it, but I like it. Um, you
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
know, and I just I'd
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
love to know. Like why? it's your favorite
[anna_mcnaught]:
yes, so um, this is the new moon and
[boona]:
two.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Um, and that was kind of one of the reasons for a few of these pieces being more expensive.
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Is um that they? either they mean more to me, they took longer, Um, or they' um one of the main phases of the moon, And so my ideaal with faces of the moon was not that it would just be like a collection of all these
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
moonpeces, but it would start to um. And I think I talked about this a little bit in the space, but it would start to have these different meanings behind the moon phase, which a lot of people don't fully understand and even myself, I'm still learning new things, but each moon represents something different in our lives and holds a a different kind of like. Um, uh, I don't want to say power, but like a a different gravitational pull, you
[screenshare_hd]:
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[anna_mcnaught]:
know, they always say during the full moon like crazy things happen. and uh, and so that was like. I'm like. Okay, Well, the bigger moon phases will be pricier and will have more value because they're like the main phases. Um, and then anything that has taken you know longer time. A couple of them were
[boona]:
right, mm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
just like, uh, random, like quarter moons and their pricecier because they like meant more to me or took longer. But so this one, um is a new moon and
[boona]:
right, right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
represent setting new intentions. Um, kind of starting fresh. So I called it Cosmic reset, and uh on a new moon. as you know, there is no moon showing And
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
so I wanted it to really be like this explosion of the universe, like you're resetting. You're setting your intentions for the rest of the month or for
[boona]:
Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
the rest of the year. Whatever you kind of see fit and it's like this like I am starting fresh. I am exploding all that I have, but I've also like again, kind of going off what you said too, of like this person standing at the top of the mountain like has conquered this journey. But it's like I'm starting
[boona]:
mhm, right, right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
over like this is my moment.
[boona]:
I love that. And it's one of the reasons I love that you said that because, and it's um, one of the reasons why I enjoy the n f T space so much is that I, and, and I mean that I don't mean this as like a shame on myself. but like I feel like I'm the dumbest person in the room. And that's the Pl. That's That's the place I want to be at. Because like it means I'm
[anna_mcnaught]:
Y.
[boona]:
capable of learning. It means I'm capable of like, like taking in new information. Um, and I may need to word it differently, but like that's just the way I feel like I feel like I'm surrounded by so many five heads in this industry that like you know, this is the best place to because that means I get. I don't feel like I know anything like. I'm
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
just I'm just vibing and picking up pieces that like I vibe with and like there's just so much cool shit happening here. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, yeah, just call yourself the
[boona]:
right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
sponge. You're absorbing new information.
[boona]:
yeah, and it's like this like the. The mountain is almost like the pinnacle of Web
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[boona]:
Two. You know that I reached, and it's like Okay. there's but I see the explosion to
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
like that little line. That is that like part of the explosion. Like that line like in the middle like right.
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, so it's I think, it's just kind of like the lens fare. That was kind of what I had put into it, but um, yeah, I mean, there's
[boona]:
Yeah, I love that,
[anna_mcnaught]:
so much you can unpack in this piece too, and I think that a lot of times when I create or I am doing it, Um with A, As we kind of talked about earlier, like this subconscious
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
intention, Um, that kind of comes out of me, Um, and then I have like a, an idea for what I wanted to look like or like a color or feel to it, And then when I go back and I start to look at it. I'm like Wow, there's a lot more meaning in
[boona]:
right.
[anna_mcnaught]:
this that I could
[boona]:
yep,
[anna_mcnaught]:
kind of pull out. and whether it's bullshit or not like you start to look at it And and I mean, you know a lot of us, artist studied like art history, and finer, and uh, and film studies in school. And that was what we would do. We
[boona]:
mhm, Mhm.
