Statement from FRENETK​

The world is drowning and the world is burning. By 2050, up to 200 million people could be displaced by climate change. Half of the world’s coral reefs have died in the last 30 years. By mid-century, as many as 30 to 50 percent of the total species found on Earth now will be gone because our extinction rate is currently 1,000 times the natural rate.

In a time when sustainability and green justice are crucial, we must also question whether we are sacrificing human creativity on the altar of efficiency.

AI can certainly help us address the climate crisis—optimizing carbon capture, forecasting renewable energy, and streamlining disaster response. But what about our art? While AI can drive the science to heal the planet, it threatens to extinguish the very thing that makes us human: the drive to create, explore, and wonder. AI art threatens to erase the uniquely human experiences and expressions that define us, even as we work to save the planet we call home.

As we scar the Earth with our impact, AI is simultaneously making it harder for human artists to survive. The click of a mouse can erase livelihoods. And being an artist has always been difficult –– both economically and craftwise. Still, the creation part is an intuitive and transformative sort of struggle. When it comes to process, for me, there is no plan, no sketches to follow. Each work starts with a germ of inspiration — the texture of rusted metal, the gleam of sunlight fracturing through shattered glass, or, every California fall, the tempest of wildfire smoke blurring the horizon.

The rest is a puzzle. There is wonder in the discovery of each piece, and the process of finding and layering and rearranging is deeply fulfilling, in fact, at times, revelatory. 

Outside of a few big names, most of us struggle to sell through traditional art world channels. Galleries are gate-keepers with ever-changing admissions requirements the vast majority of artists cannot meet. Many of them fall prey to the comparison game, concluding that their work just isn’t good enough. Some of us cope with the rejection by abandoning the profession. The rest of us stay because making art is the only life we know, or the only way to stay sane. Nonetheless, I, like many artists, am my own biggest obstacle, and I am grateful to those who push me out of my own way.

I don’t think anyone can explain this tension any better than the Welsh rap genius Ren does in his viral clip, “Hi Ren,” a musical manifestation of both his mental illness and its cure: what he calls an “eternal dance that separates human beings from angels, from demons, from gods.”

Chrysalys is my own eternal dance. My own treatment plan. My scream into the void. Except now, it’s not a void. It’s a community. And it’s not a scream. It’s just an invitation.

Come on in. It’s hot out there.

Meet the team

MARINA

PROJECT MANAGER

Marina Virijevic is an experienced Project Manager with a distinguished international career in project and business management.Her expertise spans social justice, human rights, entrepreneurship, and developmental aid. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with major international stakeholders, including the European Union, USAID, the European Commission, and the Council of Europe, among others. Her strong organizational, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills are vital to our team’s success, ensuring the smooth execution of our operational tasks.

ROBYN CARTER

WRITER

Robyn Carter writes fiction, scripts, and web content. Her work has appeared in Conjunctions, Ninth Letter, West Branch, Colorado Review, Playboy, and various websites. She is a two-time winner of the San Francisco WritersCorps Teaching Artist in Residence grant award. When she is not writing, she teaches writing to kids and prisoners. Robyn is the owner-operator of a fictional small business called A Toy Store Not a Real Store.

Imran Noor

Animation/Design

Imran Noor’s experience in graphic design, animation, and motion graphics makes him an invaluable player on the team. He is proficient in Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe premier Pro, Adobe Illustrator as well as Adobe Audition.

JONO WILLIAMSON

ADVISOR

Jono Williamson is a seasoned consultant with over a decade of experience, having collaborated with tech companies in Silicon Valley and advised Evangeline Records, an indie record label. Specializing in CRM, Supply Chain solutions, AI, and Machine Learning, he boasts a proven track record of strategic success with enterprise clients like Apple, JP Morgan, and Credit Suisse. Jono’s unique blend of technical skills and creative strategic vision makes him an invaluable advisor, particularly well-suited to offer insightful guidance to art-focused startups and ventures in the creative industry aiming to drive innovation and success.

DAVID FENTON

Ceo/Founder
David is a self taught artist and serial entrepreneur. He believes that the art world takes itself too seriously. He also believes we need to change that.

ALYSSA YEARGIN

ASSISTANT TO THE FOUNDER

Alyssa is the essential sidekick and support to the Frenetk Founder.

As someone who is drawn to the arts, she’s in utter awe of nature and loves capturing its raw beauty through photography. Her background is interlaced with a lifetime devoted to supporting and serving others.

DAVID ETHRIDGE

ADVISOR

David Ethridge is a distinguished curator and gallery owner from Denver, Colorado. With a career spanning over three decades in the art industry, David’s expertise has shaped his roles as the esteemed director of Gallery 1261 and the co-owner and curator of the celebrated Abend Gallery. His dedication and discerning eye have made significant contributions to the art community since 1992.

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