stephanie

Hey. Been absent because of a lawsuit I lost. Long story short, I took the frontline of a case that wasn’t actually mine (see 🧵) and got sentenced; the people I stood up for didn’t make statements. More reason for me to not trust people. So yeah 👍 Sowwy

I want to take a moment and return to this - it will be a bit longer, so hardly anyone will read, but who knows. Disclaimer (for the darker parts of this, especially): these are just my observations / opinions, I am not judging anyone, I am walking in my own shoes only. What Charles is doing here, is something so immensely valuable for artists and the NFT space in general: I believe he is someone who collects simply what his heart desires. In the years since we crossed paths in 2022, there was no hidden agenda, no project he suddenly starts shilling, nothing you need to buy in order to get noticed by him, no weird DM requests, no pressure, no projects he wants you to get into, nothing of all that. Instead, I have seen him support artists for a bunch of reasons: he got some real gems from artists who will definitely explode some days, he purchased from folks because their art is something vibing with him, he also supported folks when they needed a sale, and surely there are many more reasons we would not even know - always a big mixed bag of everything really. Yesterday was one example of many: he bought my OE multiple times matching the price of a regular 1/1 which already is huge. Then, in addition to that, he tweeted about it and giving away 19 of these 20 editions, sending them one by one to people interested (or pretending to be). If that isn't dedication, then what is? Collectors often ask what they can do for artists. Charles doesn't ask, he simply does, hands on. As an artist, you already feel positively overwhelmed by the deed itself, then he tops it off giving additional exposure with a tweet, inspiring others to buy - and giving away extra editions to those who cannot or might not want to afford an artwork, who then get a free gift, and all they need is to leave their wallet address for him. That is appreciation for the art, for the artists, additional exposure, and extra time invested! When artists experience that their collectors not only appreciate the art but help them further by tweeting about their purchases, giving away extra editions, this is a level of love that is really rare in this space. I believe this should be cherished, and I have seen him do things like this so many times over that I know I am not one of a few lucky ones, but I see him bring sales and joy and appreciation to so MANY lucky folks - and if you do not believe me, you can look at the statistics or his wallets on both Ethereum and Tezos until you are convinced. BUT: what I also see happen is that -especially after a big support wave- he is tweeting about his experiences in DMs or other message when folks drop in and complain... that must sour the originally joyful experience, and many other collectors have voiced their frustration about that, too, out in the open, in small groups, or privately. Guilt-tripping a collector seems to be a wide problem for years, and while I am not sure this will ever actually work, it ruins so much: a collector who believes in this space, who knows about artists' struggles, and who -when they can- want to support many will need to draw a line at some point. That might be frustrating for some, but that is just natural. Folks often say the line "collectors are not ATMs", and maybe we should add the reminder that we are all humans here with feelings - collectors, too! When a collector has a budget, and they want to spend it to bring joy, I think they should do it carefree - without having to fear that they face backlash from some who ruin it for the collectors - and their fellow artists. A collector who gets bullied into buying art cannot do it carefree anymore, they will need to become careful... too careful even maybe, to protect themselves. Of course, many folks would prefer a too careless collector because it benefits them, but ultimately, the whole spiel gets ruined this way, too. Both extremes ruin it... but pressure via DMs and such make it hard to stay in the golden middle. Yes, there are too few collectors in this space, but as artists, we need to appreciate those who stayed, who newly join, who re-joined. Others have left out of reasons like these, too. Many of you are getting my airdrops, both to collectors and friends, and it hurts my heart more often than you know when I see their only wallet activity is receiving my little gifts during holidays. We need to be more grateful and appreciative of those who actually stayed and continue to further this space - and think about the reasons why some of our friends and collectors have left. I do not get sales like these every day either, and that is totally okay. I also know that other folks do not have a day job like me and rely on NFTs more financially, and I can also appreciate someone who hustles and works hard. What I do not like at all is when good folks are getting bullied or pressured for something that is definitely not about something most of us are here for: for the NFT art. For the NFT artists. For the NFT community. I know my tweet here made a little detour, but -to be honest- there are times when I have a bad conscience when my art sells. Because I know what comes - for my collectors and sometimes, on a much smaller scale, even for myself. I paint and try out things, and in NFTs, I found the first place where some of that is actually seen, often appreciated, and sometimes even sold. This here is a special place for me, and I know it is cherished by most folks in NFTs, too. Let's hope more people will join who actually believe and want to invest their time or love or even money or maybe even all of that, and that those who try to drain folks, the scammers on smaller and larger scales, do not win in the end. In the meantime, we need folks like Charles who do so much. He does a lot AND goes the extra mile, that's special. Be kind. We are all human here. Love 🤍