Ethereum

Lift #695

Collection

Lift by Matt Kane and Deca

Description

How many of the first Etches created can one Etch into an Etch? Answer: 946 Etches Etch#0 The will know us by our words Etch#1 "It is our stories that echo, are retold, become adapted by culture and etched into time. You could not have known when you shared your story the wide-sweeping effects it would have then, now, and into the future. I felt your story. I wanted to lift you up by collecting your art that day. I knew what retelling your story could lead to because stories and context matter. 996 days ago, I scribed to the Ethereum blockchain, encrypted to tx hash 0x58baf56a3125a007cd7d6dcf9aacb78317d8bdd6a132bb9caf315171bd13ed32: ""Purchased out of respect, admiration, and appreciation of a great artist. Lawrence shared his story and turned the course of history. https://twitter.com/LawrenceLeeArt/status/1235428946491006976"" Today, I Etch my story of ""Pilgrim"" by Lawrence Lee as token #1 on this collaborative project I've created with Deca. I collected the artwork, ""Pilgrim,"" created by Lawrence Lee as an NFT from SuperRare on March 5th 2020. It was the morning after Lawrence shared his story on Twitter. Lawrence had replied to my own tweet in which I openly wished that more artists demonstrated they care about the innovation of secondary sale royalties in smart contracts. Lawrence wrote: ""Now that the secondary market is making me compete with my younger self, the lack of royalties is why I'm still working at 72. If I was receiving only 3-10% on the works being auctioned or sold through other secondary channels, I might actually be able to retire."" Instantly I knew Lawrence had given us a story to galvanize our community and humanize the many reasons artists participating in their own success is fair, right, and important. Lawrence is one of only a few artists who brought with them into the early cryptoart movement a fine arts career which had already spanned multiple decades. He'd already been there and done that, including all the good, bad, and the ugly of being a highly sought after gallery represented artist in the traditional art world. The wisdom Lawrence carries with him has proved priceless. In the days after Lawrence shared his story, I created a private Discord and invited about 20 artists to join and discuss what we hoped to achieve in terms of royalties. I'd previously tried stirring our community around the topic several months earlier when I realized SuperRare had dropped royalties from 10% down to 3%. Other platforms were at zero. My earlier attempt to lead a discussion seemed to fall on deaf ears, but with Lawrence's story and my own growing reputation, I felt the time was then and now to charge ahead. It was a dark and scary time at the beginning of the pandemic. Markets were crashing, airports were shutting down, employees were staying home, loved ones were getting sick and dying. It was a time of uncertainty and fear to say the least. All the while, a tiny but mighty band of cryptoartists were discussing how embedding royalties within the heart of our culture, now, before NFTs reach mainstream adoption, could transform the future. As cryptoartists, we understood blockchain to be the future of provenance. Striking this precedent on the ground floor of the culture around this new technology, we had an opportunity to change what we knew to be a historical wrong. The traditional art world had long asked artists like Lawrence to dedicate their lifetimes to building a career of exhibition history and reputation, which adds value to their past work, only to not be invited to participate in their own success when that same past work reaches the secondary sales market. All the while, artists are humans. Humans have the unfortunate habit of coming into this world with bodies that progressively break down in the aging process. Indeed, how does a society rectify asking an artist to compete with their younger self in the face of arthritis, cataracts, vision impairment, and any number of age related ailments? It wasn't just fear of COVID we were fighting in March of 2020. As digital artists, we had for the first time begun to see decent revenue from sales. A couple hundred, just over a thousand, and on some occasion a couple thousand dollars for our artworks. We were all hopeful we could soon quit our day jobs and make art full time. Any artist's dream! Taking a stand for royalties, on behalf of all artists, we had to be willing to risk the potential of being blacklisted by our collectors, investors, and partner platforms. After much internal discussion, we wrote a letter, ran a community campaign, and asked everyone to join us as allies in ""creating this new art movement."" Long story short, it wasn't just the artists who were interested in making this paradigm shift a real paradigm shift. For all of us in those days, it was a solid paradigm shift, not simply a hollow marketing phrase for VCs or investors to use in order