Cats and Cancer, Iron and Power

How NFT Artists and Entrepreneurs are Overcoming Adversity and Building Resiliency with Blockchain Technology

By: Jamil Hasan

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Many different words have been used to publicly describe Non-Fungible tokens over the past two years. Just JPEGs. The future. Not the future. Stupid. Contrarian. Just digital art. Stupid. Not so stupid. Overvalued. Overhyped. Along with any number of countless adjectives, NFTs can be whatever you want them to be, for you. While NFTs have gotten a rather “bad rap” at times, its underlying technology (blockchain technology) has had an even rougher time of it, especially Bitcoin that has been pronounced dead several hundred times. While much of the discussion is based on this inhuman technology and valuation of NFTs, what has not been highlighted is the artists’ and entrepreneurs’ stories of courage, perseverance, resilience, and humanity behind the art.

This thirteenth book in the Crypto Hipster series, entitled Cats & Cancer, Iron & Power focuses on just those stories, and draws upon five Crypto Hipster podcasts. Arabella Proffer, an artist from the gallery world, shares how NFTs and cannabis helped her to build resiliency when faced with terminal cancer. Graham Wallington, founder of Wild Earth NFT, discusses his passion for biodiversity and saving the lives of endangered wildlife. Sophie Watts, founder of Metacurio, offers her views on crypto from the Red Carpet, including her experience collaborating with famous boxer Mike Tyson. Paddy Power, founder of ASX, talks with us about how he is betting big on the future of rugby. And Steph Ishler, founder of Retro Cats NFT, describes how she overcame homesickness while building her art career in South Korea.