Creative Design Studio
Social Media Creation Start
In 2021, I started to formally contact Xiaohongshu content creation (basically browsing in the past). As a platform with a more aesthetic tone among Chinese social media platforms, similar to Pinterest and Instagram abroad, I was still working in a company at the time, and I just shared some of my past works on the platform at first.
I tried to post a few works, and the overall data was not bad, but it was basically in the form of pure sharing, so I planned to deeply analyze some of my past works. It happened that I received an event invitation for my graduation project at that time, so I decided to share my work experience.
This data basically opened up the traffic pool of Xiaohongshu, and it was also the first period of rapid fan growth. Through account data analysis, my fan/like data is not bad, not a variety of useless traffic notes (referring to some notes that simply get traffic but the actual account cannot get attention). Even some students who are about to graduate will ask various questions.
At this time, I also realized a new problem, which is how to make money through social media.
At that time, I was working in a company, and the content I did was related to event planning and design. Various concept maps were particularly important in the planning case. I was also familiar with the renderings of the design plan. In addition, the content I posted at this time was mostly 3D modeling digital works, so I wanted to try to combine this style into my account content and build a 3D digital design, art design, event planning/design studio.
Monetization and transformation
At this time, I began to divide the content into two parts:
- Continue to publish some digital works to strengthen my personal design style.
- Publish some business cases designed by myself (already completed), as well as some design project planning and concepts.
Some of the cases published during that time received relatively good responses. This was the second period of rapid growth of fans. Some customers also talked about project cooperation. The project types included space design, wedding design, art design, fashion magazine business planning, etc. The following year, at the beginning of 2022, I resigned. At that time, I got some resources from the Xiaohongshu platform, so I was ready to start my own studio to undertake projects.
In 2022, a concept that everyone is very familiar with, "Metaverse", appeared. Because my account positioning was not mature at that time, two waves of customer groups appeared, one was the design project that met the initial idea, and the other type was to talk to me about IP cooperation.
At that time, because I was the only one who contracted the design, operation, planning and other matters, at this point, I needed to make some trade-offs, and how to operate the account next, and position it more accurately.
After thinking about it, I decided to take advantage of this wave to develop the digital art IP sector, and the design studio content was transferred to the new Xiaohongshu account.
Art IP Operation
Taking advantage of the fact that the concept of digital collections and metaverse is hot in the market, I officially set up this studio.
"B.B.BAM" is my personal virtual art laboratory. In 2022, a series of works such as "MonsterIsland" and "Forbidden A.R.E" were officially born. Based on the constructed narrative world, by building an imaginative story world, integrating narrative space, "people" and "objects", artistic characters and digital concept scenes are created.
The name comes from "BoomBoomBAM". I hope that in the future digital age, people's inspiration can continue to burst out and create more soulful paradises for the world.
The two main series I created are "MonsterIsland" and "Forbidden A.R.E".
First IP Trial in NFT market
The creative background comes from my graduation creation Phantasisland (Dream City) three years ago. Through a story collage text called "047" combined with historical background, it enters the current urban situation to make a new narrative creation. The "047" text tells that the world is full of garbage in 2199, and a "047" ship carries this garbage and takes children to escape the world and come to many fantasy islands. This pile of garbage is reborn in these islands. The children escape from the cruel reality and create freely in this dream paradise. The ending is left blank for people to imagine. The children who missed the boat seem to be unable to enter this reborn world. Continuing this story background, I will also use a collage and story text to promote a new creation "Monster Island".
This is the background story of "MonsterIsland": In the year 2199, the world is full of garbage, resources are over-consumed, and the conversion of matter and energy is chaotic. It is said that an unknown forbidden land appeared more than 100 years ago, which was intertwined between the real and illusory worlds and has been disrupting the balance of the world. Cracks appear in time and space, chaos is disordered, reality and illusion are constantly changing, animals and plants are also polluted, cells begin to mutate, dark matter and light energy continue to confront each other in contradictions, and the remains of some animals and plants in the garbage dump have long since ceased to appear, which can be called "monsters". Although the world is chaotic, there is light where there is darkness. These "monsters" are also transported to a place as garbage, the same place that the children went to, a dreamlike place. The island that was once separated by disasters has become a magic house for children to turn garbage into treasure. On this journey, the only place the old men did not take the children to is a secret base hidden under the water. These "monsters" were sent here. Some researchers were also lucky enough to come here on the "Dream Boat". They hope to study these polluted substances to find the source of energy chaos. Monster Island was formed in this way. It has been kept secret for so many years. They have continuously worked hard to present "monsters" in a redefined way. Creatures cannot be resurrected, but genes can be extracted and evolved. Light energy is injected into various machines in the laboratory. "Monsters are born!" "Monster Island Plan started!" They will be the helpers of new light energy.
SledBear is the first creation of the IP story "MonsterIsland". It was exclusively released on the nftcn platform in the form of digital IP from March to May 2022. In the story, SledBear's talent lies in sports: "It has a bear-like head, but no bear feet. It can judge the direction without eyes. Its tail is a combination of squirrels and raccoons. It likes to hold sleds and special skis by nature. The characteristics of bears are very obvious, so it is named SledBear."
