Anne Spalter, Digital Artist, Author, Educator & New Media Pioneer

Anne Spalter spent her younger years fighting her parents' attempts to drag her to art galleries, and few would have anticipated her rise to become one of the world's leading pioneers in digital art. First encountering a computer in the 1980s, and finding it both a source of inspiration and endless possibility, Anne's career took her away from the world of finance towards a life dominated by digital art. From her early days as an educator in some of America's top academic institutions, hostility to the very idea of digital art has been a part of Anne's experience, but in recent years the ubiquitousness of computers in our daily lives has shifted how all of us think about their role in our creative process too.

On today's show, Anne talks about the impact NFTs have had on how people perceive digital art, the potential for computers to power innovation and exploration in creativity, why visual communication is going to dominate the future, and why she's convinced the future is bright for artists of all disciplines.

Topics discussed:

• How a chance encounter with a computer helped change the trajectory of Anne's life
• How a lack of opportunities to learn about digital art pushed Anne to teach it herself, and learn more than she ever expected
• Why digital technologies give us all more opportunities to explore and innovate in art
• Taking a leap into the unknown, the move to become an artist full time
• Computers as a part of the creative process, regardless of what form the end result takes
• The NFT effect on digital art and the inspiration for new ways to collect and share
• Why artists aren't going anywhere, and how our visual future leaves plenty of room for artists
• A woman's role in the art market, anonymity, and why collectors should keep an eye on the space