This year’s NFT.NYC – the leading annual NFT event – featured a broad spectrum of top projects using Chainlink oracles and decentralized services like Chainlink VRF and Keepers to create novel and compelling use cases.
Chainlink Labs’ Andy Boyan hosted a panel discussion with artist Krystall Schott, who created a dynamic NFT of the most Googled face (her own); Adam Ghahramani from Untamed Elephants, a charity-driven NFT project dedicated to saving endangered animals; and Adam Bauer from Ether Cards, a platform building NFT experiences with notable creators like LaMelo Ball.
The conversation explored the fundamental role community plays in the rapidly evolving NFT space. Panelists shared their passion for NFTs with a diverse audience of artists, academics, and entrepreneurs.
“All you have to do is bring an idea.”
Schott emphasized just how eclectic the NFT community is because of its inclusivity and accessibility. “Anyone with a laptop can [make an NFT],” she said. “You could be not doing it yesterday and then next week be one of the top artists. All you have to do is bring an idea.”
“Seeing that every day is what really pulled me into the space,” she said.
Schott sees NFTs as a way for anyone to claim (or reclaim) ownership of their work. Her NFT project, The Curse NFT, is a 3D rendering of a photo of her face. Though it’s a top Google image for “face,” she’s never received credit or compensation.
“That image was taken backstage at a fashion show and I wasn’t paid for it. It was just put up on a blog and somehow made it to the top of Google and it’s just been there for years,” she said.
“A microeconomy around fandom”
Bauer said NFTs benefit all creators, whether they’re LaMelo Ball-level famous or virtually unknown, because they always maintain control over the monetization of their work. At the same time, NFTs allow fans to authentically and continuously engage with creators.
“That speaks to this opportunity to create this microeconomy around fandom,” he explained.
In Bauer’s view, the feeling of a one-to-one connection between fans and artists or athletes generates the hallmark enthusiasm powering NFT communities.
The composability of the NFT ecosystem compounds excitement for both NFTs and the underlying technology. When Untamed Elephants integrated Chainlink oracles, Ghahramani said, “We got hundreds of meme photos welcoming us to the Chainlink family. That kind of welcome in this kind of socially isolated Covid era just resonates a lot.”
“Build it one person at a time.”
While technology like oracles and random number generation (RNG) make NFTs possible, all three panelists agreed that community comes first.
“When building a community, you build it one person at a time,” Ghahramani said.
And when it comes to forging connections in the NFT world, there’s no shortage of opportunities for those who are simply willing to put themselves out there.
Schott summed it up: “If you just interact with people, you’ll find the resources out there.”
Watch the full panel discussion hosted by Chainlink Labs’ Andy Boyan at NFT.NYC 2021.