[anna_mcnaught]:
pick apart these pieces and be like. What does this mean? And so you start looking at this and it's like there's this light coming from the side of the fog. and like there's all this fog down below So maybe it represents It's covering up the old past self. It's covering up
[boona]:
Oh,
[anna_mcnaught]:
what's on the ground. Like all of this this old world that you're leaving behind the light coming from the side. Not really sure what that could represent, But then you're coming up out of this peak. You're seeing the universal explode. It's covering you in light. It's giving you this new life, this new meaning, this cosmic reset.
[boona]:
I love that
[anna_mcnaught]:
And yes,
[boona]:
I love that.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I don't know. There's lots of cool things.
[boona]:
Yeah, there's a lot. and even when you were telling that story like I'm a huge Star Wars fan. And so I can't help
[anna_mcnaught]:
Oh yeah.
[boona]:
but look at like the way it looks like you're just like. It's like when when they, when they hit like light speed, you know like when they go through A,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yup.
[boona]:
and like it looks like
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yep.
[boona]:
this mountain is like a part of like that universe. And you're just like in power drive, you know like you're just like In like you're just. you're just hitting it
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
into into hyperdrive. And um, that's so cool like
[anna_mcnaught]:
I know,
[boona]:
I.
[anna_mcnaught]:
and it's it's like. Yeah, something about the stars like. every so often it'll create something that just really makes my heart go like oo, like I get so like. And that's this piece for me like, and it's so
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, flooder, yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
simple it wasn't that hard to make, but
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
like it was one of those that. As I was making it, I was like I didn't feel my
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
heart bursting right now.
[boona]:
yeah. So keep it at four ethorum right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Okay,
[boona]:
Like if it means that much to you, like, like to me like that like I would be like. If I had a piece like that that meant that much to me. I would. I would keep it that way until it's sold. You know, and whether that was
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
like two weeks, whether that was two months or two years, like that to me Like is one of those very special pieces that like, I don't think you should lower that
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
ever. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
okay, good to know.
[boona]:
and I love that this collector loves how like they put this one at a really high pricecause. like they don't really don't want to get
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
rid of it. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
that's John.
[boona]:
that's John. Okay, John owns that one.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
I, so the purple is such a vibin. here. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
I know.
[boona]:
what's the story behind this one?
[anna_mcnaught]:
So this is a photo of me and actually a lot of the silhouettes that you see in the uh pictures are me
[boona]:
Love that
[anna_mcnaught]:
and I do that often. I put myself into my work. Um, even the one was Saturn standing on top of the mountain. That's a silhouette myself, too. Um, I believe the cosmic reset is as well, I kind of
[boona]:
love that.
[anna_mcnaught]:
forget, but um, uh, So this one, um, I took. M. So James took the photo of me when we were on our honeymoon and I went out in. We were in the bad lands and I went out into this field and I had this yellow dress on and I was just like this is so
[boona]:
Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
cool. Like I love this vibe and I'm like I think I have an idea for holding out a bird cage and I didn't have a bird cage with me and I I probably should have if I was like planning this better. but you know, like I, I know
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss,
[anna_mcnaught]:
photoshop, I don't need to have real life things. so um and th, and that was
[boona]:
right, right, right, right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
uh, three years ago or yeah, three years ago, So I didn't know what I was going to do with this. It was just like I have this idea. I'm go to I, so I do a lot of just like my own stock images. You know that I have on hand for
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
different ideas and like different different times that I need to use something. Um, So I had done something with this picture before with a bird cage, but in a bit of a different way just had some birds flying out like a cool sunset, And then with this one my idea. So it's called transformation, and the idea with it was that the moon is locked in this cage, But what it's becoming is the birds, and it's kind of like moving out of this cage into something else and becoming its next step and its next phase. And Um, this is moving on to a full moon in the phe of phases of the moon. And so it's the moon transforming, But it's also ourselves transforming and then, of course a
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
galaxy background because I'm obsessed without her space. I'm obsessed with
[boona]:
Yeah, right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
purple.
[boona]:
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, wow, I love that. I love that and there was something of like I. There was something about this that like I couldn't quite understand, but I love the story that you you tell behind that makes complete sense. now. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, and it's It's funny because when I made it I was like no one's going to get this like it's not clear. like the birds are black. They're not. They're not
[boona]:
right.
