i just got a fresh pair of my signature sneakers in the mail today (pictured above) and i am sitting here in my studio surrounded by all the art, clothing, etc that i have created over the years, and it got me thinking about the concept of utility. and more specifically, thinking about how projects led by creatives who are professional creatives IRL can really benefit from that factor when it comes to something like utility.

it is no secret that the majority of nft projects that exist today have no long term vision about how to provide on-going value to their community. then there is the handful of projects that claim to provide utility, value, etc but most lack lack imagination or don’t have the capability to execute on what they promised. then there is the very small percentage of projects that are building w/ their community as a top priority and are thinking of innovative ways of using blockchain technology to provide value/utility to holders. these are the projects that will still be around 10, 20 years from now.

the general concept of pairing utility w/ art (in other words, adding value to a product that goes beyond just the intrinsic value of the product itself) is something that has always been a part of purpose-driven business models and is something that i’ve prioritized in every area of my work over the last decade.

[take my clothing line @hybridnation for example: when you buy an “in diversity we trust” dad hat — you get the obvious value provided by the physical item itself, but you also get additional value from the fact that a portion of the proceeds are donated to important causes AND the on-going value associated with your ability to show the world your support for diversity, social justice, equality, etc without even having to say a word each and every time you wear the hat because the design itself is a statement about your personal values.]

so naturally, as i was developing the love wraps nft project, the concept of utility was a high priority. luckily (or maybe just logically) the fact that i am an artist/designer IRL (opposed to say a non-creative who just hires an artist/creative team to develop their nft project) means there will always be a way for me to create new utility/provide value to the holders of my nfts. that could mean creating custom artwork/clothing or providing free access to my creative/consulting services or leveraging the extensive professional network that i’ve developed over the last decade and so many other things. the point being that professional creatives are incredibly well positioned to be meaningful contributors to the nft space, particularly if they decide to pursue humanity-first outcomes with their projects.

the utility that will be provided by the love wraps nft project will be dynamic and will evolve over time with the project, but similar to my past work will start w/ the value stemming from a charitable aspect built into each nft. every love wraps nft sale will include a donation on behalf of the collector to one or more of our charity partners and the collector will receive the value associated with this innovative + low-friction opportunity to make the world a better place. also, now that we are operating in a web3 world, the philanthropic behavior of each collector will automatically/permanently be recorded on the blockchain for the public to see, which is something that many individuals will consider extremely valuable. we will release a more comprehensive breakdown of the utility provided to love wraps nft collectors, but can confirm that a few lucky collectors will be receiving a free pair of my signature sneakers, which are pictured above (a value of $205).