gm,
June 21st is the 3rd anniversary of the Heni Discord, or what I renamed to the "Dots Discord". It's been a really great trip so far and I'm both proud and happy as a hooker with new shoes about it. So how did I get here, to 3 years with the Dots? Read on.
It all started in the summer of 021', when NFTs were heading into tulip mania. I can't recall exactly where, it was probably NFT Twitter, that I heard about this new NFT called The Currency.
I thought the idea of The Currency was clever. Because the project asked a thought provoking question - "what's more important, art or money"?. Back then all I knew about art was I liked Grateful Dead imagery. I'd never heard of Damien Hirst, but I liked polka dots. After reading (okay, scanning) it over I decided to ape in.
On July 16, 2021 I went to the Heni website and filled out an application to score a Currency. On July 23, 2021 I got a "congratulations" email and minted my Currency. I joined the Dots Discord on July 29, 2021 where I've been hanging out since. The trip had begun!
Since then us Dots have been through so much - some of it actually happened. wink:
Each Currency holder was given an additional NFT – Great Expectations (GE's) – for each Currency they held. The GE's are great, I dig 'em. I recently burned 2 of our GE's for physical pieces that'll go up on the wall.
Heni gave a group of Dots a tour of Hirst's studio. Man, that was a day. The Dots were so happy. Hirst hung out with the Dots, he was kind and generous. All attendees went home with a signed spin painting print. Score!
And then came burn day, which was July 27, 2022. Currency holders had 1 year from when the Currency NFT was minted to decide either to; keep their NFT, or burn it for the physical artwork.
It turned out that out of the 10k NFTs, just over half (5,149) decided to keep the physical artwork, and 4,851 to keep the NFT.
So did the burn answer Hirst's question of what's more valuable, art or money? Not decidedly. The decision to burn or not could have had all to with money, or nothing at all. You don't know for sure unless you ask each of the collectors. And even then you might not know. Either way, the trip leading up to the burn - the banter in the Discord - was loads of fun.
A highlight that sticks out these past 3 years was when all the Dots got together in London for the live burn, a street art tour, and party at Hirst's Newport Street Gallery. Watching the burn was a buzz. Being around everyone was grand. Met a lot of really great blokes and lassies. Had a crackin' good time. It was all a fantastic experience. My family and I are making plans to get back to London soon.
Here's videos of the burn. So they'd read off the title of the artwork, the person would hold it up to the camera as proof of burn, then the artwork would get burned. Performance art? Of course. But as they say, anything done well is art. And this was A+. Look at all the detail they went to. An historic performance for sure.
The street art tour was something else I hope to never forget. I can't wait to take my family on this tour, so they can connect the dots.
And then came the party. It was so great to meet some of the folks in the Discord. Some of them are friends to this day. Now that doesn't mean we don't disagree, we do. But that's what friends are for. I wish I could visit with them more often. That's me in my pajamas.
So it's been 3 years. Wow, what a great trip it's been. I know a little about art now, I've fallen in love with it. I got turned onto a book that's a beautiful take on the 12 steps. I've met some great people. And it's all because of The Currency and NFTs.
Yes, I've had more than my share of arguments with Heni, Hirst, and some folks in the Discord. I'll have more. Whatever. What matters most is the people, the memories, and the great trip - in no particular order.
I've seen a lot of NFT projects in the past 3 years. Just about all of them are gone. The Currency, IMO, stands head and shoulders above all NFT projects so far. It's a shining star. Not because all the others are gone. All because of what it has meant to people.
I've always said that whether or not a business qualifies for greatness is if or not the customers would sorely miss it if it was gone.
The same applies here. If The Currency was gone I'd sorely miss it. I know others would too.
So congratulations, Dots. Here's to ya, and many more years.
Dots Dots Dots Dots Dots
Legends Legends Legends Legends Legends
Long may you run,
NFA,