[anna_mcnaught]:
glowing And I thought I had toyed with. Like, Are they going to be glowing from the moon and then becoming black And I was like, No, I kind of like and I tried that it didn't look that
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
good. Um, so I, I definitely struggle with like these things that I'm feeling that I want to express. They get water down in the technology. The capabilities of
[boona]:
sure. sure.
[anna_mcnaught]:
photos shopp the design, and then also, uh, I mean, I definitely could do myself a favor and I could learn three D. I could become a better hand drawler. Um, and then maybe I can express myself better, but I'm working with
[screenshare_hd]:
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[anna_mcnaught]:
all photos that already exist and I usually don't take new pictures for Um what I'm working on unless there's something very specific that I need, like
[boona]:
sure. sure,
[anna_mcnaught]:
my own stock. For I pull from like what I already have. I pull from Adobe stock and then I pull everything together so it's I don't know. Definitely
[boona]:
I like that.
[anna_mcnaught]:
something I need to think about.
[boona]:
I like that, but also at the same time, though, like you know something that you could tell the story of Like, like, at least from the vibe that I get. is that when we are transformed into something new, like we also start at the very bottom, there's not really a whole lot of glow like when we start something new. Like where like
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah.
[boona]:
we're Where're brand new? We have like we don't know where the fuck we're going like we. it's it's we're going into this realm of the unknown. from a world of that we did know to a world that we don't know. Um, that's like Been me at this at this job. It's just like it's it's been this like like thing of like, Wow, these people actually trust me. Um, to get my work done, and I've spent in a in A. in a company I I was at for six years where I wasn't Tr. even though I was a really hard worker like I never was trusted. You know, like I was O, like they
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, yeah,
[boona]:
would. I would be trusted, but like at the same time, like my, me. Cks were always being judged and looked at and discussed in meetings. You know, Um, and now I'm in this world where like I talked to my manager, I'm like the content isn't that hard to digest. It's a lot. but I'm still getting used to the fact that you actually trust me to do my job. like, like, like
[anna_mcnaught]:
right, right,
[boona]:
I, It's going to take me a while to get through that. You know what I mean, Um, cause I just I don't. I've never been through this before, So to to have like a, you know, um, like a symbols. To that. It's like you know with the with the. That's the. that's what I take from it with. Like after the story that you shared. Is it like the birds or anything like? And but this universe is so magical and welcoming and warming. You're
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, yeah, yeah.
[boona]:
but you're this like person who doesn't see it yet. You know. Um, I
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah.
[boona]:
like that. I like that
[anna_mcnaught]:
I love
[boona]:
sweet
[anna_mcnaught]:
that I feel like it's always so cool to discuss art with other people because two people will see two different things and start to piece it all together. And it like all
[boona]:
comp. completely different things.
[screenshare_hd]:
Ssssssssssssss
[anna_mcnaught]:
of a sudden, gives a piece like so much more meaning.
[boona]:
Yes, and this, like before I want to, We're going to wrap things up here shortly, but this is my second favorite one. Um, I, That one grew on me. It didn't initially grab me, but like when I started looking
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, I.
[boona]:
at it, I'm like. okay, I. I. I like this. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah.
[boona]:
I really like this one.
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, it's funny because I feel the exact same way like when I made it. I was like. Yes, pretty sweet like. but I didn't have that like heart bursting
[boona]:
Yeah, yup yup. Yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
at the seams thing. you know, And then everyone who saw this collection was like That one is so sick and I was like Okay, Cool. and now it really has grown on me as well.
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
like. I, just it's it's like. I, I guess being so close to it too. I sort of be like. Where's her
[boona]:
right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
body and then I was like this is confusing. but I was like, You know, I' just got to make this.
