RIDE ON ART #9 KUSAMA DRAGONS
Hello Koda readers. I'm happy to introduce you to another talented NFT artist in this series, "Ride on art". Who didn't want to own at least one dragon when you were a kid?
Hello Kusama Dragons, and welcome to our substack publication!
We should start with the most crucial question and that is actually: Who are you? Who is behind the Kusama Dragons? How did it begin and what was your journey to the NFT world?
Hello friends!
Kusama Dragons' adventure in the DotSama world began about a year ago. The project was formed in parallel to a bond of friendship that was formed between me and Steff, the two founders of Kusama Dragons. We met online during the summer of 2021 and both of us found ourselves involved in the NFT communities of some of the OG projects in the Singular/RMRK world.Even if it's only been a year, it seems like a really long time ago and the ecosystem around us continues to develop unabated! But our adventure is still in its infancy, and we are excited to live all the future experiences for us.
How many people are behind the whole project? Who does what and how many artists are creating? Is it some core team who does everything, or do you find a new artist for every new collection?
The core of the project is me and Steff. All decisions concerning the technical and creative direction of the project are decided by mutual agreement! Generally, we work together on the main aspects. Still, I often deal more with social media management, while Steff concentrates more on technical issues: for example, he's building the new version of our site. In any case, we like to work by sharing expertise and opinions.
Regarding the artistic component of the project, we make use of the help of a hub of artists with different expertise: for example, both Ali and Mitch worked on the historic 2D Kusama Dragons collection. Likewise, they both worked on KoDragons collection, which is released on your marketplace!
Finally, Alessandra is the artist who created the Kusama Dragon Eggs and the 3D dragons that will soon hatch from the eggs.
Why Dragons? Do you still have something new to offer since you'll focus on only one area? Or have you thought about going in some other direction as well?
When the main theme of our collection was to be decided, I remember precisely that we chose the figure of the Dragon for a very simple reason: Dragons are legendary figures with a high narrative charge and present in many cultures, in places enormously distant from each other.
It immediately seemed like an inclusive symbol on which to base our community. As for the possibility of something new in the future… well, we'll see! Indeed many other figures can be combined with the mystical aura of Dragons.
You have a robust community on discord. What would you say is the best thing about joining it? Are there any benefits or events, or is it used mainly for a better overview of what is going on?
Our Discord community is really great and very supportive. We try to build an inclusive space that hosts different cultures and interesting discussions! One of the priority purposes is obviously to keep the community updated on the progress of the project; At the same time, we have organized many giveaways exclusively for our Discord community members, so… you better be there!
Have you ever regret of choosing the DOTSAMA ecosystem for your collection? What do you think are the biggest pros and cons in comparison to other NFT ecosystems?
We have never regretted this choice! The people here are great. We have been lucky enough to meet (even live) many digital friends who have accompanied us on this journey and will continue to do so in the coming years. The genuineness and availability of the people who are part of this ecosystem continue to surprise us.
This is probably the greatest advantage of the DotSama community. Surely, compared to other ecosystems, the visibility is even less. There is plenty of room for growth in this respect, and I'm confident the future will be bright for DotSama.
These times are hard on us everyone. Is there still a future for NFTs and where do you feel the new NFTs hits will go shortly?
These are really tough times! The bear market affects market participants and industrial workers indiscriminately. At the same time, it is normal for such a young sector to go through difficult times. We are talking about a highly dynamic industry with a lot to give (and demonstrate). Obviously, I can't know where the NFT world will go from here… but there are many roads.
One of the sensations I have is that of a sector that will deal more with the issue of fractionalized NFTs, especially at a time when greater hype will return to the market. Many retail investors will prefer to invest in well-established projects, which will often have a prohibitive floor price. Hence the need for fractionalization.
Imagine I'm a random user just finding your collection and you should sell me your NFT by telling three most significant utilities of holding your art to convince me to have one or more. What would it be?
Nice question! Well, not every NFT of the Kusama Dragons ecosystem brings the same benefits. Having various collections in the making process, we can make an example for each one! With the historic 110 OG Kusama Dragons, I believe that the most beautiful utility is unlimited access to each new chapter of our adventure. For example, all collection owners will receive a 3D Egg connected to the purchased OG Dragon rarity and a KoDragon!
As for the 3D collection (Dragon eggs, which will soon hatch into fully equipable 3D dragons), we haven't released the utilities yet. Still, we can tell you that we have already created a DotSama NFT fund whose ownership will be divided among some of the egg owners based on the amount of them in each wallet.
Other utilities will be linked to the possession of certain equipable. For example, some lands that will be equipped on the right hand of the 3D Dragons will be intertwined with the possession and future utility of RMRK lands!
When the KodaDot team connected you. What was your first impression of our marketplace? What do you like the most and vice versa what would you change?
The first impression of the marketplace was great! From an aesthetic point of view, I love the style of fonts, tabs and colours. Also, the platform's minting experience has been smooth and incredibly intuitive so far. Finally, even if the market is very young, there are already a multitude of collections with high potential. If I had to improve one aspect, perhaps it would be the mobile experience, but I am sure that in the coming months, it is one aspect that your team will make great strides on!
What advice would you give to artists who lost motivation or inspiration? What is your trick?
My advice is to stay genuine and never give up! We have gone through (and are going through) some difficult times too. For example, we are having many delays with developing the code that underpins the equipable 3D Dragons collection. Neither Steff nor I are devs, so to manage this essential part, we necessarily have to rely on other people, and not always everything goes as planned.
The important thing is to take responsibility, roll up your sleeves and never give up!
What brought the collaboration KodaDot x Kusama Dragons to our communities and what more is coming?
We couldn't wait to release KoDragons on the KodaDot marketplace! The exciting aspect about the 500 KoDragons is that they are 100% community-based: no whitelist, no presale, no public sale. Most of the supply (about 4/5) will be airdropped to the owners of OG Kusama Dragons and the owners of Kusama Dragon Eggs! The rest of the collection will be distributed through multiple giveaways dedicated to the KodaDot community!
Finally, some KoDragons will be the subject of periodic raffles, in which only the owners of certain equipable from the 3D collection will be able to participate. To accomplish this, we should wait until the egg hatch is finally complete.
Does this the whole team for a living, or does someone has it only as a hobby? How do those around you (family and friends) perceive that you are creating NFTs as work? Or do you surround yourself only with people from crypto?
We certainly take this activity very seriously and treat it like a job! While Steff has already had previous work experience outside of this industry, I am a law student at university, and in many ways, this was my first experience in the world of work. Both my friends and family are aware of my business and support me, even if they don't always understand every aspect of this world.
I appreciate that you found time to answer all our questions! I need to highlight especially one sentence you wrote:
"The important thing is to take responsibility, roll up your sleeves and never give up!"
If our readers should learn one thing from this reading, I think it should be this. Thank you!
WHAT DO YOU SAY?
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Lav you and see you next time!