“If you know you know.”

That was the only description + criteria given for the 6th JPG Canon, the IYKYK Canon.  

This wide open approach was different and more experimental than how we’ve approached prior Canons, the first five of which were discussed in the community beforehand and designed to be rather objective. 

For this list, then, people could just have fun with it and be extremely subjective, and the chips would fall where they may via the governance process. 

In the ensuing community discussions, some saw this list as a directory of alpha, others as a list of underground projects that deserve more attention. What’s come out on the other side via voting is an eclectic mix of NFTs that’s somewhere in the middle of that spectrum. It, like the projects that have been voted into the list so far, is now something singular and surprising and whose future is still being written. 

All that said, let’s go over a few highlights of the IYKYK Canon as it stood after the completion of its first voting cycle: 

1. 🦠 Folia Virus - 95 For / 3 Against

2. 👤 mannys.game - 91 For / 0 Against

3. 👻 DotCom Seance - 88 For / 3 Against

4. 🖼️ Every Icon - 88 For / 3 Against

5. 📜 Certificate of Inauthenticity - 87 For / 6 Against

6. 🏁 Fini - 87 For / 5 Against

7. 🌱 Mutant Garden Seeder - 85 For / 7 Against

8. 📚 Various Books - 85 For / 0 Against

9. 🥇 First First NFTs - 84 For / 10 Against

10. 🎭 frankfrank - 83 For / 4 Against

1. 🖐️ fiveoutofnine - 36 For / 34 Against (48.57% Against)

2. 📐 Hexamillennia - 34 For / 30 Against (46.88% Against)

3. 🎱 055 Artifacts - 18 For / 14 Against (43.75% Against)

4. 🌪️ Chaos Packs - 18 For / 9 Against (33.33% Against)

5. 🧬 NudemeNFT Genesis - 48 For / 24 Against (33.33% Against)

6. 📝 Prompt: Exquisite Corpse V3 - 18 For / 9 Against (33.33% Against)

7. 🌍 Who's Outside - 18 For / 9 Against (33.33% Against)

8. 😃 EMOJIPACK - 19 For / 9 Against (32.14% Against)

9. 🌷

Re: IYKYK curatorial tension

🗣 Who: Misha de Ridder

✍️ Quote: “Somehow there's also some tension in IYKYK. In the sense that I think in one way it is social bonding — maybe also in a sense of like — Social Contracts ... but if you don't know, it also has an excluding ring to it - then again it is also not tribal because it can be very personal also. In my opinion it balances somewhere in between which is very interesting also in the sense of a curatorial model or concept.”

Re: Grappling with the meaning of IYKYK

🗣 Who: LoVid

✍️ Quote: “First time voter! I'm sure I missed a lot of the explainers but just saying, there are a few categories I notice here: 1) tech nostalgia, 2) art/internet culture references, and 3) specific processes that need context or explaining [...] At it's best the way I see it [this Canon] is about the small hassles and solutions, little adapted habits, and thinking patterns around shared experiences rather than some central obvious main item.”

Re: Figuring out a voting criteria

🗣 Who: Mitchell F. Chan

✍️ Quote: “Yeah, this was actually my favorite [Canon] to vote on so far. I wasn't sure exactly what criteria I'd end up using as I voted, but what I personally ended up with was: if I saw this NFT in someone's wallet, I would assume they were cool and we could be friends.”

The IYKYK Canon is a testament to the many interesting perspectives found across the NFT space. It showcases a wide range of projects, from the widely supported to the totally bizarre, reflecting the nature of the NFT ecosystem itself. And this list is not static but continues to be shaped and refined by the community's input and voting! 

If you're interested in participating in this collective process, join the JPG Discord and help us collaborate on the newest Canons, the Indie Collections Canon and the Audiovisual Canon. Come say hey and we’ll get you up to speed in no time, or dive into our Beginner’s Guide to JPG whenever you want 🤝