Munira Hamzah is a Kuala Lumpur based artist and has been a long time fan of the world renowned rock band Linkin Park, especially lead singer Mike Shinoda, since he is a visual artist like her. Munira’s favourite album as a teen was 2002’s Reanimation.
She said in a response to the late Chester Bennington’s tragic death, “The news of Bennington’s death really saddened me. And two years later, I was diagnosed with depression, started therapy sessions and found a connection with Shinoda’s 2018 Post Traumatic music album”
I also went for their concert that same year in Taiwan and fell in love with their music all over again.
Munira Hamzah.
She then started to connect with more fans of the band and that is when she started to create her own pixel art GIFs to share with fanbase. She goes by the pseudonym Mumu The Stan.
How Does Shinoda Fit In This Story?
Shinoda is a visual artist besides being the lead vocal for Linkin Park, Fort Minor and having his own solo album.
He would stream while creating his drawings on Twitch and post them on Instagram. Fans like Munira would colour them in using their own creativity.
In one of those streams this year, Shinoda noticed Munira’s artwork, praising her and suggested that she sells her creation as NFTs ( Non Fungible Tokens).
Following Shinoda’s Suggestion
Munira started her own NFT account after Shinoda’s encouragement and told her that NFT marketplace platforms was a good way for her to mint (validate her artwork) and then sell her artworks.
Mike Shinoda was impressed by her pixel GIFs called MIKE DOGE TWERK, he bought it for RM7,400 on one of the marketplaces.
Her other art pieces are digital paintings and drawings that are sold from as low as RM5.
Munira said she had to work full time during the day and work on her artwork at night, minting them in her blockchain account.
She was worried about being in the NFT business but after making some research of her own to keep her account safe from hackers. After making sure her accounts are secured, she opened an Ethereum account, a digital wallet and started minting her artwork.
NFTs For Creatives And Creators
Munira has sold more than 1,800 NFT artworks consisting of Pixel Art GIFs, digital painting and many others, she believed that through cryptocurrencies creatives have the power to control their own art.
NFTs gives us the opportunity to create whatever art we want and sell them online unlike a typical job where we have to follow clients’ demands or do commission work
Munira Hamzah.
She added that she enjoys the freedom that she has working with NFTs and she also receive royalties in the secondary resale markets.
She has gone full time in the NFT business since June of this year, exploring new things she says.
When asked if NFTs can keep her afloat and sustain her in the long run, she says yes.
She is also working on making an artwork from the pill foils of her anti-depressant pills to create awareness on mental health issues and for fans to support purchasing her prescriptions.
