I, JL Maxcy, am the type of person to leave early for every appointment. I like to take my sweet time travelling in, have the right music and not worry if there is a delay. I feel comfortable knowing I have time. Furthermore, I never want to arrive at any destination hurried and stressed from the anxiety rushing brings me. I prefer to make life as carefree as possible; this includes my creative process.

Thus, my method for interviewing is similarly very relaxed. I prefer to work via text, usually on Discord or via Twitter DMs. I will send over 3-5ish questions and then wait for a reply. I know the journey is essential. I try not to have any expectations and let the interviewee drive the pace of the interview. I respect their time, so I like to make myself available when they respond to enable the most possibilities, but I never want to seem pushy. I know how it feels to be rushed, and I'm not too fond of it.

This slow volley approach seems particularly well suited for Digital Painter and Fashion Designer @StrangeCintia.

Cintia: Oh Gawd, JL, I am sorry. I forgot. I am pretty ill these days. I can barely type.

JL: No worries, Cintia, whenever you can if ever you want.

Cintia: I want to ❤️, and I will. 🙂 When my body allows me.

JL: I’m not in a rush, and you never need to apologise. Chill is my preferred method of operating. Take your time, whatever you need. We could also do a voice call one day? I could record and type it up if you prefer?

Cintia: Wah, no way! Voice is even worse cause of my severe brain fog and neurocognitive issues. I'm feeling a bit better at the moment. Let me try. I don’t know how long it will last, so I'll try answering them or a few at least.

JL: Excellent. I look forward to reading your answers. Don’t worry about spelling and grammar. I will edit it for you. So let’s start with what’s your art-making process?

Cintia: My process is kind of random cause it depends on many things, but you could say I wait until an image pops into my mind, most of the time while listening to music, but it can also be from something I saw that stimulated me and a whole concept came out of it.

Then, I listen to more music with that same "flavour" while sketching and completing the concept, composition and everything in my mind while I draw it. I could say I let the music do its thing, and I follow. When it's all pretty much complete concept-wise, I keep working on it cause my style and my brain kind of focus on the small details, and it usually takes more time than I'd like for me to finish a piece.

Cintia: I also always feel like they are all just half done, but that has more to do with my energy levels. I'd add a lot more detail and elements to all of my pieces if it weren't for that, so I learned to stop at "finished enough".

JL: What kind of music do you like?

Cintia: Oof, I can go with any song that resonates with my ears regardless of the genre but let's say I usually go for prog metal and rock, dark/synth-wave, 70s prog and rock and nostalgic oldies.

JL: Can you give me a great song to listen to?

Cintia: Just one? Ok, since that's very difficult, I'll go for the last one that was on my mind, and I find to be a masterpiece: WHY by HMLTD. It’s pretty representative of myself as an artist too.

JL: How so?

Cintia: It has this mystic ghost in the shell - anime - Japanese culture vibe. And it’s the weirdest track on the album. I often like the weird ones.

JL: How else does Japanese culture influence your work?

Cintia: I used to watch lots of anime as a teenager, and it influenced me a ton, both conceptually and aesthetically wise! With time I acquired a lot more and new interests, and my style wasn't that anime-like anymore, but it can still be appreciated how much I like Japanese aesthetics and culture. I realised I have the most fun when the characters I design have some of these elements or stylised features I like from manga than when I go for a very realistic approach, so I will probably keep it coming and make it even more present in my future works.

JL: Is Whatchalookinat the first NFT you made?

Cintia: Yes, it is! Widmer got it.

JL: Is it you?

Cintia: Nah, although whenever I draw something more fashionable, I can't help but show my tastes in them, so the characters often have similar haircuts and wear the stuff I'd wear myself

JL: Is Strange Couture still operational?

Cintia: Unfortunately not. I put the site on vacation mode in case I was able to get back to it (I still have stock of some of the final designs), but it doesn't look like it will be possible for now, so I've been thinking of just finally and permanently shutting it down. I love designing all kinds of things, and fashion is one of my favourites. I have tons of things I'd love to create. I'd totally go for footwear!

JL: What art are you working on now?

Cintia: None in particular. Maybe my PFP project STRANGE PEOPLE, but I wouldn't consider that an art piece! I tried doing some 3D pieces to convey how my illness feels, but after a couple of them, I just relapsed. So I think I should focus on a project that will fund my surgery and try not to waste my energy. Pencil sketching once in a while helps me cope too.

JL: Can you walk me through a typical day for you? Do you have a routine?

Cintia: I wish I could have a routine, but the most similar to that I have is waking up with caffeine in mind. Try to stay for as long as I can in my office where I have this sofa-like chair. This usually lasts for 2-3h max. And then, sofa it is till bedtime.

JL: What kind of food do you like?

Cintia: I love simple flavours. I’m not the spice and sauces kind of person. I enjoy Japanese ramen and snacks, pasta, and simple Spanish cuisine, and I love all the things that being lactose intolerant won’t let me eat, such as chocolate, desserts and pizza, hahaha. I think that Spanish omelettes and fried eggs might be my absolute favs, along with ramen.

JL: Where was the last place you travelled?

Cintia: When I went to Tokyo in 2019. Back when I could still do stuff. It was the trip of my life that I had wanted to do since I was a kid. Even if I missed some of the events, I loved the trip and can't wait to go back.

JL: Who did you travel with?

