Later today, Bobby is hosting three creators in the NFT space on BOMB TALK who have turned their art into huge projects and communities that connect people all over the world. One of them is Steven Rea, a Bay Area artist who is experiencing newfound success with his art on an incredible scale since venturing into the world of Web3.

Steven’s art is colorful and eccentric, bold and fun. He paints mostly with his fingers, using oil paints to spread messages of hope and inspiration. It took him some time to adjust to creating his work on an iPad rather than a canvas, but he’s acclimated quite well. After putting out a number of beautiful one-of-one pieces as NFTs, Rea created a 4,444 piece generative collection called BRAiN VOMiT’s Garden that, with the help of a timely co-sign from NFT kingpin Gary Vee, sold out completely and has performed very well in the secondary market.

But this isn’t about sales for Steven, it’s about art. it always has been. Even when his pieces weren’t hot on the market, he was still creating every day as an outlet for himself. His vibrant cartoon flowers evoke pure joy, and scrolling through his vast collection makes you feel like you know him personally. Though it was a generative art project, BRAiN VOMiT’s Garden is all completely handmade, each layer and every trait a thoughtful addition from Rea. Some carry messages of hope while others focus on survival, but all are meant to uplift. Which is exactly what they did for the artist behind them.

And Steven is paying it forward. This project has been very successful and has brought Rea the first financial windfall of his art career. He’s used the profits to support other up-and-coming artists and their NFT projects, as well as supporting nonprofits that further mental health-related causes close to him.

We caught up with Steven Rea aka BRAiN VOMiT ahead of his collaboration with The Hundreds to learn more about his art, and his heart.

DUKE LONDON: We’re really excited for this project with you. I’ve been digging into Brain Vomit and your art before this collection. And I can’t believe I wasn’t in on it earlier. I’m kicking myself.
STEVEN REA: Hey, honestly, craziest thing in my life, man. I mean, with the whole Gary Vee thing, before that I was public mint for two weeks prior, and I had only minted out like 100 of my flowers. So once he and I talked and everything about a week into it, he minted. I was at a Warriors game when it happened. But a lot of people, a lot of my friends, were like, “Yeah, I’m waiting for gas” and all this stuff, blah blah blah. They all missed the window too because once Gary Vee got a hold of it, the whole collection sold out within like five minutes.

Holy shit. So I mean, that feeling is probably not even describable but you’re at a Warriors game, you’re sitting there watching all 4400 pieces of your NFT collection sell out. Is that anything you ever dreamed of?
I mean, that was the first time I’d really gone out since COVID, so it was a really strange thing. Like, right when my girlfriend drops me off at the game, Gary Vee DMs me like, “I’m getting ready to mint” and I was like, “Oh, okay this is crazy. I wish I was behind my computer. I’m at a Warriors game but I’m ready.” And by the time I got to my seat, it was all sold out. I didn’t even watch the game, I left at halftime. I was with one of my buddies that I had never met before in real life, it was all through NFTs and he had flown up, just to go to the Warriors game. So it all happened and it was just like, wow, someone else who is really into NFTs is here to celebrate it with me and understand how crazy this is. And then one of my other buddies who helped me with the project had actually flown up for the weekend from LA to go to a party in San Francisco. So he’s like, “Whoa if you leave the game early, come party.” So you know, sure enough, I had to go visit with him. It was just wild, never expected it my life. And I’m a physical artist through and through before I got into NFTs. I didn’t even have an iPad before this. So, learning the process, understanding what generative art is, trying to find something that I could make that was still true to my art form, that was all I really wanted to do.

Can you tell me a little bit more about your artistic style and what you were making pre-NFT?
I finger paint a majority of my artwork that’s physical. So, I have canvases in here that range from 30 by 40 inches to five by four feet and I usually use an oil stick and then go in with my finger and fill everything in and smooth everything out. It’s a very personal experience. I’d like to thank psychedelics for that because literally it just unlocked my mind to realize that I can kind of create any way I want to. Nothing has to be perfect. Everything that lays is meant to be there.

Yeah, I was wondering if you used psychedelics while you created your art. They feel more shrooms than acid but correct me if I’m wrong.
100 percent. I actually don’t like acid too much. More of a shroom guy. Definitely.

Was it easy to translate your finger painting style on an iPad?
I just use the pen on my iPad because I don’t have fine enough fingers. But that’s why I like creating bigger stuff in real life because then I can still create those fine points, even though I’m not using a brush or anything. Yeah, that’s my main thing is like, the bigger I go, the easier it is to just use my finger on anything. And I can create as sharp a point as I want. Or I can just make it as messy as I want and smear everything around because I’m using oil. It’s a lot of fun.

So what other challenges have there been transitioning from physical art to digital? And what advantages have you found? Have you enjoyed any parts of making digital art more?
I like the digital aspect because I’ve always wanted to create merch. And I never really had the true capabilities in any way, shape, or form. Like, when it comes to technology, that was the main thing bridging into NFTs was the technology part. And then the resources, because all I really had was my phone, I barely had any money because I was barely selling enough art to get by in real life. And once I transitioned and understood how to navigate the blockchain, how to mint, and how to launch my own contract, it was a lot easier. And I started just photographing my physical pieces, doing mainly one-of-ones. And then I would just send out the physical if they chose that they wanted the physical painting as well. That was kind of the start. And then once I got my footing, I was asked to be a part of this generative project called Night Kids. It was a crazy collaboration between seven artists. The founder brought us all together, it was me, the artist behind Caked Apes, Pop Wonder, 8th Project, Kyokill, and some others. Unfortunately, the dev had a problem and didn’t check his code so there were duplicates and there’s nothing that artists can do about that. So we took one on the chin, but that made me want to create my own generative project once I understood how it all worked.