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Who cares and
[boona]:
yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
see what happens and then uh people really liked it. So
[boona]:
yeah, no, this is I. There's just a lot there. There's so much you can unpack there. you know. Um, I mean,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
but that it's it's all like what I gather from that is like the the woman's face and like the moon is the brain. you know, Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yep. exactly
[boona]:
and and now,
[anna_mcnaught]:
that was. that was.
[boona]:
Okay, Okay, that was the intent. Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
y. yep.
[boona]:
I. Yeah, I think there's something so fascinating about that. I can't quite put my finger on it. But like that was the one that like is not provoking. You know it like makes you think a little bit like. where
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
is the body? Like? Does there need to be a body? Does the body really matter like you know. what's
[anna_mcnaught]:
right,
[boona]:
There's all these questions like the background, the sun, like, how is that affecting You know? Um, Yeah, there's just a lot to impact there. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, I, I think like there is even. I mean. There's even deeper meaning in this one,
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
too, like if you really were to dig into it, Because I actually took this photo, Um in Laguna Beach, and Uh, James and I had gone down there for a photo shoot
[screenshare_hd]:
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[anna_mcnaught]:
that he had, and I was just kind of playing around at sunset And it was uh the day that I found out that my mom's cancer had uh come back after twenty
[boona]:
Oh, my god,
[anna_mcnaught]:
years of being in remission And so I was just like you know, obviously feeling completely miserable, completely distraught and was like taking some photos. And um, this, this photo has just been in my little stock gallery, but it's kind of funny now thinking about it and looking at it that this one would be called Moon Mother, And it was like a picture that I took thinking
[boona]:
M.
[anna_mcnaught]:
about my mom. You know,
[boona]:
Yeah, I like that. Yeah, there. so there's
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
there's a lot of personal. Yeah, there's a lot of. There's a lot of sentiment to that one. Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, yeah, and it's not something I really thought about while I was working on it. To be honest, like, I mean, I think in the back of my mind I was like, Yeah, this photo was the day that, like my mom got the news, but um like it wasn't It wasn't like a a big push into this piece or anything.
[boona]:
wow. No. that's cool. though it's funny how the subconscious will like will lead you to things that you don't quite understand just yet. Um, and it it'll
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
it. It'll take you a little while to make the connection, but you realize that your subconscious was right the whole time. Um, Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
yep, exactly. yep, exactly.
[boona]:
love that love that. Well, Hey, and
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah.
[boona]:
it's I want to start wrapping things up. Um. It's been an absolute treat to have you on. Um, I'm really glad we were able to do this.
[anna_mcnaught]:
it's been so much fun. Me too.
[boona]:
Yeah, Yeah, and and so for those like, like I, in the in, the when I, when I initiated the des of the Annna, like it was like we initially just wanted to have a conversation. Um, and I'm just like Well, like fuck it like, let's just do. Let's just do a podcast recording of, and like make something valuable out of this. You know. um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
I'm so glad we did.
[boona]:
yeah, it's I. Yeah, absolutely like this has been. This has been so much fun. we went. We went a lot of different places. Um, and I wouldn't have it other way. you know. Uh, that's like the whole. That's like. My whole uh thing is just like there's nothing organized about this. Um, and
[anna_mcnaught]:
I know. I love that.
[boona]:
we love the woo woo. right. Ah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yes.
[boona]:
Well, so wrapping things up. you know, want to want to give a want to like. Put the put the mike on on you again. like or like, I guess, but the the spotlight on again. Like, if you were to share one piece of advice for like an upcoming photographer or photos shop, artist. Um, you know, entering into the space, you know, or whether they are or not
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah,
[boona]:
entering into space. What would that be?
[anna_mcnaught]:
I think, uh, someone. I don't know if it was. I think it was John who asked it during the space Like, asked the same question as I was about to uh, turn turn the room off. and I had like the most bomb answer and I wish it was recorded because I would just be like, take that sound bite.
