LOVEANDNATE
LOVEANDNATE (Born October 15th, 1986), born as Nathan Adam Rzeppa, is a multidisciplinary American artist from Detroit, Michigan residing in Los Angeles, California with a creative scope of work that includes author, illustrator, musician, painter, photographer, web designer, philanthropist, pod-caster, paranormal investigator, and NFT artist.
Early Life
Nathan Adam Rzeppa / LOVEANDNATE grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan where he embraced skateboarding and digital art at a young age.
1995-1999: Middle School
Pen and pencil sketch work became a safe haven and a coping mechanism for Rzeppa as he dealt with the loss of a close friend and the debilitating anxiety that followed.
In 1996, Rzeppa had his first creative publication as he drew the cover art for the book 'Betrayed' which documented his aunt's health decline as a result of controversial medical practice popular in the 70's.
When Rzeppa acquired his first personal computer in 1998 at 12 years old, he created his first website though Yahoo Geo-cities complete with an interactive wall and live web cam that was interacted with by his classmates.
2000-2004: High School
Throughout high-school, Rzeppa leaned into poetry and received 19 publications for his work between 2000 and 2004 through Poetry.com and further elaborated on his website which was housed at NathanRzeppa.IsSilly.com and featured memes about teachers + staff. Focusing primarily on sports and his computer skills, Rzeppa did not have an art class during this time.
2004-2008: College Years
Rzeppa went to college at Western Michigan University and studied Supply Chain Management. While sitting in on as many digital art classes as he could until he was removed for lack of registration, Rzeppa honed in on his graphic design abilities and began turning his drawings into clothing mock ups for the company he started called M0dern Mindset Clothing which focused on local band needs and thought provoking imagery.
Career
2009-2013: The Learning Years
Post-college graduation Rzeppa moved to Chicago, IL and focused on his Supply Chain Management career while teaching himself how to paint on canvas, play the guitar, write & produce music, build websites, and continue learning computer coding. During this time Rzeppa did freelance logo creation and graphic design for clients across all fields.
2013-2017: Creative Awakening
In January 2013, Rzeppa started a comedy podcast called 'A Couple of Clarks' with his best friend from high school that he lost contact with over the years. They caught up in the form of a weekly show that lasted two years and covered pop culture, sports, and revisited memories from youth.
In May, 2013 Rzeppa released a 26 song experimental sc-fi album titled 'COSMOSIS' that he created in his studio apartment, recording vocals, playing guitar, and using electronic beat kits to produce and master the album himself. The concept for this album focuses on a dystopian future where a space crew searches for a way to continue humanity in the face of an extraterrestrial threat. This album was released on Bandcamp exclusively and is coming to Apple Music and Spotify on June 24th, 2022 for the first time as a verified artist in anticipation of the 10 year anniversary.[1]
Several days prior to the main release of 'COSMOSIS' in May 2013, Rzeppa released the songs that did not fit into the concept album as a B Sides EP titled "Time Capsule".
In June 2013, Rzeppa joined the Chicago Paranormal Research Society as a photographer for 6 months in the field, documenting potential paranormal activity.
In May 2014, Rzeppa released an electronic based instrumental EP titled S.B.B. & T.R.E., an abbreviated title for "Sonic Bo Bo's & The Resulting Eargasms".
In January 2015 Rzeppa released the photography mobile app for Android and iOS called MyLapse that aggregated many selfies into one static video documenting the element of time on an individual as the final output scrolled quickly resulting in a "MyLapse". The mobile app was used by fashion bloggers, dentists, music festival attendees, fitness enthusiasts, as well as parents documenting the growth of their children. This app was Winner of the 2015 Winter Awards - Best Lifestyle App.[2]
In May 2015 Rzeppa released an electronic EP titled 'Fishin For Answers' that explored the mysteries of the universe while paying homage to what took place on his earlier release 'COSMOSIS'.[3]
In August 2016, Rzeppa was the principal founder of 'Barberque', a one day event that took place in Chicago bringing with the aim to provide resources of opportunity to those facing homelessness by bringing community members together and working collectively to spread joy, understanding, and support. Rzeppa stepped down from the role after the first year and it continued with it's co-founders until 2019.[4]
In May 2017 Rzeppa released an anti-bullying children's book called 'Marvin Stench' that Rzeppa authored, illustrated, and self published under the Books By Zepp name. Rzeppa used the penn name 'Zepp' which is a shortened version of 'Rzeppa'. The book developed a following locally in Chicago and Detroit where Rzeppa was able to work with indie bookstore owners and businesses directly. The hardcover book was also sold on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, and on the LOVEANDNATE homepage to ship directly to the consumer with a personalized signing for the kids available as an option at checkout.
2018-2020: Burning Out
On February 9th, 2018 Rzeppa released the music EP 'SHARKS' that sees the artist begin to directly question the environment + people around him and expressing the impact it's taking on his spirit. "Respected Like A Volcano" is a departure from the traditional instrumental tracks of the past and we hear from the artist directly on the current existential crisis he finds himself in during this period. "Snake Pit In My Stomach" showcases raw guitar and angst not previously seen on LOVEANDNATE releases to this point.