to pump their bags. Artists, collectors, investors, and all the art NFT platforms got on board with adding artist royalties to our smart contracts. Artists now and into the future would participate in their own success and the value add they create by pushing ahead in their lives and careers as artists. Many who have joined the space since early 2020 do not remember or appreciate that there was a time when NFT platforms did not offer royalties. Those of us here long enough remember when this was different. As someone who is often cited for leading this group in March of 2020, I must admit that it's doubtful I'd have lead any group or otherwise have success doing so without Lawrence sharing his story when he did. That's the power of sharing our stories and being in the right place at the right time. This artwork, ""Pilgrim,"" was collected by me because I knew the power of Lawrence's words. Of all of Lawrence's work I had to choose from at the time, this piece echoed his story. One of mortality and morality. His image of a stylishly dressed skeleton made me think of the powerful spirits that live within artists, all while these bodies we inhabit break down to eventually only remain as skeletons. As an artist who over a decade earlier abandoned a traditional art world I felt to be corrupt, only to find myself now at the heart of the cryptoart movement, perhaps I too am a sort of pilgrim? I love this painting by Lawrence. Today, as I Etch this story, discussion on Twitter suggests royalties are in danger. But royalties are not what I'm afraid we're in danger of losing. Our culture is in danger. In danger is the promise of our children being born into a more just world which values the humanity and contributions of all players. In danger is respecting the difference between a marketer and an artist. In danger is the integrity of this generation, of this technology, of this art movement. In danger is the very ethos of crypto which values the good of the many over the profit of the few. In danger is understanding the real value behind a borderless, censorship resistant technology. As the cryptoart movement innovated technology and finance, it also created and transformed culture. Lawrence was a key contributor to achieving the royalty standard across NFT platforms that artists receive secondary sale royalties through smart contract automation. The effect has been families of artists during a global pandemic thriving when they otherwise may have struggled. The effect has been a global awakening to all that continuing this paradigm shift as a real paradigm shift can have for the good of the many. The debate over whether artists deserve to participate in their own success has become a truth within our hearts now. For me, these changes begin with the power of Lawrence's story and the power of story telling and contextualization in general. For as much as these technologies change the world, the lone technology requiring change and networking is the human heart. I am grateful for you Lawrence. I'm blessed to know you as a colleague and a friend. It is my hope that many more than just me will want to lift you up, just as you and your story lifted so many of us up. Thank you Lawrence." Etch#2 "We are all the founders of our own worlds. Every step we take, big or small - We find more of ourselves and more of what we are to become." Etch#3 REKT Etch#4 Decal #94 - Series 1 - by Kjetil Golid Etch#5 You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one... Etch#6 "selfGrowth_WIP1 is a study, an alternate possibility; self and self growth are always multifaceted and works in progress." Etch#7 Bitcoin fixes this Etch#8 In the beginning was the word Etch#9 The Token > The Image Etch#10 “I’ve been searching for ways to heal myself, and I’ve found that kindness is the way.” Etch#11 "ART BLOCKS & DECA came together here to move the digital art space forward. This Etch was generated from a gifted Friendship Bracelet and evolved into a mesmerizing image that has HEART and SOUL. It should remind us all of the potential that technology and art have: to heal, to bring communities together, to bring more kindness, love and happiness to the world." Etch#12 They will know us by our actions. Etch#13 "Punk 6529, a symbol of rebellion In the world of NFTs and digital collectibles A rare, one-of-a-kind asset With a history and story to tell NFTs, the technology that made it possible To own a unique piece of digital art Punk 6529, a pioneer in its field A symbol of the power and potential of NFTs A decentralized world, full of creativity Thanks to Punk 6529 and the rise of NFTs." Etch#14 Have you ever seen a dancing worm? Etch#15 XCOPY, a crypto art OG and CC0 proponent, meets Deca, the leading platform for sharing and discovering art on the blockchain. This Decal represents the decentralized spirit of two thought leaders in the space. Etch#16 Yup Etch#17 seize the memes of production Etch#18 To begin, begin. Etch#19 Immutable words nourish