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As another year wraps up, it's time for that quintessential year-in-review post. For me, 2023 was a year filled with challenges and triumphs, a period of both personal growth and artistic evolution. From exploring new mediums and themes in my art to navigating the ups and downs of a my career, this year has been a challenging journey. Here's a look back at my artistic endeavors in 2023 and a glimpse into the exciting prospects I'm aiming for in 2024.
I began 2023 burnt out on webdev and all but aimless as an artist. Exhausted and defeated, I quit my job and made art, with limited financial success. I finally minted my greatest artistic pride - my framed physical calligraphy. They remain undiscovered by collectors as I steadily add pieces, quietly awaiting appreciative eyes.
Ever the artistic explorer, I continued on, making countless unshared AI collections and minted just a few gems along the way on MXJXN Editions and MXJXN Artworks.
Fractured Transmission, an AI Collaboration, born from Midjourney and manipulated digitally maybe have been a reflection of my mind state. Corrupted vision, an obscured message, but still shining brilliantly in the void.
In the realm of boundless possibilities, where dimensions intersect and merge, a fantastic landscape unfolds before us, a testament to the union of human ingenu...
AI Oracle, Creator of Worlds Was the other side of that coin. The confidence I gained with my AI and digital toolset had me feeling like a wizard ready to conjure up a better future.
As dawn broke, I confidently resumed minting on Tezos, a particularly active art scene during the bear market. Thanks to Sgt Slaughtermelon I launched a retro-digital AI collection with a satirical name - SHILL OS at the now-defunct GlitchForge. To my delight, they were well-received by collectors!
Inspired to move forward, I decided to mint my first collection on Zora, after a couple years of admiring the work they've done building permissionless tooling for artists and growing alongside other open source teams like Nouns. I had assembled 64 Synthetic Anons for more than a few months prior to minting.
I'd had lofty ambitions for this collection such as deploying LLM Agents based on their traits and allowing owners to covertly guide a Synthetic Anon's social media presence on Farcaster.
https://zora.co/collect/eth:0x0290170d86ae8520a88c48a6e278497f1f853308Relying solely on art income and still weary from web development, it was beyond my grasp then. Cultivating this vision remains a goal, yet achieving it requires bolstering my art revenue for what promises to be an ambitious endeavor.
Though my affection for this art collection surpassed its general appeal among collectors, my passion for creation remained undiminished. I established Circadian Creations on Optimism to mint artworks not generally meant for sale. Unsure of my artistic strategy, I was certain of one thing: the importance of maintaining a public record of my artistic journey.
The Cost of Conflict displays the merciless outcomes of war on civilians and their surroundings. Destroyed homes and broken aspirations highlight the dismal consequences. Through this artwork, we witness war's tangible effects on humanity. It serves as a solemn reminder of the enduring pain warfare breeds. Tools used: Midjourney, Glitchlab
With this collection i began to feel liberated as an artist. I tackled topics I'd shied away from like war and man-made climate change.
How long will this game go on? When our offices are washed away and homes are underwater, will we go looking for the next ones, just to do it all over again? Midjourney 5.2
The shackles of stigma had long restrained me — the taboo of sensitive topics, the displeasure of audiences, the fear of over-minting, and its impact on my "floor price." This new collection became a turning point, allowing me to shed these inhibitions and boldly share my explorations, which had been concealed on my hard drive for years. It marked a significant shift where I could openly embrace and showcase my artistic ventures.
Within the remnants of excess, Unseen creators birth striking visions, Faint echoes lost in the disarray, A collective march through desolate terrain. Midjourney 5.2, Stable Diffusion, Affinity Photo
Despite a surge in inspiration, my income remained negligible. I applied for numerous development jobs, but my recent closed-source web3 experience and sparse 2023 GitHub activity hindered my prospects. Fearing I'd hit a financial wall, I paused my regular art routine to focus on coding and job applications. However, by autumn, realizing the challenge, I shifted gears to seek employment in fields where I had better chances.
I secured a swim instructor role, offering modest pay but crucial peace of mind to reignite my creativity. I returned to Zora, launching free mints (apart from platform fees) on their L2, starting with HYPER GHOULS - an AI-hypermaximalist take on the Based Ghouls collection. It has become my most acclaimed and minted collection since 2021, with the second set recently concluding, surpassing 900 mints in total. Remarkably, for two consecutive months, the revenue from these free mints has surpassed what I earn from my steady job, effectively sustaining my expenses.
Alongside HYPER GHOULS, I developed HYPER ZORBS to support ENERGY, a DAO dedicated to funding on-chain creative initiatives. While prioritizing my financial stability, contributing to such a significant project is a source of pride for me, especially in generating some revenue for their treasury.
Around this time, Nonlinear.eth introduced me to Fabric's latest innovation: Hypersub.xyz, a subscription NFT service. I'd heard him speak at FarCon and knew he was doing great things. To my pleasant surprise, he took a liking to work and we started talking about how Hypersub could benefit me as an artist. Toward the end of November I launched Muse Token: A subscription NFT guaranteeing any active subscriber regularly scheduled art via airdrops, allowlists and raffles. You can read about the details of the first month in my recent articles. Here I'll give the quick rundown.
