# Higher, Bitch.

*The birth of HB*

By [Crudenode](https://paragraph.com/@catra) · 2025-12-25

higher, hb

---

In March 2025, a slogan started floating around the [HIGHER](https://farcaster.xyz/~/channel/higher) community: **"Higher Bitch."**

It was a line from [colfax](https://farcaster.xyz/clfx.eth) that just stuck. People shortened it to **HB**, but the energy stayed the same. Before long, [_blankspace_](https://farcaster.xyz/blankspace), [_kugusha_](https://farcaster.xyz/kugusha.eth), and [_chic bangs_](https://farcaster.xyz/chicbangs.eth) were playing with the lore, trying to figure out what it actually meant. It turned into a bit of a "choose your own adventure" for the acronym: _Higher Bitch, Happy Birthday, Hot Babe, Higher Beast, Higher Bestie, Higher Buddy, etc._

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/f49560011382100ad9d5e3c1d0065182c74ad62774af7f8715eb55bb7f719bb8.png)

When _blankspace_ dropped the first HB, a toad, things clicked. People in the community started making their own versions. I started making mine. It wasn't a project yet; it was just people having fun.

[![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/328b7a5e99ed38ee3584ede323b6bd097644b485cb0fdd41fb735691191e7c12.png)](https://farcaster.xyz/blankspace/0xb817be8b)

[![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/6f5f5fb5c0791baa3fa9e41b441bba3d5b801141ab9ac4117ae827c506e08206.png)](https://farcaster.xyz/blankspace/0xb817be8b)

### Getting organized

The shift happened when [_jihad_](https://farcaster.xyz/jihad) suggested turning these into a real collection. I liked the ethos of Jack Butcher's [Opepen](https://opepen.art/), so I used that as a blueprint and pulled everyone into a group chat on Farcaster.

[![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/cffb1224630831952b6baff5959fd4704faa7e000d5960acd6aaaf66bf05e18b.png)](https://farcaster.xyz/catra.eth/0x34bded99)

I’d never managed a group of artists and builders this big before. We had over 40 people in there, including [_ripe_](https://farcaster.xyz/ripe), [_danielrotter_](https://farcaster.xyz/danielrotter), [_lght_](https://farcaster.xyz/lght.eth), and [_humpty_](https://farcaster.xyz/humpty.eth). My goal was simple: keep it positive-sum and keep egos out of it.

We agreed on three things:

1.  Work on a shared canvas.
    
2.  Anyone can jump in.
    
3.  We teach each other as we go.
    

For three weeks, the chat was just us sharing AI prompts, swapping designs, and building out the canvas.

### The Curation

By the end, 16 contributors had created over 200 pieces of HB art. To keep the collection tight, _blankspace_ and I stepped in to curate. It wasn’t about being a gatekeeper; we just wanted to make sure the final set felt right.

We landed on 111 HBs from 9 artists. On April 22, we minted on [Highlight](https://highlight.xyz/mint/base:0x8Df7E66bCa78A503cd189EE9979A8bd5ffb01eAc?sorting=date_desc). It sold out right away, and all the funds went straight to the people who made the art: the contributors and the selected artists.

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/e25359eecabf9562fbd23aa9754e758d09b83b34711c990246ec571558e4a54f.png)

### What’s in an HB?

Each HB is tagged by the artist who made it. We also added "H wearables", a little nod to HIGHER culture through branded gear. The "Type" usually depends on the species or the specific lore we were building at the time.

### The HB Universe

The original 111 pieces were just the start. We’re expanding this into an additional 10 seasons, with 100 drops per season, aiming for 1,111 HBs total. The community and the OG holders get to pick the themes.

So far, we’ve done three seasons with a total of ~40 contributors and ~25 selected artists:

*   **Athletics**
    
*   **Pulse** (Music)
    
*   **Obscura** (A spooky-themed set led by [_MB Stuart_](https://farcaster.xyz/stustustudio))
    

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/b560d41b653419b56872dfddd4157ce2d8002f0629527156eaf47d23b776acac.png)

In January, we’re dropping **HB4: CHROME**, with [Cactus Lockwood](https://farcaster.xyz/cactuslockwood) leading the way. HB4 Submission phase is closed, and the details of the curation process are [here](https://farcaster.xyz/cactuslockwood/0x8fb9938b).

![](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/f0fc0b3b277c8753a8e5fc65297bc89b81891acdef406cb18c88d5fb011f2354.png)

The HB canvas stays open. You can add to it, fork it, or remix it as you see fit. HB is just proof of what happens when a group of people decides to build together instead of over each other. It's a shared experiment in decentralized optimism, and there is still plenty of room to grow.

Keep it positive-sum.  
Aim Higher.  
And HB for all.

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*Originally published on [Crudenode](https://paragraph.com/@catra/higher-bitch)*