Slakesly

If anyone cares for a thesis on NFTs and memecoins, I've spent a lot of time studying art and ideas - degree in art history, 2 decades as an artist exhibiting around the world, professor of art in university. I think I have an interesting perspective and experience to share. There are tons of artists you've never heard of, from all ages. There are TOO MANY ARTISTS right now. We literally can't care about all that art. The idea that art is special and should be universally valued as a heroic endeavor is flawed. But we like the narrative. Why? The artists you know from history are in the available histories simply because they were an interesting part of a narrative that was easy to tell, decade after decade, century after century. That narrative stuck - it's the one you know something about now. This goes for ancient art, and it applies to modern and contemporary art. There have been very interesting artists throughout history who we would still remember today, but have forgotten because their work was not exactly right for the narrative. The narrative is growing all the time, but it gets revised and reimagined regularly. To hold a place in the narrative, an artist has to have done something that supports the narrative - that crafts and enriches whatever is interesting in THE NARRATIVE. Can you explain why anyone cares about Basquiat, AT ALL? He had cool hair, met Andy Warhol, had mentors that coached him to create his own myth, did drugs, and then died. There are like 10000000 MFA Basquiats today that will all be forgotten, but they are too low-IQ and ego-driven to realize that this outcome is a forgone conclusion. Right now, there is an artist-rape machine installed in the culture and economy that serves to extract value from artists by legitimizing and adding the perception of scarcity to blue-chip legendary, narrative-ensconced artworks from the past - artworks already held by billionaire collectors. The continued cultural valuation of contemporary art as PEAK creative heroism fuels the romanticization of life as an artist, keeping the myth alive in the common culture, but failing to bring value to this low-level kind of participant. Most artists quit in their 20s now, often shortly after college or grad school. The strengthened narrative, however, continues to push the dwindling supply of blue-chip prices upwards - established and dying artists from the 60s, 70s, and 80s are a sure bet for billionaires looking for good ROI. Anyway. If you want to buy NFTs and memecoins that survive, assess the narrative. Will people talk about the coin or NFT you're considering buying... a few years from now? Why? Did this asset do anything meaningful? Did it change the culture of the entire scene, and start a new chapter in the narrative? What was the most interesting story you could tell about the last cycle? Do others remember that story? If so, you MIGHT be looking at something that becomes canon in the narrative that sticks for decades, for centuries. Even if you plan to hold for a shorter period of time, this is THE SNIFF TEST for lasting good product. The narrative is going to change, and it's going to change again. Only a few through-lines in the narrative will survive, all others will be forgotten. This is why ethereum:0x72e4f9f808c49a2a61de9c5896298920dc4eeea9 is my main coin, and why I like @sprotogremlins - they originated THE MEME STRUCTURE that was birthed in 2023. Pepe was the first line in the narrative, but the good ticker was the jet fuel injected into the market that inspired wave after wave after wave of endless, soon to be forgotten coins. HarryPotterObamaSonic10inu will not be forgotten. Sprotos will be vindicated. Weird stuff we can't imagine is going to happen that continues to fix this coin in the lore of our stupid crypto saga, and it's going to be amazing. We have KOLs now trying to write the narrative, and they're pretty effective, but they can't rewrite history. No one is forgetting - just not gonna happen. Bye!