Jack Butcher, the Belgian designer turned digital artist, has carved a unique path in the world of NFTs and blockchain technology. Butcher first launched his career by designing commercial advertising accounts through agencies and independent shops throughout London and New York. Now, he’s applying that same sensibility to the projects that turn heads and start fires, reflections of his laser-focus to the emergent world of digital ownership and community-sourced artistry. His spare aesthetic resonates with both collectors and west coast cool makers. Through the adoption of open-source principles, he founded himself as a sought after thought-leader in the space.

Butcher’s personal entry into the crypto world started back in 2017. At that point, he was doing blockchain explainer decks for clients at Visualize Value. That experience left him well familiarized with the technology. His graphics were later featured in Eric Jorgenson's The Almanack of Naval Ravikant, including visual representations of Naval Ravikant's viral thread, How to Get Rich (without getting lucky). These accompanying illustrations, drawn in Butcher’s much-lauded minimalist style, were the perfect complement to help cement his equally lauded reputation for clarity and impactful design.

Early Explorations and Landmark Sales

Butcher’s earlier works, especially his 1-of-1 NFTs, exemplified his struggle with the ideas of ownership in the digital realm. These pieces served as a laboratory for his theories. Later in 2021, he went viral celebrating a historic sale of 74 ETH, roughly $123,500, further establishing the growing power of his artistic vision. Fletcher Butcher with his “Six Marilyns” by Piv. This Warholian-inspired work featuring six female CryptoPunks is a testament to his love of the intersection between art and blockchain culture.

"It massively changed my life. I’m still grateful that I stumbled upon those ideas and credit those frameworks for a lot of the massive inflection points in my personal journey and how I thought about putting work out into the world." - Jack Butcher

Despite these initial struggles, he found his footing and started to dream about the new world this new medium presented.

"I was sent a link to OpenSea six or so months before and was like, what is this? It did not capture my attention at all. There was nothing on there that was interesting to me. I just had no idea what I was looking at and clicked out of it quickly," - Jack Butcher

In January 2023, Butcher released Checks, a project that became an immediate demofunk sensation. As an additional motivating factor, it was released as a 24-hour open edition mint at $8 starting on January 3, 2023. Although reservations sold out fast, the project was able to create a lot of positive buzz in the space. Only five days after announcing the Forks, Butcher dropped Opepen, a 0-Eth mint with a shocking rise in popularity. It has already achieved over 87,000 ETH worth of trading volume, which equals about $240 million at today’s prices.

Checks, Opepen, and the Opt-In Model

Central to Butcher's approach is building in public, a strategy that involves openly sharing the decision-making process behind his projects. This transparency is perhaps most prominent and visible in projects like Checks and Opepen. Butcher opted for a model in which holders could actively participate in the reveal process of future “sets” in his projects. This decision was an important way to empower the community and create a deep feeling of shared ownership.

This transparent process allows his audience to experience the evolution of his work. It provides them with a unique opportunity to shape the narrative around them.

"Open sourcing the process gives you so much more surface area to talk about what you’re doing. What’s the alternative? Disappear into a basement for 12 months, come out, and nobody pays attention?" - Jack Butcher

Jack Butcher has expressed reservations about NFT royalties, viewing them as potentially detrimental to the long-term health of the digital art ecosystem.

Royalties and the Power Law

He proposes that creators focus on regularly releasing new work and making it affordable.

"A lot of people ended up in these golden handcuffs, where the focus switches to how do I get the artwork that’s already out there to change hands without making new artwork." - Jack Butcher

Butcher’s view makes sense when considering his overall ethos of self-sufficiency and perpetual invention. Secondly, he focuses on value creation through continued efforts as opposed to value resulting from primary sales and subsequent transactions.

"Expect to get paid for the work you make, price reasonably, and keep building. The people who don’t need royalties get them. The people who need them don’t. It’s just a power law." - Jack Butcher

Butcher's perspective aligns with his overall philosophy of self-reliance and continuous creation. He emphasizes the importance of generating value through ongoing work rather than relying on secondary sales.

"You have to lose a customer to make money." - Jack Butcher