Making a Purposeful Impact
“I just continue to try to make an impact in whatever work that I could do or find myself doing.”
pplpleasr calls New York City home. Emily Yang (her IRL name) is a versatile artist who describes herself as a “high-quality meme generator.”
She is far more than that – and incredibly fascinating. Her art is incredible – and her talent has been widely recognized. Emily created visual effects for ‘Batman v Superman,’ ‘Wonder Woman,’ ‘Star Trek Beyond,’ and numerous commercials and cinematics for Blizzard video games. She gained widespread attention in 2020 for her original animations that helped define the DeFi and NFT spaces.
Her first taste of web3 came in 2017 when she bought crypto to diversify her investments – it wasn’t long until she discovered NFTs. “What drew me to crypto originally was the blockchain,” she explains. “It seemed like a culture for young people like myself – and that it’s open 24/7.”
Animated films, the underground music scene, video games, and traditional Chinese and Japanese art influenced Emily’s artistic style. She developed a custom ‘toon shader’ that creates the illusion of 3d elements in 2d illustrations – something inspired by the work of Moebius. Her art also incorporates hand-drawn and painted details that add extra depth.
Emily’s collaborated with FORTUNE Magazine, designing their August/September 2021 cover. “That issue was specifically about crypto, and they wanted to work with somebody that really understood crypto and embodied the culture and spirit of the industry. I was honored to be chosen for the project.”
She’s also collaborated with world-famous DJ, Steve Aoki. The piece’s graphic portrays the interaction of two disparate individuals as well as the development of cycles. When the sky changes, the cycle transitions from a more conventional manga aesthetic to a more contemporary and immersive one. The two also created ‘Please Aoki,’ a collaborative vault. “We would use those proceeds and his star power to purchase and collect artworks from other up-and-coming female artists.”
pplpleasr is also working on a web3 interactive animated series called ‘White Rabbit,’ which shows the impact of crypto on her life and the world at large. “The community is helping to shape the general direction of the story by interacting with the media itself through stinking of NFTs and governments. And I think the film also embodies symbolism about going down the crypto rabbit hole.”
Her mission? “I just continue to try to make an impact in whatever work that I could do or find myself doing. Not just the NFT space, but I think crypto and art in general.” And, we applaud and celebrate you, Emily!