At that time, a part of digital art IP works were sold on the platform, and an empowerment plan was launched. Because the platform is a UGC type, all works need to be managed and operated by themselves. At this time, I integrated art creation, operation, planning, and marketing, and communicated with collectors to release ideas and even co-create.
In the first empowerment plan, I found that collectors' purchasing power for new products was insufficient. After interviews, I found that some collectors believed that the speed of unique version updates could not keep up with the pace of purchase. The process of collecting membership cards was very lengthy, making long-term investment out of reach. After investigating the situation, I convened a DAO meeting with internal collectors to upgrade the point system version and launch a joint online and offline sales method.
In the second phase of the release plan, collectors can now clearly evaluate their current points. I accelerated the membership acquisition standards to solve the slow and difficult problems that players encountered when purchasing early unique versions. In addition, I launched various promotions and incentives to enhance the desire to buy.
Because the various regulations were not yet perfect at that time, many creators stopped selling because they could not afford the cost of long-term operation and the team's ability was insufficient. The market also entered a cooling period, and I did not complete the expected plan.
But in the end, I still made a small arrangement for a series of sled bears, and completed this work by trying static images and sounds.
At this time point, I quickly gained exposure through various platforms, and received an invitation to create the official digital collection of Mango TV's "Sisters Who Make Waves 3", as well as an invitation to the digital art manager section of the official second community acquaintance festival of Xiaohongshu, and a magazine digital art collaboration with artist Enli. In this chaotic market, we have seen the immaturity of NFT and the potential risks under imperfect supervision, but it has also given some content creators a healthy development opportunity, which can quickly gain exposure and be recognized by the public.
Sisters Who Make Waves IP
After the launch of the SledBear collectible, I received an invitation to participate in the digital collectibles joint launch campaign for Sisters Who Make Waves Season 3 by Mango TV. The project was released in the Xiaomang Platform community (Mango TV’s subsidiary platform) and underwent member voting, ultimately winning audience favor and earning me the role of co-creator for the show’s official collaboration.
- Top - left: Sisters Who Make Waves Season 3 × Water Lily · Rising from the Flames
- Top - right: Sisters Who Make Waves Season 3 × Wild Mushroom · Dream - Picking
- Bottom - left: Sisters Who Make Waves Season 3 × Aster · Spreading Wings
- Bottom - right: Sisters Who Make Waves Season 3 × Dandelion · Riding the Wind
The works at that time took the "birth flowers" of the sisters in Sisters Who Make Waves as the entry point of this creation. Through the language of flowers, we expressed, depicted, and created. Flowers are the starting point of dreams. They reflect the inner self, and from the inner self, dreams are born. There are still many unknown answers in the world waiting for those who "pick flowers" to pursue and explore. Starting from the main body of flowers, a dream world is derived. They are growing and also creating.
The four themes of the four artworks represent the mental journey of "riding the waves".
- To break through and be reborn from the flames, one has to step into the storm and stick to oneself.
- In the unknown adventures, there are often many stars guiding the way forward. Fantasy and beauty are in one's heart. Be bold to enjoy and create.
- On the way of countless sceneries, one should occasionally slow down to think about oneself, understand the gains and losses, and then can find the truest self.
- And no matter what the result at the end is, never give up. Wait for the wind to come, set sail again, and ride the waves.
Metaverse IP Possibilities Expansion
Xiaohongshu Cooperation
During the COVID-19 period, Xiaohongshu officially invited me to participate in Second Annual Shanghai Community Connections Festival Collaborating Influencer (第二届上海社区熟人节). As the manager of the digital art section, I co-created works. At that time, when travel was difficult, this rare and precious event really brought everyone a lot of joy. Because many times we work online and see the world through mobile phones and computers, the concept of "metaverse" has become a key for everyone to connect the physical and digital worlds. So I think digital products are indeed very valuable. The increasing maturity of AI, XR, and blockchain technologies in the past two years have gradually built bridges for the metaverse world in movies. These are also some of the new gains I made at the time.
The following are two works that participated in the even.
LIFESTYLE Magazine Cooperation
I worked with artist En-li to create a virtual person of En-li and my digital art scene, and displayed it as the electronic cover of the July 2022 issue of LIFESTYLE.
This is also a reflection of the importance that everyone attaches to the concept of art IP in the NFT market at that time. The characteristics of each creator can be magnified, integrated, and even recreated. At the same time, the use of virtual people also breaks the tradition of real-life photography in magazines, and fully digital content is also taking a step towards the virtual world.
Guangzhou Design Week 2023
GRADUATES ART FAIR was founded in Guangzhou in 2012 by Guangzhou Huayi Dayi Culture and Art Development Co., Ltd. It has successfully held 15 fairs so far. GRADUATES ART FAIR is the largest platform in China for displaying the artistic creation and exploration of graduates and young artists of fine arts majors. It includes the most talented, market-promising and artistically valuable young artists in China. Due to its richness, extensiveness, representativeness, foresight and authority, it has become an art event that attracts a large number of art institutions, art investors, enthusiasts and media.
