My name is Mark Fridman, and I am the founder of the cooperative. The earliest memories I have are of me creating a world of imaginary friends and playing with the freedom to create. Happy to be collaborating with real friends now, but I will never take for granted that safe space. In that space, I found the answers for my purpose in life. 

Originally, I fell in love with art because it had always brought me solace where my loved ones could not. Life, as for many, is very tumultuous but that comfort remained a constant. I tried expressing these interests in a society that continues to devalue creativity and sensitivity for profit. For a while it seemed useless, but the more I dove into art, the more I learned about myself. I owe everything to Nandez for pushing me to express my passion, showing me art can provide a community of true acceptance. There were many that laughed at those 14 yr old kids dropping SoundCloud mixtapes, but we always appreciated each other. With the capitalist structures in place, there is no sustainable option for me to be a truly free artist, so I decided to create that reality with my imaginary friends again. Artists do not have the financial support of their community in pursuing their passion, so I am working to be the change I want to see in the world. We live in a time where we simulate life (VR), try to fake how great it is (Social Media), or completely destroy our humanity (Ai) instead of facing reality and making it better. Art is the only sector of culture left where we still strive to hold onto ethics, with authenticity being the most important value. That is something no technology could ever replicate or simulate. Most importantly though, I had to do this with my best friends who also wanted this dream, because without that community I would not be alive today. Many told me don’t do business with friends; I wouldn’t do this with anyone else. Only together.