alejandro r.

martyr⁠— ↙

Web

https://martyr.shop/

Role

Founder

Timeline

2019 ---> [ONGOING]

About

What began as a journey of self-discovery, martyr⁠— evolved into a digital art supply store with strong focus on experimental, avant-garde graphical assets for artists willing to push the boundaries of today’s visual language.

Established as a UK-based company with deep roots in Argentina, martyr⁠— has grown into a global team, now including members from multidisciplinary creative studio mönk

Genesis

I’ve always been fascinated by the world around me. When I want to make something, I embrace the journey that goes with it. With this approach, I’ve developed skills in many different subjects. Among them, the most important were computer sciences and, subsequently, visual arts.

Until I was 25, my experiments and explorations in these fields remained largely separate. While there were occasional overlaps, I never consciously sought to find ways where they all could co-exist in a balanced way.

At some point, I grown tired of jumping from one field to another, sort of regreting to displace a path in favor of another. Is there a way to bridge them? Furthermore, internal and external pressures started to come into play. Time was ticking, and so was my motivation to continue.

One day, in the juxtaposition of despair and hope, martyr⁠— was born. It has always been there. Latent. Waiting to be realized. Mistakes will be made, for sure. It takes courage to walk the path consiously knowing how hard it is. But hard or easy, it doesn’t matter. If it is worthwhile, it matters.

martyr⁠— is, at its core, an act of self-discovery.

Engineering <—> Arts

There is this tangible connection between cutting edge technology and artistic expression in the assets martyr⁠— produces.

Art is having something to say with honest intention. Engineering part helps this voice to be spoken with clarity.

There, we approach the use of technology like the Amish do: a new process or technology will be adopted as long as it serves our values and purposes. If it doesn’t, we discard it and continue working with what we have.

Simplicity and limitations breeds creativity and outstanding results. In our increasingly tech-driven world, we recognize the potential and attractiveness new tools might bring. But more often than not, they fail to meet our expectations. Sometimes is even worse, and they result in worryingly shiny distractions from what it matters.

Amateurs obsess over tools. Pros over mastery.

details_matter

If you pay attention, the beautiful things we enjoy and draw inspiration from have been thoughtfully crafted. Even an empty wall. Have you tried to create a clean, smooth wall with edges so straight and aligned to a squared grid? There’s a lot going on there. The devil’s always in the details.

Details are often a product of the effort put into achieving a specific purpose. Anything with purpose demands details. We know perfection is an illusion, but going the extra mile is certainly achievable.

Our obsession with details extends to developing unique techniques for creating a particular family of assets. While many of these techniques come from previous experience, new ones arise during the process. The inners and hows are very specific. However, this is the key: as long as there’s genuine love for our craft, we will keep finding ways to achieve it. It’s just a matter of time.

There will be times when the concept was flawed from the beginning. No matter how detailed it is, it won’t matter. That’s fine. It’s part of the process to create something meaningful, as painful as it may feel. Sometimes we have to take one step back to take two steps forward.

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Straight Edge

Inspiration happens when you pay attention. Paying attention requires a clear mind. And a clear mind comes from taking care of yourself and your surroundings.

A calm life, free from excess, with enough time for contemplation, is essential. Though the day-to-day experience is often mundane, it can still surprise us in unexpected ways. To come to this realization is to have mental space for precious creative thoughts.

martyr⁠— does not embrace shortcuts. Work is hard. Things do take effort and time. But it shouldn’t feel dreadful to embrace the process. In fact, it should feel meaningful. Otherwise, what’s the point of it all?

(THANKS)

To all the human beings that, indirectly or directly, have contributed to this project.

To those that came to mind: Ahmad, Madina, Eric, Marco, Antoine, my family, Luciana, and Mom. Thank you so much.

[END OF THE ROAD]
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