GIRAFFE IN THE CITY
Elise Swopes is a visual storyteller. She’s one of the OG iPhone artists who’s created a global network of new-generation artists and creators through her mesmerizing art with a message. She joined Instagram in 2011 and instantly became obsessed with taking photos on her iPhone. “I started gaining lots of followers on Instagram. Soon, the platform turned me into a “Suggested User” – and my following soared. I soon realized that people resonated with my art and my message.”
Her creations range from expansive cityscapes and ubiquitous IG selfies to magical realism compositions created through Photoshopped scenes. “Instagram allowed me to express myself, think outside the box, and do different things. Over the past decade, I’ve been able to leverage my following for various brand partnerships, agency collaborations for Adobe, McDonald’s, Chicago Cubs, and more, to public speaking and even throwing the first pitch at a Cubs game – all from the incredible power of the iPhone in her hand.
Her mission is straightforward: “Today I make sure I’m passing on the knowledge I’ve gained as much as possible and utilize my privileges to help to connect with marginalized people.”
In 2020, after studying NFTs, she recognized the potential of web3 and NFTs to empower further and fund the causes near and dear to her heart. She joined SuperRare and quickly minted her first NFT. Since then, she’s become one of the most successful artists on SuperRare, Nifty Gateway, and other NFT marketplaces.
But her success isn’t for self-gain. She explains: “My success means I can use the sales of my NFTs to launch even more projects, such as the Sunrise Art Club, and initiatives, such as the Night On The Yard. For her, these projects propel the NFT and web3 space to a position of opportunities for all. That it is a space for purpose-driven inspiration and realistic positivity.
Her first Nifty Gateway collection sold out within minutes. It was a collection of six images of giraffes composited into six different cityscapes in support of the Somali Giraffe Fund.
Apart from an iPhone creator and artist, she founded The Sunrise Art Club, which is a community and agency dedicated to women of color in web3. She also co-founded the Night On The Yard NFT marketplace focused on empowering incarcerated artists to sell their work as NFTs.
Simply put, Elise Swopes is a legend.
