I have tasted the #NFT nectar…and it is sweet.
The month of February was a journey of #NFT discovery and exploration.
During my initial exploration of NFTs, I became enthralled with tech again. I realized that my love of technology that had been a fruitful career for over two decades, could still grab and hold my attention. It was exciting to learn new modalities of creative expression.
Between twitter spaces, discord and learning the terms and culture, I began to live in my head. I became “dis-integrated”: extremely mentally stimulated, and “down the rabbit hole” for hours at a time.
When I write, I can get absorbed in the story, but with writing I have trained my body to desire movement as part of my writing process.
Like Murakami, who is a dedicated runner, physical exercise helps my writing. Sometimes I formulate entire scenes while swimming laps or taking a walk. The dialogue literally “flows” in my brain.
Creating and learning about NFTs was different. It changed me.
A great place to learn and build community is in twitter spaces. It is a wonderful experience and a great way to meet some fascinating and talented artists. I found that listening and participating in those I would often sit. To do “active listening”, I need to focus. It is different than a podcast where I know I can “rewind” if I miss a point. The technology is very compelling and the NFT envelope for artists has no apparent edge. The possibilities are endless.
My mind was becoming increasingly stimulated. And the #NFTART alone was a daily visual feast of compelling art, stunning photography and vibrant COLOR!
As my brain became more stimulated and fired up, my body became increasingly still.
I would go to sleep and dream of NFTs and wake-up with new ideas for my own collections. Over morning coffee, I would check to see what friends in other time zones had posted.
As a creative and author, at the moment, I am responsible for my own schedule.
Looking back on February I can say I made new friends; I learned that I still love technology and validated that I’m a lifelong learner. And like every other human on the planet, I am quite vulnerable to FOMO, and the addictive nature of social media.
The movie Wall-E several years ago has a scene where people are in lounge chairs watching monitors. I understand how that happens.
I think it would be incredibly tempting to step into, and live in a Metaverse world as Mark Z. describes it.
The more visually stimulating it becomes as the tech evolves, the easier it will be to “feel” like I am experiencing something when my body is in fact at rest.
In 1999 I saw a double feature of The Matrix and Fight Club. Not to give too much away, but that was significant for many reasons. And those two films together are an excellent juxtaposition.
Starting March 1st, when I began my transition back to my pre-NFT writing schedule, it took me a full week to “let go” of the NFT world I had immersed in. It’s like the old story of the monk who meditates in a cave to achieve enlightenment. He does well, but once he steps into the world, he loses the peace he had in the cave.
For months in 2020 and 21, I had found peace and discovered my own creative rhythm as a writer.
March 1st 2022, I tried to get back to that “pre-NFT” place, thinking it would be just like when I had stepped away from social media previously. But it wasn’t the same. And it had a much prettier cloak this time.
I know I cannot go back to my “pre-NFT” self because the experience changed me. Besides, I was lucky enough to get greenlisted on a project I love. So I am “all-in”.
How to be a healthy writer / artist will be my topic of the month here through March as I incorporate what I learned with new awareness.
Rather than say “balance” which implies tension or opposition. I am going to use the word “Integration”.
Until next time, ciao for now.
