I met with someone deeply involved in the “traditional” art world - through a mutual friend - and as I tried to explain the movement that we’re trying to build a few things were evident (note: the advice they gave me came from a good place and I know they had good intentions to counsel me): - The Gatekeeper Dilemma: They made it clear that unless we go through the “proper” channels, anything we do is not legitimate and is essentially irrelevant (culturally speaking). But we can’t go through the proper channels because “no one” has done what we’re doing before and no one knows us so it isn’t legitimate. - Research: I was told I need to do more research before we try to take on these endeavors - as someone who has spent years devoted to studying ways to globalize this movement, I felt initially insulted but there was some truth in their statement. In order to participate in their game - we’d need to know key players, have a nuanced understanding of internal politics and really know every setting where we want to organize an activation. This is objectively true if we want to integrate ourselves with the “system.” - Unfathomable: Why are you doing this? I was asked - To make money? Sell artwork? Sell tickets? No one does something just for the love of the art (not exactly what was said but that’s essentially what I heard) The old world cannot comprehend or conceptualize a system in which we can create a society built on decentralized entities that create equitable models where all participants in an ecosystem can be rewarded and that all elements of the society are crucial to the ecosystem - and it’s fair - I can barely conceptualize it myself. But I dream of building a world where we create things and build things because we love them and because we want to inspire others to love them too. But how can we expect them to understand how the technology works and what they could do with it if they don’t understand what it’s supposed to do? - Sure, we can wait for the proper channels to let us in or until we have a “proper understanding” of how the world works or until human society evolves to the point in which these ideals are fathomable… But; That’s not what the patrons of the Renaissance did… They commissioned and gifted artwork in public squares so that everyone could have access to beauty - not only the wealthy and powerful. And they created intellectual environments where they challenged the status quo of the world they lived in and imagined the power they had to change it. Are we trying to start a new Renaissance or just be the next trend in an Art Fair? If the proper channels don’t want to give us a chance because we don’t know what we’re doing or no one knows who we are, fuck them, we’ll do what the impressionists did. We’ll organize our own shows, events and exhibitions even if no one comes, even if no one cares, even if no one buys because we love what we do. Love is more powerful than anything money can buy. What can we do when we’re told something is practically impossible? We show them they’re wrong - our mere existence shows them they’re wrong. By standing up for this movement that has the potential to empower so many around the world and it goes beyond just art. All of human history has been shaped by idealists and dreamers who refuse to accept the world they’ve been born in… Solution: we must onboard the masses by exposing them to beauty and creation, so that the every day normal person can marvel at the beauty of our movement while easily conceptualizing the proposal of a decentralized society. It is exhausting to see many argue about meaningless things like what chain, what platform or what artist… The reality is that most of the world believes we’re insignificant - if they even know we exist. The goal must be to have everyone on the planet be on-chain. This is how our revolution happens, how we become legitimized, how we become immortal: the collective decentralized voice of the masses.