SUNRISE ART CLUB: LUNAR BLOSSOMS
ABOUT
Sunrise Art Club is a creative impact agency that marries art with technology - collaborating with creators and brands for storytelling in the rapidly evolving Web3 Market.
ROLE
Creative Resident- Lead Artist
FEATURED
Zoratoptia, Miami, FL; Miami Art Week 2023
GOAL
Create a 7K PFP (Profile Picture) NFT (non-fungible token) collection from concept to launch under the mentorship of NFT Artist, Elise Swopes, to learn about self-branding, the process of developing a generative art collection, and ways that people of color can thrive in the Web3 market.
DELIVERABLES
Concept
Character Design
Lore
Over 600 individual character traits
Environment Illustrations
THE JOURNEY TO CREATING LUNAR BLOSSOMS
My experience in the Sunrise Art Club Creative Residency Program and what I’ve learned about Web3 Social Impact
The Web3 space is alive with innovation, as developers and visionaries continue to advance decentralized technology. My passion lies in supporting projects and initiatives that drive social reform and uplift marginalized communities. Among the surge of NFTs (non-fungible tokens), one collection that truly stood out to me was Sunrise Art Club, created by Elise Swopes, a renowned NFT artist celebrated for her mesmerizing surrealist cityscapes.
What is Sunrise Art Club?
Sunrise Art Club is more than just a collection of daily sunrise NFTs; it’s a thriving community where collectors gain access to exclusive in-person events like curated art galleries and wellness experiences. Beyond its artistic appeal, Sunrise Art Club serves as a Creative Impact Agency, channeling its resources into creator accelerator programs and exhibition spaces that amplify marginalized voices. It also provides emerging artists with education on leveraging decentralized finance, empowering them to thrive in the Web3 ecosystem. By bridging creativity and social impact, Sunrise Art Club is helping push the Web3 and crypto industry toward a more equitable and inclusive future that truly reflects the diverse communities it aspires to serve.
The Creative Residency Program
In May 2022, I was honored to be accepted into Sunrise Art Club’s Creative Residency program, where I was tasked with the ambitious challenge of creating a 7K PFP (profile picture) NFT collection—yes, 7,000 unique pieces of art. It was a goal I never imagined achieving, but with the incredible guidance and mentorship of an exceptional team, I brought it to life. Led by Elise Swopes (Chief Creator Director), the team included Ann Liu (Creative Strategist), Dan Ruiz (Art Director), Jetzi Calvin (Project Manager), Princesa 7 (Copywriter), Lauren Dorman (Lead Developer), and Byanca De la Fuente (Developer Apprentice). Together, we surpassed the original target and successfully created a collection of 7,777 digital pieces, taking it from concept to completion.
This creative journey not only equipped me with a solid technical foundation in the NFT market, Web3 innovations, and smart contracts but also revealed the limitless potential of this rapidly evolving industry. The roadmap to launch consisted of multiple phases, including education, an in-depth exploration of personal branding, project ideation, concept mapping, asset creation, and the final launch. Along the way, I gained invaluable insights into the art of storytelling, creative practices that enhance the artistic process, and most importantly, this transformative experience underscored the power of collaboration, leaving a lasting impact on how I view the dynamic intersection of technology and creativity and its potential to drive inclusivity and equity in the Web3 ecosystem.
Web3 Education
The initial phase of the program focused on Web3 education and self-branding exploration. During these first few weeks, I delved into a range of educational materials, including readings on diverse NFT use cases, detailed explanations of smart contracts and NFT minting, and resources from Sunrise Art Club’s community Notion page, which was dedicated to simplifying and demystifying Web3 technical language. This foundational phase equipped me with the knowledge and confidence to navigate the complexities of the Web3 ecosystem effectively.
Guided Branding Exploration with Elise
The deep dive into self-branding included bi-weekly meetings with Swopes, where we discussed my reflections on assigned readings and engaged in branding exercises she had designed. One such exercise was working through The Little Book of Purpose, a workbook written by Swopes and accompanied by a creator manual. True to any branding practice, the workbook posed thought-provoking questions to help pinpoint short- and long-term goals while taking creative inventory of my skills.
What set this workbook apart for me was its emphasis on purpose as the foundation for building a personal narrative. This approach required deep self-reflection on my values, beliefs, and aspirations, ultimately guiding me to articulate a purpose that could anchor my creative endeavors. By focusing on purpose rather than conforming to market-driven constraints, I was able to reframe my narrative and approach my work with greater freedom and authenticity. This shift allowed me to create with intention, letting skillful work naturally emerge as a byproduct of a clearly defined purpose.