[boona]:
right? right, right, right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
but and of course I can't hear. Remember what I said. It was like something I pulled out, but um, I think and maybe it will. Maybe what will come to me right now will be
[boona]:
yp,
[anna_mcnaught]:
similar, but um, I think my biggest piece of advice would be. I mean, technical advice would be to get involved in the community and to meet people and talk to people like we' doing today to get to know people before you're like. By my art,
[boona]:
Mhm,
[anna_mcnaught]:
do this like here's my. Here's my artwork. You know. really, get yourself immersed and involved and then when you reach out to people say hello, I've been loving what you're doing. Can you give me some advice before you say Hey, does this
[boona]:
right, right, right,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Hey? I'm thinking of launching n f. T, help me,
[boona]:
right.
[anna_mcnaught]:
you know, just be a normal happy human? Um, but my my life journey advice is uh, to just really embrace this uncertainty of N of T, and what we know and what we don't know as a part in your journey, Um, a a little blip on the map in your creative and artistic journey And it's not everything and it's not all that will ever be, but it's something that we can all learn from. It's something we can grow from and expand our creative vision or creative voice, or our artwork that we make, or photography. whatever it may be, Um, and expand on that, and and really just continue on this this artistic journey that we have. and Um. It's so much fun being able to do it with other creatives and people like yourselfle, and to get to know people. So I feel like that advice wasn't as good as my advice that I had on the space because I've been talking for the past like two hours, but hopefully it's something.
[boona]:
Well, I mean, but no, I, I think you struggle with something that I do. Is that like? but uh, it's it is what it's supposed to be. You know, Um, and you know like
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah.
[boona]:
I, it's exactly what it was supposed to be, And you know something that like I've learned in a lot of like the things that a lot of my extra curricul curricular activities Is that like when I don't like when I share something in it and I don't think it's that good. You know. you never know. Like how you're going to inspire someone and you may inspire someone just by saying like I don't really know what to say. I'm just going to say something that may inspire someone to speak up for the first time. Um, and that to me
[anna_mcnaught]:
right.
[boona]:
is is special. you know, Um,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
and you never know someone
[anna_mcnaught]:
that's so true.
[boona]:
who is terrified of speaking up or terrified of coming into a space, or terrified of sharing their thoughts, Especially on Twitter. It can be. It can be a vibe, but can also be a. It can also be a scary place, too. Um, you
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah,
[boona]:
know, you just never know, so I, I'm going to leave it. Leave it at that, Um and last piece. working people find you. Where do where do you want people to go? Um, to like, see your work and to interact with you.
[anna_mcnaught]:
yeah, so you can find me on intagram. Of course, it's Anna Mcnudty, So just my name Mcnott, with a y
[boona]:
Love that.
[anna_mcnaught]:
at the end old college name that' stuck with me.
[boona]:
Yeah, yeah, I love that.
[anna_mcnaught]:
I know and people always
[boona]:
Yeah. yep.
[anna_mcnaught]:
remember it. so everyone's like Mcngty.
[boona]:
yup. keep it
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, I know it works well, so uh, and then also on Twitter, Annna mcnudty as well, and then on all the N f T platforms, Uh, foundation makers place open. See you
[boona]:
all the places.
[anna_mcnaught]:
name it, Um. I'm also on tiick talk as Leave the map for our travel page. So if you like seeing my face and hearing my voice, then you can watch our tiick tos, Because I do all the voice over and I'm always doing little fun things on there.
[boona]:
I love it. I didn't know yet to take talk. Um, I like. I'll actually do it. so I'll put all those links in the show. Nots that way people can now we and find you and people can, Uh people get explore all you work and andnna,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Perfect.
[boona]:
this has been an absolute treat.
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yes, thank you so much. This was a lot of fun. I really enjoy talking about everything and sharing my long, long winded story with the audience. So
[boona]:
Yeah,
[anna_mcnaught]:
thank you for having me.
[boona]:
you're very welcome. Hey, you have a great rest. Your Friday, we'll definitely chat soon,
[anna_mcnaught]:
Yeah, you, too.
[boona]:
Byebye.
[anna_mcnaught]:
take care.