In May 2018 Rzeppa released an electronic EP titled 'Machine Poems' that features both darker themes questioning the meaning of life as well as more vocals and poetry from the artist directly than seen in previous releases to date. The featured song off this album is titled 'November' and shows the artist in raw form contemplating whether or not he will be alive to attend his own wedding.[5]
In December 2018, Rzeppa learned how to make pop art on distressed windows in the style known as reverse window painting and began selling his work online and in stores locally. To date Rzeppa has created 25 paintings on glass windows including custom portrait work with each work averaging 8 hours of work time to complete.
In March 2019, Rzeppa released the music EP 'Fragments' with the intent to use this EP as the score for an animated version of his kids book from 2017.[6]
In March 2019, Rzeppa released the music EP 'Surplus' which consisted of songs that did not make the final production of previous releases and were simply left over.[7]
2000-2022: Burnt Out
Rzeppa moved to Los Angeles, CA to further pursue his career in Supply Chain Management as the pandemic began to take form. Art was not a major focal point for the next two years as mental health challenges and bandwith prevented creativity from flowing. During this time Rzeppa experienced multiple jobs lost and a hospitalization due to severe depression, PTSD, and socialized anxiety disorder. Much of 2021 was spent in recovery both physically and mentally.
Rzeppa spent 90 days founding, designing, and building the framework for the Dynamite Download podcast and weekly newsletter that focused on upstart Wrestling Promotion All Elite Wrestling with the intent on creating a fantasy sports platform specifically for pro wrestling called 'Fantasy Wrestling Online'. Shortly after project launch, Rzeppa left the project citing 'irreconcilable creative differences'. The project continues to date in the form of a YouTube show.
2022: The Revival
After battling back from health challenges in the prior two years, Rzeppa landed his most prestigious job to date as Director of Supply Chain Management. After 30 days on the job and a major perspective shift from the prior two years, Rzeppa identified he could not be happy or healthy spending his time in this field while his most unique talents go to waste. Rzeppa resigned as Director of Supply Chain Management and retired from the field of Supply Chain indefinitley, dedicating himself as a full time artist with the intent on making a name for himself inside the Web3 and NFT space.
In March 2022, Rzeppa put his first NFT Collection on the Ethereum Blockchain titled 'A GLITCH IN THE NATETRIX'. The collection focuses on science fiction based themes with the intent to be displayed in 4K resolution on electronic monitors.[8]
In April 2022, Rzeppa began taking in custom work requests for his second collection titled 'DOXXED BOTZ' which combines 3d animations and portrait photos to create a unique android that can be used as a profile picture for users on social media that wish to show their true identity in the form of a custom non fungible token.[9]
In May 2022 Rzeppa was invited to share his work on Foundation and subsequently had his collection 'SAUCERS' featured during live performances at the LA NFT Street Fest.[10]
In May 2022 Rzeppa announced the continuation of his children's book 'Marvin Stench' in the form of an NFT project on the Ethereum Blockchain called 'SMPLFRKS' which consists of 7777 unique NFT's that make up a variety of characters that are part of a community governed never-ending story-arc. The target mint date is September 15th.[11]
On June 1st, 2022, it was announced that on June 24th, Rzeppa's first album 'COSMOSIS' has been accepted for universal distribition on Apple Music and Spotify and LOVEANDNATE is a verified artist on both platforms.
On June 14th, 2022 Rzeppa announced that he has collaborated with an artist in Paris for a theme song and lyrics video for the SMPLFRKS NFT project.
Music
Title Album details
Released: May 18, 2013
Released: May 19, 2013
Released: February 17, 2014
Released: May 14, 2015
Released: February 9, 2018
Released: May 17, 2018
Released: March 28, 2019
Released: July 20, 2019
Awards
Winner of the 2015 Winter Awards - Best Lifestyle App
References
- ↑ "COSMOSIS, by love & nate" (in en). https://loveandnate.bandcamp.com/album/cosmosis.
- ↑ "App Spotlight Interview: MyLapse | Best Mobile App Awards" (in en). https://bestmobileappawards.com/blog/app-spotlight-mylapse#.VWzguM9Vikr.
- ↑ "Fishin For Answers, by love & nate" (in en). https://loveandnate.bandcamp.com/album/fishin-for-answers.
- ↑ "BarberQue | Food, Love & Haircuts for Chicago's Homeless" (in en-US). https://barberque.org/.
- ↑ "Machine Poems, by love & nate" (in en). https://loveandnate.bandcamp.com/album/machine-poems.
- ↑ "Fragments, by love & nate" (in en). https://loveandnate.bandcamp.com/album/fragments.
- ↑ "Surplus, by love & nate" (in en). https://loveandnate.bandcamp.com/album/surplus.
- ↑ OpenSea. "A GLITCH IN THE NATETRIX - Collection" (in en). https://opensea.io/collection/aglitchinthenatetrix.
- ↑ OpenSea. "DoxxedBotz by LoveAndNate - Collection" (in en). https://opensea.io/collection/doxxedbotz.
- ↑ "Saucers | Foundation" (in en). https://foundation.app/collection/saucers.
- ↑ "SMPLFRKS" (in en-US). https://www.loveandnate.com/smplfrks.