Here are the already-airdropped artworks:
This piece began as a calligraphy meditation, with pen on paper with watercolor inks. It was photographed and digitally manipulated to change the color palette. Finally it was subtly reinterpreted with AI into several frames which were stitched together into this animated GIF.
A chilly AI interpretation of a calligraphic meditation as a snow-covered living wreath of holly. Minted on the 2023 winter solstice.
"In the labyrinthine sprawl of the city after dusk, where the neon glow seeps into every crevice, a serendipitous convergence occurs. It is an event unseen, as algorithms, like clandestine architects, orchestrate an interplay of light and geometry, distilling the ephemeral human experience into layered echoes.
And only two exclusive free mints have been fully claimed so far. The first is Synthetic Habitats, a series of AI surrealist mini habitats:
The other is Asemic Continuity, a digital reworking of an asemic blackletter glyph made with watercolor ink on paper.
Sunken Sanctuary is inspired by Synthetic Habitats, but created using a more elaborate process. It is a free claim, still open for anyone who was a subscriber in the first month of Muse. It's snapshot based, so if your subscription expired, you can still claim it. There are over 40 people in the allowlist and 9 out of 10 editions are still unclaimed!!
In the depths of an ancient world, where the boundaries between organic life and crafted existence blur, lies the relic known as the "Submerged Sanctuary." It is a fragment of a once-great civilization that found harmony in the embrace of the ocean's depths.
Neon Shores is another AI Collection of 1/1s, open for minting by any subscriber, new or old. You may mint up to two for free! They are 3:1 ratio, perfect for your Twitter Banner.
Take a look at the latest free-to-mint series for Muse subscribers - V1SIONS – A postphotography series of temporal snapshots into dreamlike scenes. A feeling more than a photo, these images each capture some potent essence I feel in various places in a bustling city.
The first three artworks editions of six. Any subscriber may mint one of each - like always, they are first-come, first serve.
My latest collection, 'Encoded Allure,' features AI-generated postphotography of imagined iconic queer couples flourishing in the lively nightlife scene and focuses on distinct expressions of identity. Every piece in the series captures the intricate interactions and relationships within these envisioned scenarios.
https://zora.co/collect/zora:0x7ef1c995188c59fbd6f47a048ebbafa914f96032I am thrilled to break new ground as an artist and creator this year. I grew so much last year, recovering spiritually from a very hard time. I am resolved to make 2024 my best year yet.
I have high aspirations for what I hope to accomplish this year. Without saying too much, I'll give a basic list of resolutions:
Reach 200 paid subscribers of Muse Token
Begin and maintain a Youtube channel
Launch my first web app as a solo developer (and hopefully several more)
Continually explore new ground as an artist
All of this will take a lot of work. I am glad to say I'm more resolved than ever in my life to make it happen.
Thank you for reading. To my collectors past, present and future: thank you for appreciating my art. To my subscribers: thank you for believing in my work. To the community of art appreciatooors and web3 believers, you are a valuable to me. You are changing the world whether you know it or not.
Stay updated on my creative endeavors:
Subscribe to Muse Token! It's 0.00777 ETH a month, and long term subs can reap financial rewards!
Follow the /muse channel on Warpcast
You can also join my Telegram.
and Happy New Year!
Max Jackson
Wondering if anybody would be willing to give me feedback on my article! I want to improve as a writer and content creator this year and that means acknowledging my shortcomings! My own biggest critique is it's mostly about me rather than why I made the art I made. https://paragraph.xyz/@mxjxn/2023-retrospective
This 2023 artist retrospective is absolutely packed with art and outlines my journey from the depths to new highs as an artist. I'm proud to see where the year led me and where i'm heading into the new year. The article also outlines a LOT of available free /muse mints! https://paragraph.xyz/@mxjxn/2023-retrospective
In 2023 I climbed from the depths to revitalize my career as a cryptoartist. In this art-packed retrospective, I recount the lows and highs, the many works minted (including revealing several new LEs, free for my /muse subscribers) and look into the future with resolve. https://paragraph.xyz/@mxjxn/2023-retrospective
An absolutely art-packed 2023 retrospective on my journey from the depths to new heights as an artist https://paragraph.xyz/@mxjxn/2023-retrospective
Am always left feeling impressed after seeing your art on the feed. Solid works.
Thank you King! Really appreciate you saying that! I hope to see you becoming a /muse subscriber this year, if I am so fortunate to have you join up! If not, no sweat - I appreciate your kind words and attention to my art!
While writing, I realized just how much I've grown in the last year. I pulled myself out of an awfully low place and resuscitated my art career. This article is absolutely packed with art from 2023 including 3 brand new exclusive limited editions for Muse subscribers. https://paragraph.xyz/@mxjxn/2023-retrospective
In this article i lay out every collection and artwork I minted last year, and also (attn: Muse Token subscribers) outline every free subscriber-exclusive that is still available to mint! There are quite a few now! Including a new series of three very limited edition artworks under a new V1SIONS contract.
Oops, forgot to make this article collectible – fixed! ~<3