Women centered NFT avatar collections are booming once again and rightfully so, since women are still underrepresented in the NFT space.
While many know the female avatar collections on Ethereum, like World of Women, Boss Beauties, FameLadySquad or WomenRise, women centered avatar collections are emerging on other chains.
To give you a starting point for your own research, I reached out to Natalie, the founder of „Women’s Pride NFT collection“ on Solana. We talked about her journey into the NFT space, her artwork, why she chose Solana over Ethereum and much more. If you want to broaden your horizon regarding NFTs on other chains and get a short look behind the scenes of a female avatar projects, this read is for you – have fun!
Hi Natalie, what were you doing before NFTs came into your life? Can you tell us more about your background?
To begin with I’d like to say that I have a bachelor’s degree in economics, so my first job was at a bank. I really hated it because i didn’t feel like myself at all. I’ve always liked to draw so I decided to quit my job and I started selling my illustrations on secondary marketplaces , and later I opened 2 online shops. I built up my skills working for a big company as an illustrator/graphic designer and also was working as a freelancer. Last year I decided I want to try something new and here we are now 🙂
When and how did your NFT journey start?
I started my NFT journey at the end of the summer in 2021. I had already collected some NFTs so I was familiar with NFTs in general, but I wanted to create my own collection. My style as an artist incorporates women because I am a women’s rights advocate and I have always been inspired by great women in history. I wanted to make an NFT collection that represents my beliefs and supports foundations like girls who code or saveherlife.
Who in the NFT space (creators/influencers/collectors) is a particular inspiration to you?
It’s a hard question for me because when I started this journey , I didn’t have any examples or inspirations. My idea felt very fresh, unlike any other NFT collections at the time. A collector who did inspire me was Gary Vee. He’s from Belarus, like me, but when he was young he moved to the U.S and he always discusses NFTs and investments in general. His energy is so bright and positive, you can’t help but feel inspired when he talks about these things.
How did you come up with your NFT collection Women’s Pride and can you tell us more about it?
When I was young my favorite book was „100 Great Women“ by Irina Semashko and I think this was the starting point. My collection was inspired by 21 legendary women from history such as Catherine the Great and Rosa Parks. The number 21 is a theme in my collection to represent the year 2021. This collection includes ordinary, special and rare NFTs, to make a total of 2,021 individual pieces. It took me about three months to complete the illustrations. I put all my heart and soul into this work and I didn’t have any days off of course 🙂 This collection is like my baby.
How did you find your team? It’s really hard to find a team because I’m an introvert and I don’t really network. My husband is my partner in this. He’s the project manager and helps facilitate the relationship between our strategic partners who are helping to bring the idea to life. I tried outsourcing some work to other freelancers but it was such a fail each time. I decided it’s better to just learn and do the work myself.
Why did you choose to launch on Solana and how was your experience?
I had to choose between Solana and Ethereum and there are two main reasons why I chose Solana over Ethereum. First, Solana basically has nonexistent commission fees that customers pay. Second, the speed of transactions is much faster. In the beginning I didn’t know this, but later I found out that Solana has significantly better energy efficiency per transaction compared to Ethereum. One more reason why I am happy with using Solana. If you are conscious about the environment, I recommend supporting Solana based NFT’s.
What would be your tips to someone wanting to launch an NFT collection with the knowledge that you gained?
Firstly, please remember that drawing – is only the beginning. There is a lot of other work behind it. Secondly, remember that there will be no stability, this is the crypto world. Thirdly, do your best for your community. I have just a wonderful community and I feel incredibly lucky! And never ever forget to enjoy the process and what you are doing at this stage.
What have been your most epic moments so far on your NFT journey?
When you are at the epicenter of all things happening I feel like there were so many moments like these and every each of them seems epic to me. On the positive side, Paris Hilton retweeted our collection, texted me that she liked my art and followed me. I will remember that morning forever, I could never imagine that something like this is possible. It’s unbelievable how kind she is.
Joel Madden bought a couple of rare NFTs and many others, becoming our „Angel“ immediately („an Angel“ – it’s the role a person gets when collects 1 NFT of each Heroine from the collection).Of course, my community never ceases to amaze me and delight! I could only dream of so much kindness and support. Mint day of the collection was very emotional – we had a few problems during the proccess but in our discord chat people were so supportive it made me cry .
What do your friends & family in RL think about your NFT involvement?
My mother is proud of me, when I started working on the Internet seven years ago, she did not understand what it was and was terribly worried about me. Now she trusts my decisions completely and is very supportive. My husband and sister are completely into the topic of cryptocurrency, so they trully believe in me and in the project . It was also great to see how my friend, who did not fully understand this at all, plunged into the project and is incredibly helpful! I appreciate it very much.
A personal question: what is your favorite food?
Definitely sweets, everyone already knows it 🙂
For more information on the Women’s Pride Collection, Natalie and QueenofFomo, follow us on Twitter: