written by Maurice Cardinal … originally posted Jan 2022
Watching artists react to the NFT CRYPTO DIP is revealing of their character and experience. Some are angry, a few frustrated, but most are flummoxed.
It’s almost like artists still don’t connect crypto with NFT, until it has a direct impact on the fiat value of their artwork.
NFT DIES WITHOUT CRYPTO … a CLASSIC CRYPTO VID 2016 – STILL FIRE
I have to smile every time I see someone complain that someone else isn’t following the code of Web3.0–as if a code already exists. Most still don’t understand that Web3 for the most part is still just geek theory, an ideology that is still years from mainstream adoption and “useful” fruition.
Do I love Web3?
Yeah, I get it and
I promote it.
Is it something a new or emerging artist should embrace? Well yeah, but not if it’s going to burn you out and destroy your career. The following suggestion sounds counter to Web3 philosophy, but seriously, “Put your airline emergency oxygen mask on first, and then help everyone around you.“
It’s very noble of struggling artists to sacrifice themselves and their careers for the better good, but keep in mind that opportunities rarely come along twice, so be careful where you invest your time, energy, and money.
You’re going to be very disappointed if you think the fiat monetary system is simply going to roll over and give up just because crypto said so. Unfortunately, many artists think this exact way–we witness it every day on social media feeds.
Not only is it dangerous for your career to act on unfounded assumptions, it’s a bit of an elitist attitude that slips completely under the radar.
I’ve been a visible ACTIVIST & CONSERVATIONIST for almost two decades, so my perspective is different than most. Unlike many artists championing NFT, I don’t assume I am owed freedom, or an opportunity just because I want it. If you have any real activism experience you know that you have to fight hard for even the smallest win.
Most artists unfortunately, don’t appreciate that no one owes you anything, even when you’re right.
It’s becoming obvious now that if you want NFT, you’re also going to have to fight for crypto. You have to ensure crypto thrives because it is the base upon which NFT rests.
Watch my video to spark CRYPTO AWARENESS IDEAS of your own
Just because shitposters like artchickdick, beaniehead, farokhU, nateTHEcheat, and a horde of others said NFT is an artist’s savior, doesn’t make it so. In fact, as it turns out, they are, and were wrong about many NFT concepts, except the unregulated trading/gambling part of course. They have the manipulative part down to a science. Shitposters do fine. Artists however, not so much.
Many artists still don’t get that they are being groomed by anonymous conARTISTS to support the roll for a group of wealthy tech tycoons who know the psychology of gambling, and who recognize an easy mark when they see it.
None of them knew that I co-own a non-profit art organization that has helped artists since 2004. I’m a paid art and music advisor, but we, as in iADX365 –The Home of International Artist Day have never asked for or received compensation in return for the thousands of hours and tens of thousands of dollars my artist business partner and I have contributed to artists all over the world. We’ve been doing it for almost two decades because we love to help artists. We’ve had sponsors over the years, like Van Gogh Vodka, but we’ve never asked artists for money to support the iAD. In fact, we’ve awarded modest bursaries to many student-artists as encouragement to develop creative careers.
When NFT hit the scene, NEW DIGITAL ARTISTS were preyed upon and fooled by anonymous and covert sales specialists posing as whales, into thinking that artists were going to strike it rich by just showing up. It had a harmful impact on our non-profit organization. Fake whales anonymously shitposted in an effort to devalue traditional artists. Solidarity of artists, as in sticking together, went right out the door, and instead we now have a dangerously polarized and even more fractionalized art industry.
For clarity, this isn’t a rant against NFT or CRYPTO.
I’ve developed crypto and blockchain projects since 2014, well before most people, and especially artists. It’s also not a criticism of artists who possess an intact moral compass. My rant is against uninformed and inexperienced greedy artists who focus surreptitiously and solely on their success. Several months along and MOST still have done nothing beyond a few anemic tweet threads, to further the advance of crypto and NFT, except of course to say Good Morning. Really? That’s it? That’s your contribution, and gateway to riches? Did you see Pleasantville? You should–tonight. We all need to dig deeper than gm.
Interestingly, the only artists that seem to get it, and who make consistent NFT sales, are artists with experience, some of whom are even Boomers! That irony stings, but any artist who has real world experience saw this coming long ago.
Experienced artists, visual and musicians, who are just now entering the NFT arena, have basically been biding time watching the chaotic eager-beaver greed shakeout.
So, I have to ask … are you finished being selfish? Are you prepared to admit you don’t really know what you’re doing, and that selling art ethically, in any format, is way harder than you imagined? If not, please move on, nothing for you to see here. Oh, and btw, YNGMI.