Journaling and Creative Mindfulness
In addition to readings and bi-weekly one-on-one sessions, I was tasked with daily journaling as a meditative practice to prepare for creative work. Alongside this, I introduced "stream-of-consciousness" sketches—a freeform exercise designed to de-center perfection and dismantle the barriers that kept me from creating simply for the joy of it. These spontaneous sketches not only liberated my creative process but also served as a visual archive, helping me identify themes that could be incorporated into my project.
Ironically, this practice of mindful creativity not only loosened my approach but also instilled discipline and routine within my artistic process. Overcoming creative blocks, I realized, comes from trying again, experimenting with new ideas, and accepting the output—even if it’s imperfect. Through repetition, discipline, and the courage to confront my inner critic, I discovered that it was better to create something than do nothing. While not every day feels inspired, the moments of pure creative flow make all the effort worthwhile in the end.
Phase 1: Education and A Self-Branding Deep Dive
Phase 2: Ideation
As the project progressed, I found myself equipped with a wealth of resources—journaling, sketching, and insightful one-on-one sessions—to fuel the ideation phase. At this stage, I began crafting lists of evocative words and emotions I wanted my work to convey.
Through my sketches, I was drawn to motifs like flowers, stars, and raindrops—symbols that balanced melancholy with hope. These images mirrored my emotional state at the time, as I was processing the painful loss of a beloved family member. This grief carried both the relief of suffering ending and the deep sorrow of losing someone I loved. I came to see joy and sorrow as intertwined, each amplifying the other in a cyclical relationship.
To expand my vision, I gathered inspiration from artists I admired, such as Lauren Martin's cheerful characters, James Jean's vivid and masterful paintings, and Petra Collins' surreal, dreamlike imagery. I also drew from fashion brands and explored my own past works as a catalog of themes and interests.
One idea I considered was “Sunnies,” cheerful flower characters with bright eyes, playful sunglasses, and unique sneakers. However, the concept’s overt optimism didn’t align with my current feelings, and its similarity to other collections led me to explore alternatives. Another idea, focusing on portals and landscapes that invited viewers into imagined worlds, fell short due to the complexity of rendering such detailed environments within our time frame.
Ultimately, the team and I gravitated toward the fairy project. This concept allowed me to create an enchanting world for the characters to inhabit, offering a broader range of traits to explore. I was particularly inspired by the universal lore surrounding fairies, their representation of divine femininity, and their embodiment of beauty, strength, and light. The theme also gave me the opportunity to weave natural elements into the narrative, celebrating the mysterious energy of the natural world. This balance of creativity, depth, and cultural resonance made the fairy project the perfect choice.
Phase 3: Concept and Lore Development
Drawing from the recurring motifs in my sketches and sources of inspiration, I began experimenting with silhouettes to shape the primary character. I challenged myself to push beyond the traditional portrait and ultimately decided on a figure looking over her shoulder, her face turned at a 3/4 angle. I loved the interplay of light in this pose—the sheen on the curve of the shoulder and the delicate highlights on the face—which provided a captivating and unique foundation for the abundance of traits I planned to develop.
The defining feature of this character is her hair made of flowers. This concept stemmed from cherished childhood memories of fairies in storybooks, often depicted living in flower homes or adorning themselves with petals. Building on this, I envisioned a narrative where these fairies only bloom at night. This idea was inspired by my evening walks through a serene neighborhood trail during college, where I would pause to admire the flowers lining the sidewalks. I watched as they closed their petals at dusk, as though falling asleep in preparation for a new day. I reversed this imagery for my narrative, imagining flowers blooming at night like stars, illuminating the earth with their quiet magic.
From here, the lore began to take shape. I wrote several iterations, posing and answering questions about the world these fairies inhabited. I parsed through details about its history and stepped further into developing its present conflicts and future fate. This process also allowed me to weave in themes I deeply care about, such as environmentalism and the enduring light of hope in a fragile world. Working through these questions and using my imagination to create answers felt like I was able to step into this world and understand it as if it already existed, all while it was still being created with no set ending, but a world that is able to continue existing. The result was a richly imagined story that gave depth and meaning to the characters, grounding their magical existence in a narrative that feels both whimsical and profound.
Final Lore
The year is 7777. Earth has been desolate for thousands of years after generations of pollution, excessive waste, deforestation, and human acts have destroyed the environment.
Earth has struggled to heal during the years that have followed the collapse of humanity. Deforestation and the death of all bodies of water left the planet uninhabitable. Toxic waste and fumes circulated throughout the atmosphere. A thick layer of pollution blocked the Sun and prevented any rebalancing to equilibrium.
Throughout this time, this dense layer of pollution was impenetrable during daylight hours, as the Sun’s heat had only caused this layer of toxicity to thicken. Thus, from the “normal” hours of sunrise to sunset, Earth was shrouded in total darkness. For the previous few years, the Sun’s last hope to deliver light to Earth had been through the soft reflection of the Moon, which had sustained what little remained of the Earth’s life forms.
