Really cool mail day to open your mail and receive this!
Our ( @shockem_comics ) first issue of Emma: Rise of a Mythic, printed and serialized to /9999 and graded a 9.8 by @CBCScomics
Yes, I’m one of the founders of @shockem_comics and I’m still alive
Yes, we are planning to disrupt the comic market by bringing innovation
Over the next several weeks I’m going to explain how we are innovating and why I’m involved. Starting with the story of @WondersOTF and how they minted Art Proofs with IP rights as the FIRST contract/tokens deployed on Etherium Proof of Stake. Then how my love for art and technology led to the formation of @shockem_comics which will enable us ultimately to prove effective economic models and then make the tech and process available to a wide range of creators. And, that’s just the beginning…
This is an amazing experiment. I use the term “experiment” flippantly, because the reality is that multiple teams are are spending enormous amounts of resources, both time and money, towards seeing this be successful.
The simultaneous build out of IP, at scale, is somewhat unprecedented, and I’m thrilled to be part of it.
By removing some of the traditional boxes that restrict innovation and harnessing the power of new technology (IE, the blockchain), unheralded opportunities present themselves.
@shockem_comics is working hard to create licensed content within the framework that @WondersOTF and their incredible team of designers created, while creating our own path in the Wonders multiverse, preserving the creative freedom of both teams. Then, Shock’em Will harness the power of technology to make that content available in extremely creative, fun, and hopefully highly sought after (collectible) ways.
For me, personally, I’ll get to demonstrate the magic of supply side economics while working with highly motivated and passionate creatives. This hopefully will result in very happy fans, followers, and customers that benefit tremendously from the effort these creative and tech teams are putting into the project.
@ethFRENCHIE Happily bought one. Glad they exist. Your explanation is spot on. I tired, long ago, of trying to explain Keynsian economics to trolls. But, you did a pretty damn good job of it.
This post by @ethFRENCHIE lays out a thesis for determining future collectability (and, thus, value) in general terms that any creator, agency, or collector should familiarize themselves with.
Understanding the dynamics of collecting is paramount to success in Web3…
WHAT MAKES [thing] COLLECTIBLE?
Sometimes I can’t help but 🤦🏽♂️ when a company says “check out this collectible [thing] we created”.
The [thing] is very often [junk].
We all have “edge skills” where we possess a natural talent, usually supported by countless hours of passionate hard work, that out performs 99.9% of humans.
A deep understanding of collectibility, the mindset of collectors, and the best value drivers across a wide range of collectible genres, is one of those edge skills for me.
I miss often but I have an established track record of being right a lot more than I’m wrong.
A lot of it comes from all that experience (and learning from my many misses) but there are some basics anyone can apply.
For [thing] to HAVE A CHANCE at proving to be collectible (i.e., have, hold and grow value), you must ensure that the components are in place for someone else to formulate a thesis (for themselves) on why they can also believe in [thing].
This is by no means an exhaustive list…but some stuff I look at (when I create - and when I collect):
- Can the provenance be trusted? Have you undertaken measures to ensure future buyers are confident [thing] is authentic and unaltered?
- What are the potential catalysts for future demand of [thing], and how "far-fetched" are they? You only need one catalyst if it's potentially powerful and/or far reaching. However, in most cases, it's a combination of potential catalysts that solidify a strongly held thesis.
- Will [thing] be difficult to obtain once demand reaches the catalyst driven projections? Many people fumble here because they grossly under-estimate “catalyst driven demand” because current demand skews their perception. It’s critical that you utilize these lower demand windows to accumulate if you believe in [thing]. From there, trust your thesis’ catalyst to take care of that future demand.
**TIP - if you don’t see a POTENTIAL catalyst for 10x future demand - question your overall thesis.**
- Does [thing] forge an emotional connection with the owner for the duration of their ownership? Or might [thing] just end up in a junk drawer of apathy after a brief honeymoon phase? (We will skip the counterplay of including "trash bin deflation" from the potential thesis.)
- Is one of the emotions [thing] sparks a sense of "pride"? Collectibles can create a wide array of emotions and be successful but if one of them isn’t a sense of pride…tough sledding.
- Does [thing] help the owner to create a new community or fit neatly into an existing one?
- Are there enough units of [thing] for a market to form with reliable sales comparisons over time?
- How does the uniqueness of [thing] contribute to its perceived value? Is there something inherently special or rare about [thing] that cannot be easily replicated?
- What is the historical significance or potential future historical importance of [thing]? Does it represent a moment in time, a cultural movement, or an innovative breakthrough?
