Some unorganized Saturday morning thoughts that began as a tweet... but on second thought, better served as an unstructured love letter.

NFTs were my real entry point into crypto in 2021. They turned me into something I never imagined I’d become: an art collector.

Growing up, I thought “collector” was a word reserved for the wealthy. People with wine cellars, white walls, and gallery relationships. But then I bought my first NFT, and everything changed. Suddenly, I wasn’t just appreciating art… I was owning it. Supporting it. Sharing in something alive and evolving.

Today, I collect both physical and digital pieces. I have a collection I’m proud of that lives across both spaces. I’ve also commissioned works from artists I deeply admire – sometimes for myself, sometimes for the people I love.

But maybe more important than any piece I’ve collected is this.

After working with tens of thousands of artists at HUG, I found myself leaning into my very own “artist’s way.” I’ve put plenty of photography and writing onchain. I’ve found a surprising creative rhythm in poetry. I’ve fallen into vibe coding – tiny tools and interactions that blur the line between play, art, and code.

When I joined Privy, I was excited from day one.
But a part of me was nervous.

After spending the past four years advocating for artists, working with galleries and curators, would people see this as a departure? How do you go from building a creative community to building infrastructure (which, let’s be honest, sounds yawn in comparison) – one that powers how money moves on the internet?

The thing is, infra doesn’t scream emotion the way art does.
But it is just as fundamental.

Because the truth is, I’ve watched artists and platforms struggle – not for lack of talent or originality, but because the systems around them haven’t kept up.

Just look at:

1. Efdot's whose upcoming collab with 0xdiid, CITIES, launches on Art Blocks June 16. It’s a generative collection about urban sprawl and emergence: code that behaves like cities themselves.

   

2. Adamtastic, whose work continues to evolve. This year’s pieces feel bolder, more emotive, yet still unmistakably his in color and movement.

   

3. Gina Choy, an academically trained fine artist and PhD research scholar, whose work draws inspiration from nature as the algorithm on both canvas and code. She will be having her solo show in New York from June 21-23, and I can't wait to see her best works on display.

   

4. Joelle LB quietly crafting ToveSkargard, an AI-driven collection experimenting with dithering and texture. It’s both eerie and intimate, and I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

   

The creativity is there. The work is brilliant.
What’s missing is reach. Velocity. Conversion.

We’re simply not bringing in enough new collectors, fast enough.

That’s the root of the problem, and the part I’m now trying to help solve.

At Privy, we’re obsessed with making crypto feel… invisible. Seamless.
Because we know what the tech can do. Most people just don’t know how to use it.

But if we make it easier to own a wallet, we make it easier to own art.

If we can make stablecoin not just a form of payment but a way of life (frictionless, familiar, and flexible), then maybe we turn more art lovers into collectors.
More appreciation into participation.
More observers into patrons.

Because that's exactly how I got here.
Four years ago, I was just someone who loved art.
And someone made it easy for me to buy my first NFT.
I've not looked back since.

So this is a love letter... but it’s also a commitment.
To the artists who keep showing up.
To the collectors who may not know they’re collectors yet.
To everyone building the tools that make the culture flourish.

Growing the internet economy means many things.
But I hope it means this, too:
That artists win. That creativity thrives.
That we stay in it, together.

Onward, I love you all so much. ❤️