Chromie Squiggles
On why people buy squiggly lines on the internet and what you can learn from them
This is a series where I share the most interesting web3 projects that are changing how we live, work and play. Rather than explain how they work in detail, my intention is to focus on why these projects matter. Think of these pieces as starting points for your own rabbit holes. I’ll give you a glimpse of what’s going on in web3, and if anything resonates – dive deeper!
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Read time: ~4 mins
These are Chromie Squiggles:
They’re colourful, animated squiggly lines with varying traits; stored and traded as NFTs. Kevin Rose thinks they’ll be worth at least $1m one day and in 2021, someone paid over $2.8m for a Squiggle. You probably think they’re crazy. You may be right, but aren’t you even a little curious about why they think so? After all, as Chris Dixon says, the next big thing will start out looking like a toy.
Squiggles are deceptively simple. It can be hard to get past them being just squiggly lines on the internet, but I hope to help you see them from a different lens.
To start, what exactly is a Squiggle?
Squiggles are an example of generative art – art that is created algorithmically using code. They were created by Erick Calderon, a.k.a Snowfro. The art of generative art, is setting the rules of the algorithm in a way to produce visually appealing or interesting results. One of the coolest parts of the process is that the final output is subject to an element of randomness. The artist sets the inputs but even they can’t perfectly predict what the algorithm will spit out – leaving room for some fun surprises.
What makes the Squiggle special?
Generative art is not new, but one day, we may look back at the creation of the Squiggle and see it as a turning point in the history of generative art. As I understand it, generative artists haven’t had it easy financially. To make a living, they typically generate thousands of outputs, curate a few of the best ones, and hopefully sell them.
Squiggles were created by Snowfro as a proof-of-concept for ArtBlocks, a blockchain-based platform for generative art (a.k.a on-chain generative art). As opposed to artists selling their curated final outputs, Snowfro conceptualised a way for collectors to co-create the final artwork. Essentially, artists upload their algorithm to the blockchain and allow collectors to pay for the right to generate their own, unique output.
To help you understand how it works, imagine this simple scenario:
the algorithm’s output is a shaded circle
you provide the algorithm with an input that’s unique to you, like your fingerprint
the algorithm uses that as an input to randomise the size of the circle and the colour, and spits out a circle unique to you
if you were to repeat that process, you’d get an entirely different circle
if anyone else were to go through the process, they would get different circles to you
This has some interesting implications for generative artists:
it unlocks an entirely new and better business model, which provides a new channel to support their ability to make a living. The longer term implication of this is that it unlocks generative art as a more viable pathway for future generations
it raises the bar for generative art because every output matters. It’s no longer about whether an algorithm can create a few impressive outputs that the artist curates, but whether it can produce a large quantity of unique and desirable outputs. It would be pretty boring if you got a medium-sized red circle every single time.
Why should you care about Squiggles?
From what I can tell, most Squiggle collectors are doing so in recognition of their historical and cultural value. Owning a Squiggle is like owning the early prototype of a new technology, or one of the first paintings. You could see it as a bet on NFTs, on-chain generative art, ArtBlocks or Snowfro himself. However, you don’t need to own a Squiggle to appreciate them. In fact, most of the world won’t ever own a Squiggle, given how expensive they are.
Instead, you can think of the Squiggle as an entry point to understanding the history and potential of blockchains, NFTs and platforms like ArtBlocks. Despite its appearances, learning about the Squiggle could lead you down many deep rabbit holes – from the technology, to the art, to the creator economy, and so much more.
Want to go deeper down the rabbit hole?
Here a few great resources to learn more about the Squiggle and on-chain generative art:
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