As the cloud of darkness only grew stronger, 7777’s total lunar eclipse would be the last of the Moon that Earth would ever see again. The evening of the eclipse, the Earth was quickly enveloped in darkness as the Sun, the Earth, and the Moon shifted into alignment.
Mere seconds before the darkness could fully swallow the land and the Moon would sing her final song, the Moon began to weep — voluminous tears of anger, retaliation, and hope fell upon Earth. Her final effort to fulfill her dream, to renew the world and living beings upon which she loved to shine. She bid her final farewell with these last drops of moonlight, and the Earth blackened before her against the Sun. And as the Earth’s sky turned eternally dark, the universe fell silent.
Suddenly, in the profound moments of stillness that followed the lunar eclipse, a curious glimmer of light pulsed within the land. Then, another there, and another there! For miles and miles across the Earth’s expanse, these faint glimmers of light emerged. As abundant as the stars that once danced across Earth’s sky, seeds of light shimmered from barren hills and mountains. Like a super bloom after heavy rainfall, the miracle of life that Earth had long been thirsting for. From the darkened ashes of life as we knew it, the Lunar Blossoms began to flourish. These mystical entities were born from the love and hope of the Moon, created to beam through the void, and restore balance to revive the Earth. Swiftly and graciously, they began to prepare the land for the next generation of Earth’s inhabitants – benevolent holders of relics that will commemorate each Lunar Blossom for years to come.
CREATING THE ASSETS
The creation of the assets truly gained momentum once the initial character silhouette was established. I began by organizing a detailed list of asset layers—background, skin, hair, eyes, lips, and more—to better visualize the range of possible type and color combinations the developer could generate. With 12 distinct layers and over 550 meticulously hand-painted assets, the process ultimately resulted in a collection of more than 7,777 unique pieces.
Looking back, I wish I had spent more time refining the number of individual assets and focusing on creating more rarity within specific pieces. While the sheer number of combinations allowed for an expansive collection of over 7,000 unique items, this abundance inadvertently diluted their exclusivity. Each piece featured rare elements simply because the index of possibilities was so vast, but this volume somewhat diminished their perceived rarity.
If everyone has a one-of-one, is it truly rare anymore? This question stayed with me, sparking deeper reflection: why should rarity inherently equate to value? And why should I reinforce a system that prizes exclusivity? Shouldn’t everyone have access to something rare and beautiful? These thoughts transformed the project into more than just a creative endeavor—it became a delicate balance between my idealism and the realities of a fluctuating market.
I realized that, as much as I wanted to stay true to my values and support a world where art is accessible and meaningful, I also had to adapt to an industry shaped by evolving trends and audience preferences. This tension taught me a crucial lesson early in my creative career: once you share your art, you relinquish some control. The market and audience bring a new perspective, one that inevitably influences your creative process. Navigating this dynamic was a significant learning curve, but it helped me grow as both an artist and a professional.
PREP FOR LAUNCH
The final step for the project was creating website assets to prepare for the launch. This phase included designing social graphics, collaborating with the team to craft a distinct voice for social media copy, and developing other marketing materials to generate excitement leading up to the release. For the website, I painted a background that mirrored the aesthetic of the individual asset backgrounds while introducing a brand-new environment graphic. This new piece depicted the barren landscape and radiant beam of light central to the project’s lore. I also designed a custom moonstone cursor for the site, aiming to evoke an atmosphere that felt ominous yet ethereal. My goal was to create a spacious, almost solitary environment for visitors to explore—a world yearning for the light of the lunar blossoms to bring it to life.
The post-launch experience was thrilling. Having never worked on a collection of this scale, sharing it with the world felt like an incredible milestone. I had the privilege of discussing the creative process on Twitter Spaces and showcasing select pieces at Zoratopia during Miami Art Week in November 2023. The event offered me the chance to immerse myself in the vibrant Web3 art community, attend thought-provoking panels featuring other NFT creators, and explore a variety of exhibitions. These included everything from Web3 creator showcases to the Scope Exhibition and smaller galleries celebrating Virgil Abloh’s design legacy.
Overall, the journey was immensely rewarding. After six months of pouring my heart and mind into this collection, seeing it come to life and sharing it with the world was an unforgettable experience.
In conclusion, my experience with Sunrise Art Club was nothing short of incredible. It was a true privilege to collaborate with such an amazing and supportive team, and to gain invaluable insights and wisdom through mentorship with Elise—an artist I have admired for a long time. I deeply respect the work Sunrise has accomplished and feel immense pride in the work they helped me achieve.
Despite the challenges and learning curves I encountered throughout this project, I can confidently say it left me with lessons and skills that I will carry forward into every new creative endeavor. This journey was as transformative as it was rewarding, and I’m grateful for every moment of it.