I knew of CFW before I knew it was CFW. There’s a specific visual charm and fidelity to the art, which makes it easy to see why people are drawn to and fall in love with it. CFW created one of my favorite Fang Gang Goodies pieces, this was my first introduction to their work and eventually stumbled upon Stacy Pills. I managed to get two editions from that series, an EVOL and Orphan piece which I love very much. It combined the CFW pill face with some of the coolest collaborating artists in CryptoArt into one project. Every single piece looks unique and special, this quality spilled over to his recently released Pillheads project which I’d say looks quite amazing.
We have the pleasure of having CFW be a Verified Artist on the Marble Cards platform and managed to get a few questions in at this crazy busy time for Pillheads. I’d like to thank him for taking the time out and telling us what’s up with all the pills MAN?!
One of the many interesting parts of CryptoArt is all of the different professional backgrounds we come from that lead to where we are at now. What’s yours?
Hey! I’m CFW [stands for Chapters from Within]
I’m an Indian-based Digital Artist, & have been actively making digital art since 2018. I got into the NFT community in March of 2021.
My work mostly falls under surrealism & psychedelia. Most of the time, it’s just a big mush of 3D, 2D, graffiti, and hand-drawn elements.
In IRL, I’m a Freelance Travel Filmmaker primarily, but like a lot of creatives, I can’t really put myself into a single niche, as I do it all. Sometimes it’s creating album art, other times, logos for brands. I began my creative journey in 2014, as an editor + videographer, while studying B.Arch & since then have traveled to all parts of India, & a few countries outside crafting stories for brands & projects.
All things said, Web3 has been a breath of fresh air, & I think every creative here would agree with me. It’s mind-blowing to think that you’re one of the early few pioneers in this new wave of creator’s economy & pivotal in shaping the future for it.
You have recurring themes in your art, most use pills and many butterflies. Can you share the backstory to the use of them?
The Pill
Everyone asks me – ‘What’s this Pill all about?’
To be honest, I don’t have a proper answer for what the Pill is. It’s been a long journey to finally arrive at something as small as a Pill. But I know what I feel when I think of the Pill.
The Pill makes me feel safe. Growing up I wasn’t the strongest or the smartest in the bunch. I’ve always relied on meds for what I thought were my shortcomings. It made me feel safer, better. The Pill opened a window. I credit some of my biggest learning moments to my journey with psychedelics and drugs. Out of all of their effects, knowledge has been one of the most impactful and has helped me explore my personal creative deep end.
The most important part of all this. The smiling face. They’re just a bunch of circles, at an angle of 40 degrees.
But the smile is the greatest gift possessed by a human. It’s the beacon of peace. All it takes is a smile to change how the person in front of you is feeling at that moment in time. The Pill is a personification of happiness & peace. I think it’s wonderful.
The Butterfly
I think the Butterfly is a great example of Resilience, persistence & beauty.
It sums up your existence & purpose through its own existence here.
I also think it’s a great callback to the Butterfly Effect.
The butterfly effect is the idea that small things can have non-linear impacts on a complex system.
It may also be my spirit animal, or maybe not. LOL
With Stacy Pills you presented a highly collaborative environment that offered fun collectable editions, will Stacy Pills have a v2 or is Pillheads the inevitable evolution of this idea?
Fun fact, We’ve already had two series of STACY Pills, Editions #01 to #20 being Series I & #21 to #50 being Series II – & yes, Series III is definitely on its way. It’s been long overdue.
But if you look closely, all of the pills, the Pillheads & a lot of the artwork I make are intertwined in this universe I call Stacyverse.
If you read some of the lore written by Orbgasm, our Experience Lead, you’ll know exactly how the pills & the Pillheads fit in this world
Now that Pillheads has launched and is flying into the hands of the community, have you gotten any sleep yet and which one is your personal favorite?
Haha, good question indeed. Yes, I think I’ve gotten enough rest, not really sure. But more importantly – Everything I do in web3 doesn’t feel like work. It’s such a new & wholesome experience to cater to the stakeholders, craft experiences, bridge story-telling & art, it truly is fun.
It does get exhausting at times, but with a good night’s rest & you’re back at the same energy levels & passion for what you do here.
And a personal favorite?
Very tough choice, I do prefer some of the cleaner ones which are currently at the floor, because they’re very PFP friendly, have calm color schemes, not too crowded.
If I do have to pick one, it would be this, for now.
I see your latest project as having an art first focus, do you agree and what are you and the team doing besides visuals to be seen more as a serious collection beyond the current messy sea of PFPs?
Yes, it’s definitely an ‘art-first’ kinda project. But why is it seen as not serious enough in space? But it’s more than that. Let me tell you why.
We have a whole year of history lessons right in front of us. These projects that build upon the idea of a promised land & all the good things, where are they now?
There’s been a major shift from when NFTs originated with Art being the major use case because the technology of Provence, authentication & ownership was exactly what was missing for Digital art.
But now people worship the token rather than what the token holds.
I’m not saying it’s wrong. There are various categories the power of NFTs can be used for but the creative economy is run by creatives. Artists will still be here making better art, every single day & building their own universes while a lot of these other noises come and go.
I think the greatest lesson I’ve learned from the space, is to bet on the people behind the project, and not on the project itself.
And speaking of our future moves, yes we have plenty of ideas to achieve!
We outlined our Vision here before we pivoted to the free-mint model
Any last words for the people or shoutouts you wanna give?
What we’re building is a slow & delicate process. As a holder, you witness firsthand, a beautiful community in the making that doesn’t stem from ‘profits’ but from Art. We truly want to attract people that think like us, to help create a space that feels like home. We know all of us at the end of the day are here to make money, but the way we make it, and our intentions in the space will truly determine what web3 looks like years from now.
The pH Team is super solid. You can be comfortably assured Pillheads are in good hands. Also, we have some of the best Discord Moderators I’ve seen do it. The way our community is growing feels natural, full of life, and speaks to the quality of experience that the Stacyverse achieves to represent. I’m grateful to work with all of them!
Find me a better team, & you can have all of my Pillheads!
We’ve unfortunately come to the end of the interview and honored to have been able to pick CFW’s brain for a bit. As an artist and collector, I can appreciate what he’s built and am personally looking forward to the project’s growth!
Anyways, I have to go peep some more Pillheads cause they bussin’ fr fr… so catch you on the marble side, kids.
CFW Links:
CFW Twitter, Foundation
Pillheads site | Pillheads Twitter | Pillheads Origin
Stacy Pills