Making Her Mark

Digital artist Alyssa Stevens ’16 has suddenly become a rising star in the world of NFTs

Forty-eight hours. That’s how long it took for fledgling digital artist Alyssa Stevens ’16 to sell out her entire collection of 100 non-fungible tokens (NFTs) after her artwork was featured on the front page of the online NFT marketplace OpenSea in March 2022. The revenue from the sales, nearly $50,000, allowed her to quit her job in social media advertising and devote herself to her art full time. “My life has completely changed,” she says. “I went from working my corporate 9 to 5 job during the week and spending any free time I had creating art … to being a full-time artist in the NFT space.” In June, Stevens’ piece “the creator” (pictured here) was displayed on a multi story billboard in Times Square as part of NFT NYC’s Diversity of NFTs Art Showcase.

While Stevens’ success came literally overnight, developing her identity and confidence as an artist took far longer, she says. In her first years at Williston, she had a deep passion for creating, but too often compared herself to others and felt that she wasn’t good enough. Through her work in art intensive and advanced art classes, that perspective began to change. “I let go of the idea that it needed to look a certain way,” she explains. “I let myself create freely without judgment, and soon developed a more unique style. I eventually fell in love with the art I created because it was an extension of myself and my story. Art intensive was such a liberating experience: two hours a day to create anything you wanted. There was no real direction, just your own ideas. And it was such a beautiful thing.” Looking back, she says, “I owe so much of my success to Williston.”

See more of her work at alyssastevens.com.