Cintia: I traveled with a group of my closest friends at the moment. My partner couldn’t come because of work, and that sucked. I want to go back with him so bad!

JL: How did you and your husband get married?

Cintia: We were approaching ten years together and said, why not make it legal? So we went ahead and did three things: First, on the exact day of our anniversary, a friend got us the rings tattooed on our fingers. Then a few months later, we went and signed the papers and a couple of months after, we had a bbq with friends. So no dresses or fancy stuff. Just jeans and a t-shirt. ❤️ I honestly can't remember who proposed or how because the idea of the tattoo and doing something for our 10th anniversary had been there for so long, I can’t remember who suggested what first.

JL: Do you have siblings?

Cintia: I have a six years younger brother. He can remind you a bit of Kramer from Seinfeld. Haha, such a weirdo. My family is a tad particular. Our parents divorced when I was 7. So each side of the family has its peculiarities. My mother, unfortunately, suffers from the same condition as me, but she didn’t learn about it until much later. She also used to be a fashion designer when younger, but then she switched to gerontology. She lives with my 90-year-old grandma! And my father is a traditional oil painter who just got retired from his day job. His family is complex. I think a bestseller would come out of telling their story.

JL: Do you journal?

Cintia: Nah, I am too tired for that. Anyways, I'm not the kind of person who has a diary. The most similar to this is I’ve made tons of sketches. I have an entire box of sketchbooks, and you probably could see my progress as an artist and a person through them.

JL: How often do you leave your house?

Cintia: For the last two years, I might have left like once a month or every two months. I know we said we wouldn’t talk about my illness because I'm much more than that, but it’s a constant in my daily life. It affects everything, so it can’t help but sneak into many of my replies.

JL: I know. You are doing great. Where do you go?

Cintia: Sometimes, I go to this bar 1 minute away to grab a coffee with my husband, mother, or some close friend. A few times, I went downtown (10 minutes by foot) if there was a friend's birthday or lunch that I could manage. I was also able to attend a couple of family gatherings, like once or two a year. Most of the time, though, it’s to the doctors.

JL: Nice to be a bit social. What do you do on your birthday?

Cintia: Yes, I like being social and miss my friends a lot! I think this year, I was unable to do anything. Wait, no, I did. We had lunch with a few friends at a Korean restaurant close to home.

JL: Do you think discord and Twitter scratch the social itch?

Cintia: Yes, they are the closest for now, but it's still lacking cause I can't meet my best friends in real life.

JL: How did you meet Yam and get involved with WoW?

Cintia: This is still pretty surreal. Yam actually reached out to me even before the project launched, saying she wanted to donate to help me along with two other causes. At the time, 10k projects were relatively new, and I had no idea what that was going to imply. It was all a lot more than I could have ever expected, and I am super thankful to her and all the team. I am incredibly proud and grateful for the eth raised and donated by Wow. Feels like another family of my own here in the NFT space.

JL: How much more do you need to fund your surgery and recovery?

Cintia: Let’s see I’ve raised the WoW donation plus the few 0.25 sales I made of my blind girl editions. Hard to say, especially since today I had confirmation that I'll probably need two surgeries that most patients undergo instead of just spinal surgery (craniocervical fusion). I will need around 100k or more since the post-op can last up to 1 year, and we have no idea what kind of expenses we will stumble upon. The most recent test was 7k euro in the end. I will probably need five times what I have now.

JL: I feel like ‘What I Need, I Eat’ has been on every platform. It's had quite the journey. What are your hopes for it?

Cintia: It was first in FND. I wanted it to be a 1/1 for charity, but I didn’t have enough endorsement or fanbase nor the support of the platform to make that happen. Then I moved it to MP as a 50 Edition work. I sold like 15 of them, but it was costly to list every edition, and I recently moved the remaining editions to OS. This was my last resort to keep gathering funds through my paintings, every edition I sold, I sent the funds straight to my ledger.

Cintia: Things have changed, though, and it could now be considered too expensive for a multi-edition, so I know it won't probably sell out at all. I hope I can gather the funds by other means, and when that happens, I'll burn these remaining editions.

JL: You have also done some collecting too. Do you have a flipper’s mentality?

Cintia: That's not what I want to do in the future, but it’s what I am doing for the moment. It’s comforting knowing I have like 6-8 eth easily with my assets.

JL: Are you in a better position now, than you were at the start of your NFT journey? Is life a little easier?

Cintia: Well, yes, I was able to get rid of some stressing factors like debts, and we were able to buy stuff I needed like a good mattress and stuff that makes daily life easier.

JL: Well, I hope the interview will help too. Thanks for answering my questions.

Cintia: No, thank you. I’m honoured!

As I said at the start I never like to rush my process. I enjoy getting to know the people I interview and paint slowly over time. I realize that’s a choice I can make. It’s tough thinking Cintia physically can’t rush anything and she desperately wants to. She is at the mercy of her body and constantly has to make choices on what she can attempt and accomplish. Still, despite her health limitations, she keeps looking forward and working towards her goals as fast as she can.

I encourage you to read more about her condition (ME/CFS or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis  / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), her journey and more ways to support here.

All edition sales of this interview will go directly to Cintia to help fund her recovery. Editions can be purchased using the ‘collect’ button at the top of this interview. I do hope you will join in the fun to help a great artist, sweet friend, loving wife, and cat mom reclaim her health in the process.