Kaloian Toshev (MZK) is a Bulgarian digital artist that started his journey in 2004. His mission is to turn girls into the queens they really are via his art, and to bring more beauty to the world. He first heard about NFTs in 2021, just before Beeple made his $69 million sale. After that sale, he decided that he wanted to be a part of this art/nft movement. MZK dropped his first NFT collection on Foundation in April 2021 and sold out in 48 hours.
His inspiration comes from his desire for perfection and to improve his craft. He has been fascinated by female beauty since he was a child. Music also inspires him. He tends to listen to Indie Pop/Alternative, but includes all other genres.
His artistic style is deeply influenced by vibrant colors and intense emotions. While he typically finds inspiration within himself, he derives pleasure from observing other artists create awe-inspiring and emotionally charged artwork.
Art has become a means for him to shape his identity. Although he considers himself a part of the broader NFT community, he doesn’t actively engage in smaller communities or discords. While he does have friends in the art scene, they belong to the larger artistic community.
Gradually, he has begun to collect artworks from fellow artists, predominantly on ETH platforms, as he finds the user interface and experience on Tezos marketplaces less appealing.
He explores the representation of various emotions through his research. While he previously delved deep into anatomy, he has honed his skill and now focuses primarily on defining feelings.
His artistic style is deeply influenced by vibrant colors and intense emotions. While he typically finds inspiration within himself, he derives pleasure from observing other artists create awe-inspiring and emotionally charged artwork.
During our conversation, we discussed the implications of royalties being deducted on Blur and Opensea Marketplaces and how it affects creators. He mentioned that he exclusively mints his creations using a manifold contract to ensure that the 10% royalties are integrated into the contract itself.
He is fully dedicated to his career as an artist, with a primary focus on NFTs. However, he has plans to venture into creating prints in the near future.
Currently, he is immersed in the creation of a new collection titled “Extraordinal Women,” which he intends to mint as Ordinals on the BTC blockchain. This collection will consist of 100 NFTs. Due to the limitations of Ordinals, which can only hold 4 megabytes of data, he has opted for 8-bit art as the most convenient and cost-effective method for minting.
When I inquired about his favorite artists, he mentioned that he doesn’t have a specific favorite. However, he greatly admires Felipe Pantone for his vibrant and colorful works, as well as James Jean for his powerful compositions.
While he doesn’t have a definitive favorite color, he frequently utilizes purple instead of black for outlining, suggesting that purple holds a special place in his drawings.
When prompted to complete the sentence, “I would never create…” he emphatically expressed that he refrains from producing disturbing artwork, including horror or depictions of disfigured individuals.
The underlying message he aims to convey through his work is to evoke positive emotions, uplift spirits, and brighten people’s days.