scum
Matt “Scum” Martinez is a Mexican-American artist from Arizona. He grew up with a pencil in his hands, drawing robots, aliens, space battles, and monsters. In his teens, he graduated to graffiti, spray-painting canals and street signs in the small, drug-addled rural town just outside of Tucson where he grew up. After eventually being arrested, he turned his passion for visual communication to graphic design for nearly a decade.
Today, he is an accomplished illustrator and designer, exploring through his art his past, childhood, and ethnicity, seeking answers to one of life’s biggest questions: Where do we belong?
In the years leading up to my introduction to Web3, I was a self-employed freelance designer specializing in brand development and marketing. During this time, I grew my understanding of communication, effective design, and developed a fascination with the philosophy of design.
Since discovering Solana, NFTs, and Web3, I have finally begun to find my voice in what I would consider my first real passion: illustration.
During this journey, I have been able to bring a group of friends together into a collective we call Slimes Studio, taking on clients who want unique branding, brand voice, and illustrative work. I’ve also started a clothing brand called All In Time, as well as an NGO and sculpture series in Mexico City called Somos Axolotl.