Tag: digital art

Illinois Crypto Bill Crushes Dreams of Emerging Artists & Web3 Innovators

Illinois Crypto Bill Crushes Dreams of Emerging Artists & Web3 Innovators

• Commentary

This isn’t really about protecting consumers; it’s about protecting the status quo. Unfortunately, the Illinois Digital Assets and Consumer Protection Act (DACPA) shows us all too well what a harsh, regressive reality looks like. That’s especially true in Senate Bill 1797 and House Bill 742. Yet this legislation, wrapped in...

BlackRock's Crypto Chat: Will It Empower Artists or Just Wall Street?

BlackRock's Crypto Chat: Will It Empower Artists or Just Wall Street?

• Commentary

Dewi is a Masters alumni and budding Balinese artist. She spends hours hand-drawing elaborate batik patterns, her fingers permanently dyed blue by indigo under the blazing equatorial sun. She dreams of being able to show her art to the world, but galleries are difficult to get into and online platforms...

AI DApps: Southeast Asia's Artists Will Lead Web3's Revolution

AI DApps: Southeast Asia's Artists Will Lead Web3's Revolution

• Commentary

It’s now clear that Southeast Asia will be the birthplace of Web3’s revolution. Ironically, though, it’s not the venture capitalists or Silicon Valley giants leading this charge. It’s these artists – empowered and protected by AI DApps – who are set to finally be the ones to rewrite the playbook....

7 Ways Blockchain Can Unleash Ethical AI for Emerging Artists

7 Ways Blockchain Can Unleash Ethical AI for Emerging Artists

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It feels like only yesterday that I met Anya for the first time in Yangon last year. She’s a ferociously talented nature painter. Today, she plays with AI art generators, imagining a mash-up of time-honored Burmese designs meeting transcendent, forward-looking forms. The dubious pay-as-you-go model of most AI platforms proved...

Doodles' $DOOD Airdrop: Southeast Asia's Artists Win Big?

Doodles' $DOOD Airdrop: Southeast Asia's Artists Win Big?

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The Doodles $DOOD airdrop. It happened. And while everyone's busy dissecting charts and comparing it to Pudgy Penguins (again!), I'm looking at something far more interesting: the potential seismic shift this could trigger for Southeast Asian artists.Airdrop: A Bridge, Not Just Free MoneyLet’s not kid ourselves, airdrops are usually thought...

Doodles' DOOD Tanking? 3 Ways to Empower Emerging Artists in Web3

Doodles' DOOD Tanking? 3 Ways to Empower Emerging Artists in Web3

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Last week I had the pleasure of talking with Anya, a young, extremely talented digital artist from Myanmar. She makes beautiful, culturally-influenced works, but her pain points of having a difficult time breaking through to the Web3 world is really tragic. She is demoralized by the scarcity of resources and...

Square Enix's Web3 Pivot: A Win for Emerging Artists, Or Just Hype?

Square Enix's Web3 Pivot: A Win for Emerging Artists, Or Just Hype?

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I’ll never forget walking into a tiny indie art collective in Yogyakarta a few years ago. There are so many talented artists there. Last year they had a hard time just keeping the doors open, dependent on pitiful tourist-season sales and sporadic grants. Their stories, filled with passion and frustration,...

Vance at Bitcoin 2025: A Win for Crypto or Emerging Artists?

Vance at Bitcoin 2025: A Win for Crypto or Emerging Artists?

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JD Vance, Bitcoin 2025. Sounds impressive, right? A sitting VP gracing a crypto conference. But let's cut the hype and ask the question nobody seems to be yelling from the rooftops: Does this actually mean anything for the artists struggling in Southeast Asia's burgeoning creative scene?Forgotten Voices Finally Heard?We've seen...

Rekt or Revolution? Why Drink-to-Earn NFTs Empower Emerging Artists

Rekt or Revolution? Why Drink-to-Earn NFTs Empower Emerging Artists

• Commentary

The art world, if we’re real for a moment, can be a pretty impenetrable place. A tiny group of wealthy gatekeepers, some of whom have never even released a game themselves, choose who gets promotion, and who gets… well, rekt. What if the blockchain, and in particular, ostensibly frivolous stuff...

5 Ways US Stablecoin Stagnation Hurts Southeast Asia's Crypto Artists

5 Ways US Stablecoin Stagnation Hurts Southeast Asia's Crypto Artists

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You see, stablecoins, as you might imagine, a lot of times we hear about these in the lens of Wall Street and the institutional investor. Take a moment to think about the real human beings who fall victim to U.S. regulation. As a result, their lives continue to be deeply...

DeGods' Frank Exit: A Warning Sign for Web3's 'Cult of Personality'?

Frank DeGods is out. Poof. And just like that, one of the most iconic characters of the NFT space has departed. While some are celebrating fresh blood and a new direction for DeGods, I can't help but see this as a flashing neon sign screaming about a problem festering within...

DeGods' New Dawn: Can Decentralization Save NFTs From Themselves?

Frank DeGods is out. Realistic goals Two pseudonymous figures we’re calling @0x_chill and @pastagotsauce are all the way in. The NFT world holds its breath. Beyond the leadership shuffle, a more profound question looms: can decentralization really finally save NFTs from the very problems that plague them? Beyond that, will...

Solana's New Tokens: Are Whales Manipulating HOTMOM, DOOD, and IKUN?

In short, are we just seeing Wild West 2.0, but on Solana blockchain this time? Assets such as HOTMOM, DOOD, and IKUN soared in the third week of May 2025. Their increase has been astronomical to say the least. But behind the flashy headlines and impressive daily transaction volumes, a...

DeGods' Founder Quits: Is This the End of NFT Hype or a Smart Pivot?

Frank DeGods is out. After three years at the helm of DeGods, Rohun Vora has stepped down, leaving many in the NFT space scratching their heads. 0x_chill and Pastagotsauce are both really at the helm—that’s a part of what has made these communities powerful. Sales are booming on both Solana...

DeGods Founder Steps Down: Is This Web3's Southeast Asia Moment?

Frank DeGods is out. 0x_chill and Pastagotsauce are in. Sales are up. To be frank, who gives a hoot about the inner workings of yet another NFT project. Unless this season of change in leadership is indicative of something much more. Something that could finally unlock the potential of Web3...

SEC's Crypto Overhaul: Will It Unleash Southeast Asia's Web3 Potential?

Paul Atkins' call for a crypto policy overhaul at the SEC isn't just about Wall Street. It's about the forgotten voices of Southeast Asia. While the US debates becoming the "crypto capital," a vibrant Web3 revolution is already brewing in the region, and the SEC's actions could either fuel its...

Atkins' SEC Promise: Is 'Regulation by Enforcement' Really Ending?

What new SEC Chair Paul Atkins has in mind is nothing short of a revolution – a simple yet bold US crypto asset policy modernization. His commitment? To stop regulation by enforcement and bring in an age of clear, observable rulemaking. It sounds fantastic, doesn't it? Almost as good feeling...

Colle AI's Solana Bet Risks Centralization: Here's Why It Matters

And wouldn’t you know it — literally yesterday from Dubai — Colle AI announced that they are doubling down on Solana. On the surface, this decision might add up to a no-brainer. Faster transactions, lower fees, increased liquidity – sounds alluring for everyone’s NFTs, right? They’re advertising super efficient smart...