Emily Xie: A Brush Dancing to the Rhythm of Algorithms
Emily Xie is an American artist and programmer who creates NFT images using generative algorithms. Dive into the story of this innovative creator.
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Emily currently lives in New York City. From a young age, she displayed a strong interest in both art and computer technologies, starting with traditional drawing and expanding to web design and app development. After obtaining her degrees in Art History and Architecture at Harvard University and a Master’s in Software Engineering, she established a successful career in programming.
Art remained a hobby for Emily, involving herself in various mediums like watercolor painting, stencil printing, and oil pastels. Her artistic trajectory took a significant turn when she discovered The Coding Train by Daniel Shiffman on YouTube. This encounter propelled her into the world of generative art, perfectly merging her twin passions. Emily found the process so engaging that she effortlessly mastered the fundamentals.
I really hope that generative art will land in a place one day where it’s taught in the art history books,
Emily notes.
Over the years, Emily Xie has made remarkable strides in her artistic career, eventually participating in a special program at the nonprofit cultural center Pioneer Works. Her artwork is now showcased in various galleries, museums, and exhibitions across the globe, including the ArtScience Museum in Singapore, the Armory Show, and the Times Square art platform, to name just a few.
Emily's approach to art has been deeply influenced by generative artists like Lauren McCarthy, Daniel Shiffman, and Tyler Hobbs, as well as by classic masters such as Hokusai and Picasso. Her work aims to blend abstraction, systematic design, and a sense of organic flow, while also expressing her personal emotions.
Her creative process begins with mood boards, where she collects images, ideas, and color palettes that reflect her current emotional state, favoring realistic patterns and textures. Emily then drafts her envisioned designs using digital tools like Photoshop or Procreate, or through traditional sketching, aiming to precisely outline the results before they are rendered by algorithms.
Once the final designs are set, Emily writes the code using traditional JavaScript and p5.js frameworks. As with many generative artists, she meticulously reviews all outputs, making code adjustments as necessary to refine the results. This demanding process not only requires significant time and effort but also frequently yields surprising and captivating outcomes. Emily is particularly enthralled by the melding of traditional artistic techniques with systematic programming.
Her introduction to blockchain technology marked a pivotal turn in her career, enabling her to dedicate herself entirely to her artistic pursuits and step away from her role as a salaried programmer. It was David Lu who first introduced her to non-fungible tokens and persuaded her to engage in the artistic program at Art Blocks.
One of her initial NFT collections, Memories of Qilin, has garnered significant attention, generating over 5800 ETH (approximately $17.2 million) in trading volume. This collection draws heavily on traditional East Asian, particularly Chinese, art styles, evident in its characteristic use of colors, shades, and patterns, and interpretations of visual motifs. Each piece almost serves as an homage to the mythical Chinese creature, the Qilin, which is reflected even in the collection’s name.
The Memories of Qilin Collection. Source: OpenSea
The Memories of Qilin collection comprises 1,024 unique NFTs, each distinguished by specific attributes such as palette, complexity, composition, and texture that contribute to their rarity. Interestingly, the quantity of tokens matches a digital data measurement unit (1 gigabyte = 1,024 megabytes, etc.). At the time of this article, the minimum price for one NFT stands at 2.78 ETH ($8,290), with an additional 7.5% going to the artist as royalty. Only 6% of these NFTs are available on the secondary market, indicating their significant artistic and collectible value.
After the success of Memories of Qilin, Emily swiftly launched a second collection named Off Script. This series features an algorithm that crafts compositions reminiscent of pieces of thick paper or cardboard layered on a canvas, creating a collage effect. Emily likens these pieces to jazz music, where diverse styles blend seamlessly and improvisation is welcomed.
The Off Script Collection. Source: OpenSea
This digital series contains 100 unique NFTs, each characterized by varying traits such as density, color palette, and pencil marks. Currently, 5% of the NFTs are available for purchase, with each token priced at a minimum of 1 ETH (approximately $3,000), plus a 7.5% artist royalty. Additionally, Emily's portfolio includes the NFT collections Interwoven and Artworks.
Emily Xie is widely regarded as a pioneer in the field of generative art. She is confident that the future will see algorithmic creativity gain universal recognition. As for artificial intelligence, Emily is just beginning to delve into this new technology, viewing AI as a valuable tool for enhancing her work and planning further experiments with it.
Emily emphasizes the importance of connecting with other digital artists for learning and inspiration. She recommends that all creative professionals attend art-related blockchain events to continuously hone their skills and ensure they also make time to relax and recharge.
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