transitory lives Etch#20 "Decagon #594 Thank you Mr. Golid for this incredible piece of art." Etch#21 These thoughts, this love, this moment in time, consecrated in art Etch#22 “If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite.” Aldous Huxley Etch#23 I was dreaming and I knew it. so I took control over it. what I always wanted to go through was there for me. I was the fish, I was the red, I was the blue and at the same time, I was bicycling there with passion and power. Voices called me and I answered them. I became the music and faded into the dreamiest narrative. Etch#24 If you don't know where you're headed, you might end up somewhere else. Etch#25 "The Fizzy, a CyberBroker My digital representation of self in The Paradigm Lost, the metaverse, and all digital venues in between. Twitter: @CyberBrokers_ Website: cyberbrokers.com" Etch#26 Sometimes it’s hard to express how you feel art makes it easier. Whether you create or collect it is up to you. Etch#27 "The Nothing" by Pak Etch#28 what a crazy journey since i've made this piece, my first cryptoart themed collage from jan/2021. Etch#29 Words have the power to change the world, inspire and engage, to heal or to harm, unite and divide, create or destroy. Choose your words wisely. Etch#30 ars gratia artis Etch#31 "The first etching I make is one to be burned A Burner being used Seemed the most fitting to learn" Etch#32 You will always be loved Etch#33 "The ghost of chaos is pattern. The ghost of pattern is mind. The ghost of mind is belief. The ghost of belief is decision. The ghost of decision is action. The ghost of action is consequence. The ghost of consequence is chaos. The ghost of chaos is pattern." Etch#34 Collect the art you love. Etch#35 The smile of chaos is an eternal restart Etch#36 A man's best friend Etch#37 gm Etch#38 Luck is the convergence of opportunity and preparation. Etch#39 "Bitcoin assured the freedom to transact. CCO ensures the freedom to express. Deca." Etch#40 1 Etch#41 Ticking of the clock...what have you done with the time you've been given? Etch#42 Be Kind Etch#43 由爱故生忧，由爱故生怖，若离于爱者，无忧亦无怖。 Etch#44 Fidenza #672 will forever be my generative art red pill. Etch#45 Decagon 3 Etch#46 gauntlet Etch#47 Tillamook was captured on a river near the coastal town of Tillamook Oregon. It's a favorite river of mine where many of the Ebb and Flow Collection were created. This decal showcases direct light on water, which is one of my favorite things to explore with my camera. The slight ripples of the water reflecting the sunlight is punctuated by the illuminated pollen floating on the surface of the water, evoking a feeling of looking off into the heavens of space and time. Etch#48 With the ETH I mined, An identity minted, Immutable me. Etch#49 "Touching grass to breath a bit. Going back to the routine, the everyday stress and responsabilities. Touching grass to breath a bit. Going back to the routine, the everyday stress and responsabilities. THE PERPETUAL LOOP OF LIFE." Etch#50 Art has no bounds. Etch#51 If you were a dream I want to sleep forever! Etch#52 Superstars wear red. Etch#53 """Don't trust, verify"" ""not your keys not your coins""" Etch#54 Her Nahuatl name is ICHCAYOH:, meaning: With cotton Etch#55 tryh Etch#56 Lost and Rediscovered Etch#57 Imagination is the beginning of creation. Use the algorithms of your soul and draw your own nature. Etch#58 Never stop learning and growing Etch#59 Tech won't save us Etch#60 "all i see, will never be seen again feelings fade as time slips away" Etch#61 May we tend the flame forever. Etch#62 Ars longa, vita brevis Etch#63 Rosey Nutty Etch#64 Variant within a variant Etch#65 There are three sorts of people: those who are alive, those who are dead, and those who grace the stage. Etch#66 Right at dawn, I came back to life. The world was still there, the sky and all its clouds. But Red was my name and blue was my surroundings. Dying and rising what it was called. Etch#67 Who cares who you are? Do you care about yourself? Etch#68 "Satoshi Nakamoto: ""Hey Pepe, have you heard about my new creation, Rarepepe cards?"" Pepe the Frog: ""Oh yeah, I heard about those. They're the hottest thing in the land of Pepe right now."" Satoshi Nakamoto: ""I'm glad to hear that. I was worried people wouldn't fall for the 'bit-coin' pun."" Pepe the Frog: ""Are you kidding? People are going crazy for them. They're selling like hotcakes!"" Satoshi Nakamoto: ""I guess you could say they're a real 'bit-coin' maker!"" Pepe the Frog: ""Haha, good one Satoshi. You're the master of memes and cryptocurrency."" made by vaje using openai" Etch#69 Answer the question. Etch#70 PEPE Etch#71 The image that released my words. Etch#72 Art Is Utility. Etch#73 it's ok not to be ok Etch#74 What if? Etch#75 "All of my masks All of my mirrors They're jumping from the tower I built Temporary forms that have no more roles to play For I have aligned in the twilight In the darkest hour before day Masks melt in flames Mirrors crack under