Honey, I minted an NFT!
Recap: Jessica celebrated Amy’s achievements.
“Hello, Singapore!” exclaimed Amy. Her arms danced in the air as she pranced out of Changi Airport. Passersby couldn’t help but watch this exuberant arrival, but Amy paid no mind to their curious glances. Meanwhile, Zack trailed behind her, keeping a polite distance, quietly maneuvering a trolley loaded with two hefty suitcases. His oversized sunglasses masked his association with the spirited Amy.
Amy’s first time setting foot in Asia has definitely filled her with sunshine, much like the radiant Singaporean weather, bursting with joy. In fact, Amy has been smiling now and then since she received the invitation from TZ APAC to be one of the artists to exhibit her works in Crypto Art Week Asia 2022 in Singapore. But what really excited her was Jessica was also invited and she will be flying in from Sabah. They were finally going to meet in person.
Amy and Jessica had recently collaborated on an NFT project. It was a series of animated Gobi and a little bird, pixelated as well, called Twi, with music composed by Jessica saved as GIF files. The series tells the story of Jessica and Amy’s friendship since they were pen pal as kids. And each of the NFTs brings a profound message.
The story starts with Gobi, the dog, enchanted by Twi’s enchanting song, interpreting it as a melody meant just for him, responding with joyful barks. The twist was that their owners lived on separate floors within the same condominium, conveying a message of fate’s undeniable hand in their connection. The narrative continued, illustrating their exchange of affection purely through tweets and barks. Tragedy struck when Gobi’s owners moved away, but fate magically reunited them when Gobi heard familiar tweets again.
Not only the NFT arts and songs have caught collectors’ attention, but the story has touched a community formed because of the characters and the heartwarming story.
“Zack, I am so nervous and so excited!” said Amy, grabbing Zack’s arm tightly. “I’m finally meeting Jessica!” She was restless during the 30-minute ride from the airport and kept asking the Grab (an e-hailing app) driver if they were arriving soon.
As soon as the car was pulled in front of the hotel lobby, she jumped out of the car and dashed into the hotel lobby, leaving Zack behind to deal with the luggage.
“Jess!” Amy spotted Jessica right away and ran toward her and gave her a big hug. “I am so happy to finally see you,” Amy burst into tears.
“Me too, Amy,” Jessica’s eyes welled up and she sounded like there was a lump in her throat.
“You two big babies,” Zack walked in and gave the 2 ladies a big hug with his long arms.
“Hi, Zack, so good to finally meet you too,” Jessica greeted Zack with a hug, “and we have so much to talk about. But we must make our way to the exhibition center soon. Let’s get you both checked into the hotel room.
“There are so many people here!” said Amy.
“There are people everywhere these few weeks in Singapore. There are a few big events going on at the same time, including Token 2049 and the F1. Everywhere you turn, you will bump into someone,” explained Jessica.
The exhibition primarily featured Asian artists, and Amy’s invitation stemmed from her collaboration with Jessica. During the exhibition, they were interviewed by an online art magazine. When asked about the unique essence of their NFT art, Amy expressed, “Art is art. It evokes emotions, tells stories, delivers messages, and resonates with people, whether it’s an oil painting, a Chinese ink painting, or a digital piece. Minting artwork as an NFT preserves the history of the event in an immutable manner, facilitating the transfer of ownership and building the credential of the artist.”
“Amy puts it so well,” Jessica agreed to Amy’s statement, “Minting our project into NFTs allows us to collaborate even if we are thousands of kilometers away. By minting on Teia, we don’t have to worry about sharing the proceeds, as the smart contract will handle that right away. Once the buyer finalizes the transaction, our respective shares are instantaneously credited to our accounts. Fast and easy!”
“Precisely, so we can focus on the creative processes and promoting our creations!” Amy chimed in.
When asked about their next plan, Jessica said, “Our community is growing very fast and we would like to engage with the community and involve them in our future projects. We might look into the concept of setting up a DAO. We have no idea how it is going to be done, but we are not going to stop here for sure.” Jessica looked at Amy and they both smiled.
The day ended with a dinner hosted by TZ APAC for participating artists. Lots of ideas sparked from exchanging ideas with other artists.
As Amy and Zack’s Singapore adventure concluded, they left with plans forged alongside Jessica, confident that their paths would cross again, soon.
The end.
All rights reserved.
The events depicted in this chapter are based on actual occurrences, with timelines and particulars modified to fit the narrative.
