Layla Pizarro, a Chilean visual artist living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, is also the co-host of the Spanish language podcast Arte y Labia. Her journey into NFTs started in March 2021.
I started the interview by asking what inspires her to create. She told me that she used to think that she needed the inspiration to create and would find herself watching TV instead of creating. She made a conscious decision to just sit down and start creating. She gets a concept in her head, and then she gets obsessed trying to get the concept out. This often leads to experimenting with different mediums until she finds what she feels portrays the concept. It has taken her seven years to finish one of her concepts.
To figure out how she will create her NFTs, she will do research. That usually consists of YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. She looks at other artists to find new techniques and color combinations, and YouTube to learn new techniques. She is constantly looking at art and constantly experimenting with colors, techniques and materials to create the concept she comes up with.
I was curious about who or what had the biggest influence on her art. Surprisingly, she said Andy Warhol. But not so much for his style as for his repetitions of a theme. He has inspired her to create 1,000 of something. She has thought about watercolors but she’s not sure if that will happen.
Has she had trouble balancing her creativity with a social life, a job and family? She responded that she is terrible at it. Once she has a concept in her head, she thinks about it from the moment she wakes until the moment she falls asleep. Her priority is her art. Her husband is super accommodating and reminds her when she gets cranky that it’s time to start painting. Painting makes her happy.
Next, I wanted to know if being an NFT artist has created a new revenue stream for her. Yes, she said. In 2021 she was able to make a good amount of money selling her NFTs, but not so much in 2022. The past year has given her so many other opportunities than just making money. She has had her work exhibited in multiple galleries around the world. And with digital NFTs, she doesn’t have to incur the costs of shipping her art everywhere. For this, she is very grateful.
Her favorite artists at the moment are Cecily Brown, David Hockney and Njideka Akunyili Crosby.
Her favorite color is green — M&M green.
She is now working on a lot! She said she likes her work to “cook.” She is working on her bus series, which is her homage to making a life in Argentina. She is experimenting with 1,000 watercolors, a la Warhol. She is also working on two paintings that will drop as NFTs on March 8 for International Women’s Day.