shame No need to honour them anymore For I now own my pain. From the ( I ) of The Tower I will live on Long after this moment is done. From the ( I ) of The Tower Standing in the storm I stand on fire The moment ever reborn." Etch#76 To cope, or to hope, that is the question Etch#77 What if... Etch#78 GM Etch#79 not your keys not your coin Etch#80 We hold these truths to be self-evident Etch#81 "The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks" Etch#82 goodbye miners Etch#83 Monsters are real, and so are ghosts, they live inside of us, and sometimes they win. Etch#84 One of my favorite Lost Paradigms (@lostparadigms) Twitter NFT banners providing visualizations of the Cyberbrokers (cyberbrokers.com) universe. Etch#85 Fluidity of generative art is preserved within the unique algorithm, endless possibilities of metamorphosis...The transformation evokes deep emotions of excitement, futurism, infinite possibilities ...but what about deeper, more profound feelings... Feelings - is what separates us from the machines. Lest not forget that nothing will supersede the supreme power of human LOVE Etch#86 #666 but UFO. Etch#87 gm Etch#88 I give you the mausoleum of all hope and desire...I give it to you not that you may remember time, but that you might forget it now and then for a moment and not spend all of your breath trying to conquer it. Because no battle is ever won he said. They are not even fought. The field only reveals to man his own folly and despair, and victory is an illusion of philosophers and fools. -Faulkner Etch#89 "What is symmetry in poem? Symmetry has featured in poetry since early times. The tradition of pattern poetry (also known as shaped or concrete poetry), in which the structure and layout of a poem generate a specific visual effect, extends back at least to 300 BC when Simmias of Rhodes composed poems in shapes that displayed reflection symmetry.X" Etch#90 Good Boi Chip Etch#91 Bear the fruit of your desires, loose yourself in beauty, emerge renewed Etch#92 Prescilla Etch#93 A heart shines bright when loved. A heart shines bright when healthy. A heart shines brightest when you know yourself and let yourself be known. Etch#94 GM Etch#95 STEADY Etch#96 "The Duality of Deca As the gon become infinite and the decals become finite A light shines in the darkness A juxtaposing piece that stops all the nonsense An creation that will test the light of day An creation by Matt Kane that give users a say A beautiful code that gives 'one of one' While having the ability of 'many to one' We the Decaverse calls it the 'etch' oh boy, the uniqueness does give me the 'itch' The ability to change the traits, color and code, so overwhelming with continuous layers yet is still the perfect mode A humble leader 'han' leads us the way We cross our hands and follow in disarray As time move on we watch the decaverse grow It becomes so big, new members are in shock and say 'whoa' As we sit here in this moment of time History has been made to the voice of chime So I ask you to lift So the community can make a rift" Etch#97 wen reveal Etch#98 "this world is perfect and it is not what it is" Etch#99 "AI will kill artist. Crypto will kill banks. NFT will change the creative world. Generative art will lead this." Etch#100 Immortality through the language of blockchain Etch#101 one with nature Etch#102 This is just the beginning... Etch#103 At Christmas, all roads lead home. Etch#104 Some things can only be seen on screen Etch#105 An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come Etch#106 Cripdoh Etch#107 "White as snow, black as the night, you still colored my life with the most beautiful art. Your soul illuminates with monochrome aura, feeds my being with nostalgic reminiscence, while your voice speaks to me with radiant colors. Decagon #696, I am in love with you" Etch#108 Art is in the code Etch#109 gauntlet Etch#110 Landscape with Carbon Capture Etch#111 Friends separated by a river of worlds Etch#112 Hardware wallet Etch#113 "The keys, are the dance, the touch, the kiss, pressure points triggers insist, with all elements aligned, to transcend earth's state of mind. On this ground we stand Our feet will plant Our minds will branch Our essence un-leashed just let go feel this rush, & feel the glow. Fly into new spaces, inconceivable places. Surrendering our souls to different faces. " Etch#114 dont worry its just another dream .. Etch#115 "devouring emptiness a sudden echo blossoms sprouted" Etch#116 Humans.Culture.Legacy.Memory. Etch#117 On the horizon it lurks, ever out of reach, the permissionless promise of digital anarchy. Held back by the archaic speech of traditional society. Etch#118 "Verse 1: I'm Punk 6529, a rebel at heart I'm not afraid to speak my mind I don't care what they say I'll do things my own way Chorus: I'm a punk, I'm a rebel I'm a force to be reckoned with I'm a part of the underground I'm the future, I'm the sound Verse 2: I'm all about the NFTs They're the wave of the future,