We all know, plus gladly accept, and even embrace that organically, NFT is the tech domain of artists under thirty. The problem unfortunately, is that young artists obviously don’t have promotional skills to leverage it. Consequently, it’s passing you by while older more experienced artists are gaining crossover traction, and again some are even old school boomers.
My best advice for all types of artists is; Quit simping to manipulative conARTISTS building large followings so they have a Pool of Pawns to prop up their pump and dumps. Read it slowly if you don’t get it.
What you’re seeing roll out today is not about creating a Web3 community for YOU. It’s a fan club for shitposters paid by anonymous whales to create a built-in and captive audience. If the only one getting rich is the Clown PFP at the top, you’re not really part of the community as much as you are an unpaid resource.
Web3 Theory vs Reality is still a million miles apart. All it is in Q1, is a good idea that needs education and time.
Instead of wasting your time making a rich guy richer, do something to advance the popularity of cryptocurrencies–the backbone of NFT.
Maybe you haven’t noticed, but banks, investment houses, and governments hate crypto because it undermines their centralized monetary system. They want to kill crypto, and at the very least control it, and are vocal in their criticism.
The video below is shrouded propaganda to support traditional banking. It’s worth mentioning because it illustrates the reason artists need to actively defend crypto and NFT, but it’s not worth watching without a lot of fast forwarding. All it is, is stacked stats focusing on the downside of crypto/NFT and supported by echo chamber comments. It’s perfect for nerds and geeks, but falls short in communication value for anyone who favors creative critical debate … in other words F*CK ARTISTS.
If you don’t do something to keep crypto moving forward, the NFT ecosystem will collapse. Hmm, what to do, what to do?
Here’s something novel; Create protest art that promotes crypto and gets the mainstream thinking in the direction that artists need collectors to go.
Lazy artists are saying to themselves, “WHAT? You want ME to actually take a stand like a protester, like an activist?” You want ME to do what literally thousands of very successful artists and musicians have done countless times throughout history? Artists like John Lennon, N.W.A., Taylor Swift et al?
Yes.
I do.
I want you to paint or photograph a protest picture, write a protest song, and then show it to us on Twitter so we can all help promote it. Collaborate with artists to create a complete protest package that supports and raises awareness for crypto and NFT. Bring a video-maker into the mix and create a long version protest piece of art that promotes and moves crypto forward.
Attach a Smart Contract to your project that rewards each artist in the mix. Don’t forget to include your audience in the profit stream. In Web3 everyone gets a piece of the pie.
If you don’t do this, who will?
The whale who has been herding you into an NFT BUBBLE trap? I doubt it.
Don’t be a frenzied fish … whales are smarter than you think
I don’t want to leave you with the sense that ALL whales are evil, because many are moral and ethical art and music collectors.
Do a bit of research and seek out a whale. It will more than likely be a mini-whale who will provide seed funding to get your protest project rolling. Seed funding gets you in the NFT game and will allow you to build your own community, which is what you need to sell your art. Find a mini-whale who will help you build YOUR community. When you do, everyone wins, including fans and regular collectors.
If it isn’t obvious by now, this mythic Good Morning community you’re building is fire and all, but GM is a PSYOP form of COMPLIANCE that the military and corporate sales specialists have used for decades to manage soldiers and prospective customers. GM is the beginning of the YES SALES LADDER. It forces you to respond in a positive manner. Good Morning! Yes! It is.
It’s nice to be nice, however, Don’t Cut Your Nose Off to Spite Your Face. Yeah, community is good, we all get it, but sacrificing yourself for an idea that might not catch fire for a year or two, or maybe much longer is a reckless and huge risk. It took the internet ten years to really burn, and MP3 about five years to catch fire, so holding your breath waiting for NFT to heat up could take a while.
The reality is that VHS killed the far superior Beta.
If a whale really thinks community is the way to grow, they should fund it by doing more than anonymously buying their own art projects to make it look like PFPs are flying out of the toaster. If you don’t get the toaster reference, you’re too young and NGMI. Sorry noob, it’s a whale joke.
RAISE AWARENESS
via
PROTEST ART
A better solution for all artists and musicians, especially emerging artists, is to leverage activism through protest to raise general awareness Develop crypto and NFT protest art and campaigns that will resonate with your audience, which means wrap social change into the mix and you’ll have a full package.
“But, but, I already protest every day on Twitter ser.“
Unfortunately, complaining isn’t protest, nor is it activism.
It’s basically just whining, and don’t call me ser.
Below is the FIRST VIDEO in our MUSIC NFT series – NFT INSIGHT 2022
(It’s the vid with the song, “Heh NFT, I’ve Fallen for You“
If you have trouble figuring it all out … CONTACT ME be well
