TL;DR Ordinals ain’t NFTs 2.0
This must be taken with a grain of salt, since it’s my very personal view as a digital artist who first tried it on webart over 25 y ago.
On Tezos/ETH it feels as if one MUST make beautiful images that look the same every time they’re opened -like only that’s deterministic-, amputate interactivity out of the work and follow a very specific set of rules and limitations to be collected.
90% of the collectors are fellow artists. And most of the other 10% say “art” when they mean “beautiful design”.
Oc there are exceptions. But they’re precisely that, exceptions.
Here collectors and artists alike seem to share the demoscene DNA: the possibilities are so many that pushing boundaries is a premise.
Here, exploration and innovation are encouraged, experimentation is valued. Pieces that evolve are not only respected but often expected.
Ordinals’ collectors feel like soccer supporters (in the best way) I’ve never seen so much REAL interest in the process. Feels like they actually get that the whys are part of the final piece.
Maybe they want more than a jpeg?
Maybe putting more money on the line is what makes them read the whole text of the art piece and really understand what they’re actually collecting?
Why is the BTC blockchain exciting as a (gen)artist?
Firstly, it feels like people here do get digital art, more precisely web3/crypto art, as I mentioned above. They don’t push for “beautiful design”, but for something that is “native”, that belongs HERE. And as a digital artist that is precisely what I’m interested in the first place: questioning.
Plus, I can actually USE the support/blockchain as material! Recursive points, blockheight, historical sats… Its changing data can affect the artwork itself, add a mind/soul to it! That’s huge!
Not to mention how Bitcoin affects everything it touches: from the realm of art, to the entire economy, to the meaning of “lasting”, “collect”, “value”, “history”…
So, while I f love fxhash/teia/Hen for making the blockchain accessible for us living in countries with weak currency, Ordinals are not just expensive XTZ/ETH NFTS, they’re a whole different beast. The one I was waiting for.