10 Questions: Tray Payne

Kicking off the first in the 10 Questions series is an artist I first encountered on Twitter, a guy who's work ethic is inspirational, holding down a full time job, building his JADOW collection, developing new skills to aid his creativity, and even getting recently married!

His name is Tray Payne.

From my interactions with Tray he is someone that is devoted to self improvement and working hard in an emerging industry to put his name out there and showcase his work to any potential collectors. Without the backing of an established team or huge finances Tray has been forced to learn all aspects of being a creator in a Web3 world. A daunting task that he has tackled head on and, in my opinion, excelled at with a resilience that is required to "make it" in any industry.

Tray is community driven and realises the importance of adding value. Recently we have seen celebrity NFT cash grabs and questionable influencer behaviour, on the flip side are artists like Tray who are steadily building their network by providing genuine value through their interactions, whether it's some advice to a fellow artist or some real world motivation he always has something positive to say.

10 Questions: Tray Payne

How did you first enter the world of NFTs?

I initially entered the Crypto space as an investment opportunity. By this time, I was already hopping from social platform to social platform trying to figure out what direction I wanted my art journey to take. While educating myself on how to set up a wallet and invest, I saw a YouTube video by @garyvee where he talked about how he was going to build his own intellectual property using NFTs and after seeing that, something clicked for me. So, after that I began the process of educating myself on NFTs. That’s what brought me to the place I am today here in the space and I’ve been loving every bit of it so far.

What are the main qualities you try to include in your creations?

While I was learning about the NFT space and seeing the trend of profile picture NFTs on the rise, I started thinking that my love for character creation would actually be a great fit for this. So for all my pieces I try to incorporate a sense of relatability to each piece. Like you could see yourself in one of my pfps cause inclusiveness and representation are, in my opinion, an important factor.

Which piece are you most proud of creating?

I can’t say I don’t love all my pieces but one piece from my Illustrations collection called “First”, Syren0005 and Syren0035 are the three that hold a special place in my journey because they represent my first sale, and two of my first traditional and digital collaborations with other creatives I met in the space. (Shout out to @RLindNFT @Champ_Vyber and @Nuthinbutyams for believing and being a part of my journey).

From the NFTs you have bought, which is your favourite?

Due to financial implications, I haven’t been able to purchase many NFTs as of yet but one. That one being from a @NFThicc. But my very first NFT, which is probably my overall favourite to date, is a piece I received as a wedding gift from another artist I met in the space @mistermattlu I just can’t overlook the story behind receiving that piece.

What inspires you?

Phew…loaded question Inspiration for me is the idea of being able to create something that others can vibe with. I never thought that something I could create could give another person something to be excited about and that driver inspires me a lot.

If you could have any NFT right now, what would it be?

There. Are. Too. Many. Lol but if I was to answer at this moment, one of the pieces from @aoifeodwyer's collection. I’m hooked on the psychedelic nature of those pieces.

What is your primary goal for the next year?

Primary goal would be to continue laying down the foundation for my project. (i.e. creating more content, connecting with others, building the JADOW name up, educating myself more on tax/legal aspects, etc.)

Which project or collection excites you most for 2022?

As far as individual projects, that’s anyones guess lol but the web3 advancements as a whole have me super excited

What advice would you give to anyone trying to sell their work?

Do not compare what you’ve created to what others have. Do what you love and have people that resonate with what you’re into come to you.

What would you say to any potential collectors looking at your work?

That I appreciate that out of all the talent out there in NFT Land, I’m glad you choose to take a look at my work

His art is created over both Ethereum and Polygon so if you hate gas fees you can still pick up a piece from the JADOW collection for a very reasonable price.

I would definitely encourage visiting any of Tray's socials to learn more about him, view his work, or to see for yourself what a nice guy he is. He's always lurking on Twitter and ready to drop a GM or a friendly message to brighten up your day. In Web3 community is everything and supporting artists of all sizes is part of that experience, so if you're looking for a dedicated emerging artist to support then look no further than Tray Payne.

Tray Payne Socials:

Website - N/A

OpenSea - https://opensea.io/collection/jadow

Discord - https://discord.gg/XazqrUsQk6

Twitter - @TrayPayne

Koji/Linktree - https://withkoji.com/@Jadow13