GRADUATES ART FAIR was launching an online app at the time and also found me for cooperation. At this time, the market for digital collections/NFTs had actually entered a cooling period, but we still hoped to try to sell them through some ways of linking physical art and digital art. For traditional art institutions, they are also facing digital business innovation. Online and pop-up stores are also some of their new business models. I also participated in some discussions on the release mechanism of the Guangzhou Design Week activities.
2023 Origin Wave Digital Art EXhibition
Thanks very much for this joint art event between Origin Wave Digital Art and the EZVR team. It is also an honor to meet all the artists and their works at the exhibition. We dare to say that this is the largest metaverse digital art exhibition in China at the beginning of 2023. The exhibition is not limited to the appearance of the paintings. You can also click in to view the detailed introduction, AIGC, trends, virtual clothing, virtual scenes, etc. At the same time, we also use NFT tickets for sale, hoping to leave digital assets on the blockchain for users who visit the exhibition.
After participating in the cooperation of the 2023 Guangzhou Design Week, I actually found that the current bleak state of NFT is not clear in the country's regulations. In addition, some adverse effects have been produced before, and many people in the circle have withdrawn. At the same time, for the public, this is still a strange word, but we still gathered different team partners to make an effort to make an attempt, hoping to let the public objectively understand and view words such as "metaverse" and "digital assets", and see some potential application scenarios of digital products in the AI era.
This is a video I recorded on the platform, and my IP SledBear also participated in this dreamy digital exhibition hall.
这段期间，基本我都是围绕两个IP故事在创作和发布平台中（下图），同时也参加了一些活动展览，比如上海Web3.0加密艺术展、英国伦敦飞跃乌托邦艺术展、作为视觉艺术家被邀请到成都春熙路的大屏展示。
2022-2023 Year in Review
2022 felt like the origin of the metaverse and Web3 (even if not its true origin), with a surge of hype generating countless discussions in the first half of the year. The metaverse was seen as cool and novel, but after an explosion of information, the term "AIGC" emerged, and people seemed to forget the metaverse, diving into explorations of AI-generated art, videos, and more. By 2023, conversations around art, culture, and technology continued unabated. Whether driven by genuine learning or trend-chasing, there’s a shared understanding that a new internet era is indeed approaching—though the skepticism and chaos of its early days are par for the course in any transformative period.
Take my collaboration with the Origin Wave Digital Art Team on their digital art gallery project. After months of hard work by all teams, we discussed industry trends and technical challenges, acknowledging that the path to empowering art in the AIGC era is long. But explorers are necessary. This project experimented with a business model: merging digital art exhibitions with exclusive rights, a potential new direction (even if China’s chaotic NFT landscape still makes many skeptical). Only through such trials can the industry develop healthily.
Witnessing concepts rise and fall, and new technologies emerge rapidly over just a year, I realized the old monetization models could no longer sustain growth. This led to a key decision: pursuing a master’s degree abroad to rethink future business structures.
Platformization Trials & Summary
Below are the key exhibitions and events I participated in from 2022–2023. By organizing activities in different regions and leveraging multiple media, I strengthened my personal brand as a digital artist while gaining IP exposure and online collaboration opportunities. This formed my basic business model for gradually building brand recognition, with plans to add more revenue and promotion strategies in the future.
On paper, this model seemed ideal, but I uncovered significant flaws. Reflecting on the NFT and metaverse marketing boom, while it helped me enter the market, there’s a fundamental gap between NFTs and Web2 social media: Web2 doesn’t grant users true ownership, reducing uploaded works to mere images or videos. "Traffic hacks" in the Web2 ecosystem also distract creators from genuine content—plagiarism and unauthorized reuse harm creators, who lack proper protection.
Blockchain technology is a groundbreaking invention for creators’ intellectual property, but the road ahead is long—not just technologically, but in educating the public to understand this "string of code." The rise of spatial computing and AI generation has also clarified the metaverse’s vision, moving beyond flashy animations to immersive experiences via wearable devices and generative content, enabling more diverse Web3 scenarios. While the future is uncertain, continuous learning and exploration remain my guiding principles.
Beyond NFT and digital art IP projects, I’m transforming my studio into a platform. My goal is for people to recognize not just me, but a community of creators unleashing their unique potentials. As a collaborative mentor at IGO Study Abroad Studio, I often tell students—especially those switching majors—that my experiences in digital art weren’t taught by my university major. Instead, my creative and strategic thinking grew from an open academic environment. I hope to pass on this mindset, emphasizing that a study abroad portfolio isn’t just a project collection; it’s a journey of reflection, showcasing growth, thought processes, and how ideas transform into outcomes. It’s about cultivating future-oriented thinking: identifying your passions and strengths at the intersection of disciplines, as we all navigate this evolving frontier.