Are you still doing any one-of-ones or have you shifted all focus to Brain Vomit’s Garden?
I’ve shifted all my focus to Brain Vomit’s Garden but I create one-of-ones on the daily whether it be for no reason or I might be using it for merch down the line or who knows but I want to hold off on that until I can really secure a way to make it like holders-only. I have a plan to create my own marketplace so that it’s token-gated and you can just hold the Flower and go on there and collect a one-of-one if you want for super cheap instead of trying to get it on an auction on OpenSea or something.

Knowing your dream with this has been to make merch, what does it mean to get a collab with The Hundreds and being able to make clothing and pieces featuring your art at this scale?
So I’ve had something in the works with one of my favorite rappers for quite some time. He’s a collector of mine and he holds 12 of my pieces and he kind of opened the window, so to speak, not even the door because we didn’t create anything yet. But he opened a window like, “This is what I want to create with your stuff like XY and Z,” crazy fashion ideas. It’s kind of like a Kid Super idea. And I never really thought of turning my paintings into different materials for clothing at all. So I was just like, “Hmm, okay, well, I don’t have the funding to do that.” And then I went live and now I do. So since then, I was like, “Okay, how can I? Where did where does one start?” I didn’t even know what kind of file I should use to do a screen print or anything, I’m pretty clueless when it comes to all that. And when Bobby posted the night I sold out the Garden, he Tweeted he loved the flowers. And I was like, “Okay, I’ve drawn Adam Bombs, honestly, since middle school. I was like, “I’m making like a Flower Bomb right now.” And then Bobby found it and brought me up on one of the Bomb Talks super randomly. That’s the best way to be introduced into streetwear. And what I really want to do since I’m a physical artist, I just want to do as many things as I can to bridge Web2 and Web3, physical and digital, as much as I can, jump back and forth. So this is the best way to do it. I think people are going to be super excited. And a lot of people are like, “Whoa, they’ve only collaborated with Punks and Bored Apes in the space.” So that’s such a blessing. I feel so honored.

The messaging of your project is so important and I’m sure connects on such a deep level with a lot of your holders. Why was it important to say something about mental health with your project?
My mission essentially is just to focus on art as much as possible. But I myself dealt with a lot of mental health problems and have been on and off medicine for it. My friend that I met up with at the party in SF when I sold out, owns a project called Twisted Tweaks and they are really close with TWLOHA, which stands for To Write Love On Her Arms. It’s a nonprofit based around one of her friends that’s in a facility right now getting a lot of help. And they just they have a lot of proof that they’ve done a lot with the resources that get donated. So I saw that they do the giving block and you can pay in ETH, and that’s the easiest way for me to be able to do something like that. And I’ve donated profits from Brain Vomit’s Garden to a few other charities as well. One to plant trees, one to help house the homeless. I’ve probably donated upward of 12 ETH in total. I just didn’t have money before this. I was struggling in many ways, financially, mentally, all that. And I don’t know what else to do with this money. I haven’t even bought a car yet, and I need to buy a car.

Creating this whole collection with all of these different uplifting messages probably brought you a good amount of peace, and I’m assuming that you’re getting a lot of messages on social or on your Discord with what these messages mean to other people. How does it feel to connect with so many new people through this art?
It’s every artist’s dream, right? Even when you’re scared to show your art, you still wish that people will like it. So once my art was finally out there at a mass scale like that, it was everything I’ve ever dreamed of. I mean, before this, a handful of people locally knew what I was doing. Some people are buying through Instagram and supporting me, but they don’t know me in real life. And in real life, everyone’s looking at me like I’m crazy with all my weird sayings and making people actually feel something because they have to read a statement on a piece of art. I’m just sharing, you know? And it’s amazing that people actually appreciate it. It’s crazy to see people that are diehard for the Garden because whether it’s the art or the community that changed their lives, there are a lot of people that are in the Discord every day saying this is what helps them because everyone in there is just so positive. And we just like to bullshit and have fun and just hang out and be there for one another. And if someone’s struggling, whether it be through a breakup or literally anything, we’re all there for one another. It’s kind of a trip. I’ve never been in a Discord before that hasn’t caused me massive anxiety. Until my Discord. It’s kind of a blessing.

What’s next for Brain Vomit’s Garden? Besides this collab, obviously.
Right now, we’re working on a Metaverse of our own. It’s gonna be lit, we’re creating it in Unreal Engine, so we’re going to host it ourselves. It’s going to be a place where we have our own token, the Bloom Token. It’s just going to be used for our ecosystem. And you’re gonna be able to do random things within the Garden Metaverse, whether it be pick up the spray can and tag a wall or join the group meditation or watch one of the live performances. We’re still building out all the gamification aspects like watering your Flower and stuff like that within the Garden. But with that, you’ll be gaining tokens each day. And with those tokens, one of the burn mechanisms for the token will be to create an on-chain Flower. And then I have an airdrop going on right now, and I’m creating 444 one-of-one doodles in my sketchbooks and airdropping them probably in about a month. We’re going to open up a burn mechanism so you can burn the NFT to receive the physical version. And that’ll be another way to use the Bloom Token as well. And then we’re thinking of the marketplace. And then, yeah, I really wanted to do a gallery show. I have hundreds of paintings, but that’s not really looking too possible right now because of COVID, so we’ll see.