Creator Spotlight | Niddo
In this series, we shine a light on the uniquely talented creators that have joined the Uptick Network. Introducing the artists, showcasing their work, and interviewing them on the thought process behind their art, their experience as a creator, and their journey into this new and exciting space. This is the first in many series to come.
Introduction | Niddo
Niddo (otherwise known as Luiz Henrique) is a self-taught artist hailing from Brazil. What started as a small passion project aiming to alleviate the trials and tribulations of daily working life in South America, ended up becoming a major creative outlet for Luiz, and the Niddo collection soon found a permanent place in his heart.
If you weren’t aware, Brazil is a hive of crypto activity, whether it be the national football team launching NFTs, Coffee Coin, or even NFTs being sold to help re-build Brazil’s rainforests, there is clearly a growing market, so it’s always great to have creators from around the globe join and continue to support the Uptick platform.
We want to spread the word of Niddo and help establish his collection in the wider NFT community, so we’re super excited to share his story with you all.
Firstly, what exactly is a Niddo?
Niddos are cute, surreal yet playful creations that draw influence from modern pop culture. There are 4 differing levels of rarity depending on the traits you hold for each, with a super personal touch added to each design, making it very easy to become attached to a number of these little creatures. The designs have evolved since Niddo #1, and now with #175 just being released, there is a healthy collection to browse in order to find one you love!
We spoke with Luiz about the similarly surreal world of NFTs, his creative journey thus far and how the collection known as Niddo came about:
Could you talk a little about your artistic background and how you got started?
I always wanted to be an artist. Always loved to watch animations on TV, read comic books, play trading card games and pretty much anything that involves art, but unfortunately my family put me down with this dream, saying things like “You’ll starve, there’s no place for amateur artists here where we live” or that my art wasn’t up to par. It was a big let down in my life, and I never had the chance or the means to learn how to draw properly. All that I know about drawing and art in general is self-taught.
Now I’m in my 30’s, married and can make my own choices (and face the consequences of them too). When I discovered NFTs, I saw the chance to pursue my dream of being an artist, even just an indie one. For starters, I decided to begin investing in crypto back in April of this year, and it’s been a heck of an experience. Since none of my friends and family have ever invested in anything, not even stocks, I’m discovering this new NFT world by myself.
My first ever minted Niddo was on the 12th October 2021. From there it’s been a really fulfilling experience, and I’m so grateful. The community is out of this world, I’m learning so much with other projects, and still trying to figure out my path and how to do things the right way, making sure I don’t over-do it and burn out. For disclosure of my brief story, I started to draw to relieve the stress of my daily 9–5 job, which I’ll be leaving in January to dedicate my time 100% to NFTs. I’m suffering from burnout there, the place is a huge mess and I was developing depression.
Can you tell us a little more about the name ‘Niddo’ and how the project came to fruition?
I created a blog where I’d put some comic strips up in the early 00’s. Blogs were a huge thing here in Brazil, and I wanted to have a place to put some of my drawings up to see where it could lead. The main characters of these comics were called Niddos and they were the same kind of style as the NFT Niddos. The name itself came from me and my fiancée, we used to call each other “Niddo”, don’t ask me why, we just did.
What inspires you to create?
My biggest inspiration is my love of drawing, it’s relaxing and my ideas for drawings come from all the things I see (TV, movies, books. etc), read or hear. Or it could be inspiration from another artist’s art.
I hope to be a known artist some day.
Do you usually gravitate towards more of a playful and positive art style?
Yes, I like a more colourful style than a 'dark’ one. Although I’m creating a dark themed Niddo collection too. I like to be positive in life and in my art. It’s very gratifying to know that I can cheer up someone’s day with a simple drawing of mine.
How did you first hear about NFTs?
I can’t say for sure, since crypto Twitter is kind of a mess (a good one). I started to see all these different profiles and new projects talking about NFTs and it got my attention. Started to read a little more about, but didn’t start to create my own art right away because I don’t have the means to do my best work. I’m creating all of my drawings on a 4 year old laptop using just a mouse and keyboard, and since I’ve always used the mouse with the right hand, I do also draw with the right hand… the catch is that I’m left handed. I had to do something to change my life, so I decided that I wouldn’t wait until I had the means to do what I think is my best, I just started to do it, and it’s going pretty great so far.
What is your impression on the NFT space as a creator?
It’s the best community I’ve been a part of. Everybody seems to be very positive and always supportive, I’m really glad to be part of it.
Is art a big creative outlet for you in your life?
Yes, definitely. I can’t express myself enough, not even through my art, how it has changed my life for the better. I am a happier person since I’ve discovered the NFT world.
Do you have any plans you can share regarding upcoming releases?
I don’t really have a roadmap or anything like that, I just like to do new stuff when the inspiration comes. But I like to take requests from users and create custom pieces. I have a small plan to organise a surprise for the Niddo holders when 100 of them have been collected.
You can check out more of Niddo’s work on Uptick, and be sure to follow him on Twitter to keep up to date with all the latest developments.
Uptick app is the world’s first decentralized full-featured mobile NFT app, based on the commercial-grade NFT infrastructure of Uptick Network. It safely and conveniently manages users’ digital NFT assets, supports the independent issuance, purchase, transfer, resale, and cross-chain transfer and interoperability of users’ NFT assets, focusing on the pan-entertainment and life service industry, forming a new creative economy for the Web 3.0 era.
