Inside Jake Fried’s World: On Finding a Process
The Deep End recently sold for 35 ETH ($80.5K)
Manifold: What’s your earliest memory of creating something?
Jake: I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. Drawing wasn’t a choice—it just was. From a young age, creating became a daily ritual, not something I questioned. I think I got a lot of positive reinforcement early on, but more than that, it made me feel proud of myself. And I’ve come to realize that pride—being genuinely proud of what you’ve made—is a big part of what gives life meaning.
A blank page has always felt like a space of total freedom for me. There are no rules, and that openness allows me to explore who I am and how I relate to the world. It’s deeply personal, but also something I want to share—a kind of record of how I was feeling, what I was thinking. That’s why permanence matters. Even now, I spend as much time as I can just drawing. It’s where I feel most myself. I’m driven by that need to create and to feel proud of what I’ve made, even if I never quite reach that ideal. Maybe that’s why I keep going.
Manifold: What is your intent when you make art?
Jake: At this point, I don’t overthink it—I trust the process. In the early days, you constantly ask yourself, Why am I doing this? But over time, I learned that making art is just how I move through the world. It’s how I make sense of things, how I stay connected. I’ve built a practice, a body of work, an audience—and that momentum carries me.
Beyond that, I care deeply about art. I studied art history, worked in museums, taught innovation. I believe the creative output of a culture—comics, painting, food, film, fashion—is what lasts. It’s what makes life meaningful. So contributing to that lineage feels like a privilege, but also a responsibility.
I want my work to resonate emotionally. I want people to feel something, to think differently, to recognize themselves in it. And maybe most of all, I want to inspire others to make things. That’s what great art does for me—it sparks something inside and makes me want to create. If my work can do that for someone else, I feel like I’ve done my job.
Manifold: How did you find your style?
Jake: It’s a mix of nature and nurture. I can see it in my kids—even at five years old, they have distinct personalities and ways of expressing themselves. So much of being an artist is just learning to embrace who you already are.
I’ve gone through countless phases. I’ve imitated artists I admire, explored different techniques, and tried to understand where I fit in the broader history of art. But eventually, you have to stop thinking so much and just make what you’re meant to make. The best work comes from the heart, not the head. It’s not about being clever or cool. It’s about being real.
My style is deeply personal—pen-and-ink work, symbolic, mystical, and informed by everything from old manuscripts to experimental music. People describe it as psychedelic, which I think speaks more to the sense of altered consciousness than anything drug-related. I came up in the ‘90s, influenced by grunge, rave culture, and that intersection of pop culture and spiritual searching. My work channels all of that—stream of consciousness, sketchbook energy, dream logic.
I often say: You don’t find a style—you find a process. Mine is about drawing every day, layering over time, and reflecting back what I discover about myself in the process.
Manifold: How did you get into NFTs?
Jake: I’d been making short, looping films—what I call “moving paintings”—for years. They’re experimental, dense, and always designed for the internet. Even though they’re made with ink and paint, they live best online.
So when I saw what was happening in crypto in late 2020 and early 2021, it made immediate sense. NFTs offered a framework for these works to be seen as unique, collectible, and permanent—just like physical paintings. I wasn’t new to the internet or to digital creation. Web3 felt like the missing piece.
My first drop was with Superchief Gallery in 2021, one of the first physical NFT shows in New York. It sold out in days. I followed that with a SuperRare drop and sold a one-of-one. It was a surreal moment of everything aligning—after years of building an audience and a practice, the space finally caught up to the kind of work I’d been doing all along.
Manifold: Has being on-chain changed how you think about your work?
Jake: I’ve always just made what I feel compelled to make. But NFTs gave me a new context—a way to reach people directly and make a living on my own terms. My animations, which once just lived on Instagram or in galleries, could now be collected and owned.
I’ve only minted a handful of one-of-ones—big pieces that take months or years to create. They’re personal and substantial. But I also do editions: shorter loops, designed for mobile screens and the rhythm of online life. They’re more accessible, and they allow more people to own a piece of the work.
The space also let me bring physical and digital together in new ways. I’ve made lenticular prints that animate when you walk past them, UV-layered silkscreens, and richly textured physical editions paired with NFTs. For me, it’s not about choosing one or the other. They’re two sides of the same coin.
Stills from Brain Wave
Manifold: What does it take to succeed as an artist in this space?
Jake: It depends on what kind of artist you are. When students come to me asking how to make it, I always start by asking what they actually want to do. Making work for the sake of selling NFTs isn’t enough. You need to have something to say. You need to already be making work that matters to you.
This space rewards artists who are self-driven, adaptable, and willing to engage with community. It’s not just about minting a piece and walking away—you’re marketing it, curating it, building relationships, and showing up. That can be overwhelming, especially for people used to commercial or commissioned work. But for me, it’s been liberating. It feels like I finally have the freedom to do the work I care most about.
Manifold: What advice would you give to new artists entering Web3?
Jake: First, be honest with yourself. If you’re only here to make money, it’s going to show. But if you’re genuinely excited by the creative potential of this space—if you see NFTs as a new canvas, not just a store—then there’s real opportunity.
Make work that’s true to you. Build relationships. Stay curious. Be willing to experiment. And most of all, trust your gut. No one has all the answers, and that’s what makes it exciting. This is still the beginning. We’re all building it as we go.
Check out Jake's ASCII Signature