Web3 Wonders: Free Art Education Initiatives
The NFT world, like many other technological fields, has historically been male-dominated. By highlighting and celebrating the accomplishments of women in the NFT community, we can inspire more women to enter the space and unleash their artistic energies.
Today, we have the privilege of featuring one remarkable individual - Leah Ibrahim Sams, the visionary founder and illustrator artist behind the "Power of Women" NFT. We sat down with Leah to dive into the heart and soul of her mission, and to understand the driving force behind her commitment to women's empowerment. Her story is not just a testament to her own strength but also an embodiment of the transformative potential that lies within each one of us.
It is a Web3 super brand where ART, FASHION, and TECHNOLOGY unite. Its mission is to create art that INSPIRES and EMPOWERS the next generation of women and girls.
Power of Women chose to be the voice of the minority - battling for equal rights and diversity through powerful art creations. Each piece of art tells a different story of an empowered woman. This collection of NFTs captures the essence of women's strength, resilience, and accomplishments.
Leah has always loved creating art and was fortunate to take a wide variety of art classes as a child — from watercolors to oil painting, to sculpture. She also trained as a Set & Costume Designer, and after three years at university, she embarked on a brand-new career in theatre. She was fortunate to be involved in some incredible shows around the world but later found out that the industry wasn’t for her and began suffering increasing anxiety around work. In 2019, she started illustrating women, at first for fun then realized she enjoyed most as a Costume Designer and brought these to her own illustrations. As her focus shifted, she found out her mental health was improving too! When Covid struck in March 2020, and the theatre industry collapsed, it was a sign to dive headfirst into a new career!
Her husband's colleagues were super interested in crypto and NFTs, and when they saw some of her illustrations, they encouraged her to take the leap into NFTs! When she entered the space last year, there were very few female-led collections, and women made up less than 5% of NFT collectors. As a complete novice and newcomer, not only was this incredibly daunting for her, but she felt it was her duty to proactively spark and drive a change - and it was at this moment that Power of Women was born!
"I am a firm believer in empowerment through representation. Given that art is what defines most NFT collections, it is vital there are NFT artworks and collections that are representative of every woman and girl we are seeking to onboard and empower - not just in terms of physical appearance, but a representation of our journeys, our experiences, our sexuality and so much more. This has always been my mission with Power of Women."
The first things she built in space are the collections she created inspired by real stories from the POW community. This artwork nurtured an amazing dialogue with a community of people who felt they had a story to tell but didn’t feel they had the safe space or platform to do it. In the early days, she felt more than ever that they needed to do better. Using X (then Twitter) and Discord to open discussions and taking the time to treat each story with care felt like a huge responsibility but for her, it was important that these stories got the attention and representation they deserved.
She draws inspiration from four areas - people, culture, color, and fashion. Whenever she creates a new composition, she looks to real women and voices for inspiration, then adds bold colors, striking outfits, and loud accessories and combines each of these elements to create pieces that represent women exactly - POWERFUL, SEXY & GORGEOUS! The art community has been the backbone and they are the best thing about this space for her and the reason she’s stayed.
"Empower, amplify, and represent all women as the powerful, beautiful beings we are". This is her mission both in Web3 and beyond! Her takeaways on aspiring creators? "Explore with bundles of curiosity. Be loud and very proud of your work. Treat others with respect, kindness, and love, and you will be surprised at how quickly this is returned. And finally, the number of sales you get has no bearing on your value as a person or an artist. Keep creating!"
Trivia: There may be a return of POW’s collaboration with Man City FC to celebrate the start of the Women’s Super League season in a few week's time! POW is also creating a unique series of artworks for their first curated exhibition in London this October!
Let’s show some love for Leah and POW team, give them a follow - @PowerOfWomenNFT
We are always thrilled to highlight diverse projects, including Power of Women. Stay tuned for an engaging Twitter thread where we dig deep into their inspiring work and explore with them how we can collectively encourage greater participation of women in the NFT space.
But we don't want to stop there; we value your input too! If you have a particular NFT project in mind that you'd like us to interview next, don't hesitate to reach out and let us know. Together, we are unstoppable!
The content is not intended for promotion or providing financial advice. This is for educational purposes only.
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