- How does the craftsmanship or artistic merit of [thing] add to its collectibility? Is it made with exceptional skill or creativity that sets it apart from other similar options?
- Is there a story or narrative associated with [thing] that enhances its appeal?
- Does [thing] have the potential for cross-collectibility, appealing to collectors across different interests or demographics?
This is a good starting framework. If you form your thesis for [thing] using this checklist and then have patience…I think you will win a lot more than you lose.
1/2
Recently completed "Tin Lizards" is a project that everyone involved in this space should take the time to investigate. From initial conception to the execution, it is a powerful example of a body of work that fully engages how artwork can be created/shared in this ecosystem.👇
BlockFi is the future…
This concept of instant liquidity is what initially lured me to web3.
Now, it’s a matter of having digital assets that someone finds valuable enough to accept as collateral. 🤔
NEWSFLASH: NFTs are Worthless
A little over 3 years ago, I took out the largest onchain loan against an NFT for $25k. Today, I am taking what might be the biggest loan against a single CryptoPunk (possibly a single NFT, but not sure and don't have time to fact check).
1/9
ON THE ROAM with Jason Momoa
WATCH EPISODE 2! Painting With Light
It’s Jason with his favorite photographer, @toddhido
They revisit some of the places where Todd has shot masterpieces & shoot new ones. Their passion is inspiring!
My Hido 1/1 NFTs via @fellowshiptrust
@bay_photography@AlphaTrilogy@sloikaxyz Brandon, we put an instruction here - for each collection there are just 2 hashes to pin (one for all image data, one for metadata) https://t.co/vsRuRoPZoe
Sorry, I really don’t want a fight, but I’ve realized:
The term “BEAR MARKET” in web3 is simply an excuse for stagnation and mediocrity.
I’ve been having fun spending time in @Blokpax watching @ethFRENCHIE build one of the most intriguing web3 collectables projects that I’ve ever seen.
No bear market for them. Let that sink in. 🤔
No. I’m not a paid endorser. No. I’m not telling you to join the project. I’m simply suggesting that you OBSERVE.
I’ve mentioned them for a couple years now. Observing them is like taking a graduate course in Economics.
Their product is NOT fine art. It’s collectable digital cards. And they are killing it with a brilliant model that understands the psychology of collecting and the laws of economics. They use ai and Blockchain together in practical ways.
Their project is growing. They are effectively marrying digital and physical. They understand the importance of both. They have been onboarding physical collectors better than any project I’ve seen in web3. They have most impressive/effective rewards program that I’ve seen anywhere and it’s constantly evolving.
Why observe? Because the model they are building could be adapted to the fine art world and the principles that drive their model could be used by every creator in web3.
Hi Dr. Brijesh. Unfortunately, it’s quite easy to be disconnected. While I miss MANY of the people, I don’t miss the seemingly constant drama.
I’m still incredibly passionate about collecting “ART” and the technology that drives web3. I just lost interest in arguing about it with people whose passion is money & power (influence)
Trying to figure out the balance point.
Passion/Patience/Integrity
Hi. I’ve been disconnected from socials for a while. It’s been healthy for me. I’ve still been very active in web3, building infrastructure (giving input and providing resources to smarter people that actually do the building)
I am saddened to hear that @sloikaxyz is closing their platform. They’ve pioneered many firsts and introduced numerous artists in Web3. I will miss them with appreciation for what they’ve done for photography as a collectable digital art form.
Best practice for both collectors and artists is to pin the metadata and images for all their (IPFS based) NFTs to IPFS. I’m glad to see Sloika reminding us of this.
I asked the @MetaJungleNFT team to pin the DATA/IMAGES for all ETHEREUM based NFTs minted via SLOIKA contracts.
However, they definitely may miss contracts, so it’s always a good idea to do this yourselves. Better safe than sorry.
Please don’t ask me how to do it. I haven’t a clue. People vastly smarter than me do it for me. But, I’m told that it’s not difficult and worth learning if you are going to create or collect art in web3.
One of these days I’ll share some data that will really make it clear why this is so necessary. It’ll be one of those WTF moments.
Take care all and a fond fairwell to Sloika! I wish the entire team success wherever they may land next.
We want to thank our community for being with us for 3 years. We have made a decision to sunset Sloika as a curated photography platform. We strongly believe in the power of the art community. However, we were unable to find a sustainable and scalable way to serve our community.
Take rate on @WondersOTF boosters is 76.3%.
Meaning. For 76.3% of the FREE character proof claims…folks are adding an optional booster box from the CCG launch for $225.
1) what
I was expecting more like 30%. Ratio could change obviously. But that’s pretty amazing.