How a pharmaceutical marketer rediscovered his artistic soul through Bitcoin
Meet Bartosz (but everyone calls him Bartos), a Polish artist living in Switzerland who’s mining Bitcoin art with nothing but a pen. Yes, you read that right - 200 hours per piece, stroke by stroke, in what he calls “proof of work.”
Bartos in his studio working on the Fenrir Wolf artwork
Here’s the kicker: He still works full-time in pharmaceutical marketing. Why? Because Switzerland is expensive as hell, and he’s not delusional about making it as an artist overnight.
“ When I was a small child, I was drawing and doing stuff… But after I graduated, my parents told me you have to do something serious. So I completely stopped doing art because it had no meaning for me.
Sound familiar? That’s Bartos explaining how the fiat world convinced him that art wasn’t "real work.” Even though his family had artistic talent, they pushed him toward the “safe” path. So he became a graphic designer, then a photographer, and eventually landed in pharmaceutical marketing.
Then 2019 happened.
“ Starting discovering Bitcoin, it was like a completely new world opened up… I love art, I love Bitcoin, and it was like a very symbiosis.
But here’s where it gets interesting. After starting with digital art during COVID, Bartos made a radical shift in 2022. He ditched the tablet for a simple pen.
Why? "Real money deserves real art.”
Before going full Bitcoin maximalist with his art, Bartos had a practice project: drawing memes on dollar bills.
“ I was like drawing all the memes and I wanted to create the dollars on the dollar bill… and with that I just discovered how beautiful the pen can be.
That’s when the signature wavy style was born - not from some grand artistic vision, but from the practical need to fill space with a pen.
When I asked about making a living from art, Bartos didn’t bullshit:
” I can tell you I can’t live from art only. Switzerland is very expensive… they like the salaries in Switzerland are very high so they catch you.
His strategy? Keep the day job, stack sats, make art in every spare moment. He’s drawing in his sketchbook at work, spending evenings on massive pieces, treating it like a long-term investment.
The reality check: - Original pieces: Thousands of euros - Prints: Affordable for everyone - Main buyers: 90% Americans (“Almost no one from Europe is buying”) - Discovery: Mainly through Bitcoin conferences and Twitter
His favorites include:
The Phoenix - Rising from the ashes of the fiat world
Napoleon - Because “Napoleon would be a Bitcoiner” (unlike Macron who’s “completely the opposite”)
End the Fed - A powerful statement against central banking tyranny
“ Try to keep your full-time job. Try to stack sats, buying Bitcoin still while you are doing art and try to manage this.
Bartos is crystal clear: Don’t quit your job to become a Bitcoin artist. The math doesn’t work. Instead:
” We are living in this fiat matrix world… we all getting in the situation of getting burn out.
His cure? Running. Every day. Movement resets the brain. Also: chocolate.
“ A good style just naturally grows and evolves. When you try to force it, it might not be a good style.
Don’t plan your style. Just start. Use whatever tool you have. Let it develop through thousands of hours of work.
Bartosz in his studio working on the Madame Satoshi artwork - pure proof of work with pen
” I’m planning to do a documentary about Bitcoin artists… like Arte style.
Bartos wants to create what “The Mystery of Satoshi” did for Bitcoin education, but for Bitcoin art. Professional, emotional, the kind of thing that makes your grandma understand why this matters.
(Speaking of which - that Satoshi documentary? Disappeared from the internet. “It was too good,” we concluded.)
“ If you want to live like a millionaire you have to have 6 million in Switzerland.
Bartos is torn. Switzerland is Bitcoin-friendly but expensive as fuck. El Salvador beckons ("I feel more safe there than in Paris”), but leaving isn’t simple when you’ve built a life somewhere.
The plan? Wait for Bitcoin to moon, then reassess. Maybe El Salvador, maybe somewhere else where artists can actually afford to live.
Bartos isn’t trying to be the next Banksy. He’s not quitting his pharma job tomorrow. He’s just a guy who rediscovered his soul through Bitcoin and now spends 200 hours drawing intricate pen art that captures something the PowerPoints and whitepapers can’t.
“ Bitcoin teaches you… it makes you very humble.
In a world of hype and overnight success stories, here’s an artist keeping it real: Work your job, stack your sats, make your art, and trust the process.
Because as Bartos says:
” If you stick to Bitcoin, it will give you value back in ways you never imagined.
We’re in the same game as Bartos - making Bitcoin tangible, beautiful, and giftable. While he spends 200 hours on a single drawing, we’re designing envelopes that carry Bitcoin wisdom to the next generation.
Maybe one day, his art will grace our Bitcoin notes. Until then, we’re both doing our part to make Bitcoin more than just numbers on a screen.
Real artists. Real Bitcoin. Real conversations. No bullshit.
