Storytelling is a fundamental part of being human. From spoken word Greek mythologies to written word memoirs and biographies, we remember things better if it’s in the form of a story.
And some of the most famous artists we know of today, such as Van Gogh, would be unknown had their own writings never been published nor communicated to the public. History, and art, consist of narratives.
Del is not new to the NFT scene and I first chatted with him shortly after the Fungible in April 2021. He works professionally as a video game artist (graphic designer) and entered NFTs as a collector first.
Del is a clear thinker and expert at storytelling and communicating in a digitally native manner, bringing us to an acquaintance with NFTs, unlike any other digital artist. This allows his collectors to be part of those narratives and CREATE their own digitally native narratives (and identities) with Del.
Such clear communication and narratives drive value in incredible ways because an NFT isn’t just an image, it’s a token that allows for multivariate storytelling. Del, polytropos and polymetis himself, creates digital equivalences of storybooks.
Communication connotes the ability to listen, to remember, and to understand. I joke sometimes that the ‘N’ in NFTs stands for Noise since there often is too much of it day to day in the space. What this implies is that for those NFT artists who can communicate, they are able to reach audiences. No easy feat. And those who can reach audiences and have it stick will thrive. Del has been collecting, observing, and learning about NFTs well before he did his drop and understands how best to communicate (in his own way).
Let’s just take a quick look at Del’s first three NFT drops:
MetaEmotion: two editions of 15 each were sold at 10 ASH ($200) and the last sale was 1337 ASH ($27,000)
The Token Beyond the Image: single limited edition of 120 was sold initially at 16 ASH ($318), and the last sale was 600 ASH ($12,000)
Upcoming drop Balance on Feb. 18 will have 2488 NFTs at 6 ASH ($120) each that allows for merging and dynamic interaction
Why is Del so effective? Here are a few reasons (among many):
Del understands his audience and maximizes the effectiveness of digital communication channels in Twitter and Discord, connecting storylines together. For example, Del’s discord is expertly set up with bots that drive purposeful engagement, stress tests his members, makes it fun, and at the end of the day, allows members to discuss his NFTs and CONNECT to the NFTs. For example, in Del’s The Token Beyond the Image drop where the image changes after a certain period of time, Del did something truly incredible:
A) As the image of the NFT changes (which tied back to the Pak economy), collectors formed discussion groups tos share their interpretations of what they saw in the image, luminous and poignant – why are the figures facing different directions? What is the meaning of the frame?
B) These discussions further emphasized that NFTs are not just images, they are tokens which is the medium on which to create digital pieces
C) Despite the elegant digital craftsmanship of the image, all of this leads to questions and knowledge and smart engagement – I have never thought about a single NFT “image” as much as in Del’s Token Beyond the Image NFT, and it was infectious to be with other collectors who shared their own interpretations. This is very much like a fun art history precept in university days
All at once, Del also communicates clearly and consistently on Twitter, which creates a very nice dynamic: his tweets tell collectors when and where to buy, which leads them to his discord where they actively look/engage/think/discuss what they have bought, and there are feedback loops across Twitter and Discord in a clean, crisp manner. There is nothing cryptic or off message: narratives are focused so his collectors can focus
Starts small, underprices deliberately: Del’s pieces have all been underpriced deliberately with low edition sizes, and there is a reason for that:
Del follows the Banksy approach of focusing on value creation for his collectors, and here the value, while inclusive of price appreciation, isn’t only about price appreciation.
An astute observer who shares his knowledge, writing, for example, how to do a proper NFT drop (takes one to know one):
Understands perception: Pak showed how important NFT collection titles matter, and the importance of perception. Del carefully titles his works so that they create the perceptions he so chooses. His background and understanding of economics, psychology, and art history also help him shape his narratives.
For example, Del has mentioned the importance of distribution and how, if a majority of collectors of a drop only have 1 piece and that piece grants access, they are less likely to sell that piece (or burn it).
This was one of the smartest tweets I’ve read in 2021, and the instant I read the thread I knew Del was an incredible communicator. In the tweet thread, he clearly communicates WHY major art auction houses entered the space. I felt smarter after reading it and having it translated to other languages.
1000 true fans: Del does not seek to be all things to all people. During the whitelisting process for his recent drop Balance, because it involved a game requiring patience and a modest amount of effort, some of his discord members left out of frustration. This was totally fine to Del as those who stayed will have spent time understanding what the NFT is about and as a result, is more likely to be a collector longer-term (and given the time they invested in understanding).
Terrific partner: while this thread is focused more on Del, I would be remiss in not mentioning that all smart contract and technical aspects for The Token and Balance are created by his 50/50 partner 0x0000G who has solved myriad technical problems when it comes to smart contract implementation, launch site, minting, image display, etc. I simply don’t understand the technical components enough to do this justice but having a wonderful technical creator in 0x0000G, just like Pak has in Manifold, is essential in turning ideas into reality.
One of the enduring traits of the NFT space is that there is always noise. And too much of it at times.
For me, Del is one of those NFT artists who rise above the noise and not only creates beautiful images but can communicate supremely well his designs, a paragon of value creation, a digital Homer showing how the modern-day NFT odyssey may be traversed. His style is rhythmic, the narratives fast-paced and enchanting.
It’s a story that will keep unfolding, of value that is more than meets the eye.
Disclaimer: While I am friends with Del, I have not purchased any of his NFTs (yet) nor did I consult him in the writing of this article. This is also not financial advice to purchase any NFT. All opinions in this article are strictly my own.
ASH -> $100