Culture SZN Wave 1 ignited a flurry of NFT art, mints, and connections for the web3 ecosystem, showcasing artists including Crazy Gang, Mostafa Nassar, Wizards of LInea, Knights of Linea, Efrogs, and Push. The month-long Culture SZN connects collectors and creators while spotlighting all the communities proliferating on Linea.
Digital artist Push, who took the occasion to create a work that built on an established portfolio, secured over 650K mints. As a self-described “everyday artist,” Push began nurturing a passion for digital art in 2011. In 2021, the NFT artist embarked on a new journey, committing to creating one render every 24 hours to enhance creativity.
Four years later and mid-Culture SZN, we’re here to talk to Push about the channels that goal opened up, its intersection with web3, and what it means to keep pushing.
Linea: How did you get started on your journey as an artist?
Push: It all started in 2011. I was just a kid who wanted to post gameplay on YouTube. Strange as it is, that was my first experience with editing programs like Photoshop and digital art in general. I started consuming tutorials daily and learning a bit more every day. My focus shifted mainly to 3D art and photo manipulation, but I was still missing that sparkle. Things really started to develop in 2021 when I began my “Everyday.” Everything changed. That was the turning point, but in the end, it has always been there. I just needed to discover it. 💆🏻♂️
Linea: What led you to explore NFT art, and how did it impact your method?
During the pandemic, I saw the term “NFT” start to pop up everywhere on my social media, and I developed a strong curiosity about it. As a digital artist myself (yeah, I can’t draw), I’ve always thought digital art has always been a “thing,” but I still felt like it didn’t have the recognition it deserved. So when NFTs surfaced, I saw the possibility for digital art to finally be recognized and valued just as physical art.
Tell us about the goal you set in 2021 of creating one rendering a day. What did you learn from this process?
In my life, I learned a simple yet valuable concept: You just gotta keep pushing.
The human brain is complex, but it’s not impossible to make it believe whatever you want. I struggled in the beginning; creativity wasn’t flowing like today, and I thought about quitting multiple times. But I knew that I gotta keep pushing. So I just kept going. Bad days, good days, it didn’t matter. This turned out to be my persona reflecting and influencing my art.
How did you find Linea? And do you have any thoughts on the intersection between Layer 2 (L2) blockchains and art?
I found Linea thanks to some friends. I pivoted to L2s a couple of months ago and couldn’t be happier about it. I think it’s still all new, but it’s a nice playground for sure. As a 1/1 artist though, I don’t think that 1/1s are considered as much on these chains. On mainnet everyone aimed to sell a single piece of art for astronomical prices. On L2s, I feel like it’s more about selling multiple pieces of art at a super low price. It’s the eternal quality versus quantity debate. The real question is: Was what we were doing on mainnet really quality?
Culture SZN is upon us. Your work has over 500K mints! What inspired it?
I originally thought to participate and mint a single piece of art, but when you feel the urge to make an impact on people, it’s really hard to choose just one piece. So I said to myself, “Why don’t you try and create something more meaningful?”
An NFT is just a tool to prove digital ownership, so this means you can have ownership of a concept, too. I worked on that thought, delivering a message of love and tenacity. This was the goal, my whole brand, and what I have done for almost four years now. I wanted to let people realize we are much more than simple individuals. We are all the same, walking on the same planet, breathing the same air, we are all one, we are Push, and Push is everyone.
What is your experience taking part in Culture SZN? What has the community reception been like?
It was insanely good. I discovered so many talented artists and I feel like this is a really good catalyst for empowering creators and communities.
I received an immense amount of love, proving the butterfly effect once again. People really resonated with what I created, and I couldn’t be happier about it. I seek recognition; I don’t care about money, I care about igniting the spark in people. As big as it sounds, I wanna change the world with love.
You mentioned the butterfly effect and the effects of spreading love as inspiration for this work. How do NFTs and blockchain impact that effect?
That concept is really beautiful to me, the power of love lies in it. You don’t seek love, you give love and somehow love will always find its way back to you. I see blockchain as power to the people, the “revenge of the little ones”, and this is why I feel it is pretty relatable to the concept. A place where people can learn how to love again, first digitally, then physically.
Where does the love in that butterfly effect begin?
It might be a bit selfish, but I really see myself as a vessel of love, pure and unconditional. I’m positive I never hated someone in my life. I always tried to see the bright side and smile back at adversities. With this mindset everyone can be the starting point of that butterfly effect, everyone can be love, everyone can be Push. It then goes around and around and around, amplifying itself, becoming stronger with each pass, filling not only people’s hearts, but everything surrounding them.
As your work for Culture SZN shares, you have created a lot of NFTs and art. Where do you go from here?
I don’t see the finish line, because I don’t think I have one. For as long as the spark is there, I will always keep creating, I will always keep believing, I will always keep pushing. I have some plans for the future in terms of drops and collection that will include my daily art, but I guess you gotta stick around to find out! 👀
Who is Push? 🙂
Push is not really a person so it's not really me.
Push is an idea, a bridge for a better future, and the people crossing it at the same time. That is why I covered up my face, because in the end, everyone can be under this mask.
WE ARE PUSH 🖤
Check out Layer3 and follow Linea on X to keep up with the latest artist spotlights and NFT drops throughout Culture SZN.