What does Nounish mean?

This post is taking part in the Nouns x Kiwi writing contest

If you would prefer to have this story told to you, I've recorded a reading of it here. (It's identical to the written article in every way)

Hi! I'm RobotFishGirl. You may know me as one of the hosts on Noun O'Clock LIVE at The Noun Square for the past couple of years, or from my appearances in Shark Pickle Cone, the Nouns Documentary, among many other places around the Nouniverse. I joined the Nouns community in March of 2022, and have been working full-time in the Nouns ecosystem since June of that year. I've been fortunate enough to find my niche in this broad and colorful ecosystem as an educator; someone who people feel comfortable asking the questions they can't or won't ask anywhere else. Since the beginning, there is one question I have answered more than any other:

Over the years, I've had many answers to this question that fit the situation, but the truth is, there is no singular answer. In a decentralized ecosystem like Nouns has, rigid definitions inevitably try to contain the uncontainable, and thus invariably fail. Nounishness is as varied as the people who exhibit it- but it is there, with those people, that we can find the answers that matter.

Anyone who knows me could tell you that, above all else, I am a storyteller. I consider it my purpose, my function in this world, to collect stories and share them, to give us all a greater understanding of each other and ourselves. So, allow me to do just that. Find a comfy chair, get your favorite beverage, and let me tell you my personal story of Nouns.

I began my nounish journey at the same time I got involved in crypto- After working in corporate IT for half a decade, I was thoroughly burnt out and desperate for a change of scenery. A close friend of mine, aware of my struggles, gave me a recommendation at the metaverse company she had joined a few months prior, to work as a community manager. The details of that are unimportant to this tale, but it was through that work that I first became aware of Nouns.

Now, I had been adjacent to the crypto community years prior- in college, I was mining bitcoin, and though I sold it all off to escape an abusive living situation, the idea of decentralization of both computing and finance had fascinated me for years. I had avoided it in recent times, however, because of the reputation the ecosystem as a whole had (deservedly) gained. What was previously a fascinating ecosystem of brilliant people building an open, global exchange of concepts and resources for the good of all had devolved into a giant unregulated casino. I applied for the job at the metaverse company because it seemed to be focused more on building a space for people than on just making as much money as possible, but it was learning about Nouns that truly fascinated me.

After years of disregarding the crypto space because of what it had become, here was this beacon in the dark, this oasis of positive change in a jungle of hyper-capitalism, red in tooth and claw. People who saw the world needed help, and set out to provide it; and, importantly, who were using crypto tech not because they thought it was an easy ecosystem to extract money from, but because it was genuinely the best way to accomplish their goals. This was also my first exposure to what Nounish meant; making the world better, however you can.

June of 2022 was a tumultuous time for me personally, with some highs and lows in rapid succession. I was let go from the company I had been working at for a few months (which all but disappeared soon after) and was left wondering what to do next. Going back to IT was an option in theory, but I was still recovering from the burnout there, so I decided to treat it as a last resort and look into other options. Serendipitously, NFTNYC 2022 was barely a week later, and as I abruptly had a LOT of free time, I got to spend a few days with people who have been lasting friends and inspirations since- including Prof. Werder, Gami, Aubtoshi, ChrisCoCreated, the Rat Pack, and many more.

There was a lot about Nouns that was exciting, but at the end of the day, it was the people who convinced me that this was a project worth devoting my time to. It's important to note at this point that I am also a transgender woman, and had only begun transitioning publicly a few months prior- I was already running into incredible amounts of hate and bigotry in tech environments when suddenly I was surrounded by people who didn't give a single damn about who or what I was- only what I could do. That level of radical acceptance was utterly alien to me, and it showed me yet another aspect of what it is to be Nounish; to be open and accepting to all, and to trust people's words and deeds over your preconceptions.

Thus, through a combination of an early 401k withdrawal and a truly shocking amount of support from Prop 63, my full-time career in Nouns began. Originally I was simply helping out in the official Nouns Discord, but serendipity smiled my way once again, and on June 13, 2022, The Noun Square was born. Now, these days, when I talk to people who are newer to the ecosystem, many seem to be under the impression that I cofounded TNS- I'd like to take this opportunity to set the record straight and clarify that at the beginning I was purely a spectator. It was only after I lost my day job that I started doing some simple editing work for TNS- they're still up, so if you want a laugh, here's one of my favorites. (Remember when Nouns were auctioning for 60+ eth? Pepperidge Farm remembers.)

TNS at that time was being run as a large collective of contributors, with funding being allocated in retro rounds every 2 weeks in a system similar to Coordinape- the core team would all have a certain number of votes which they divvied up amongst contributors, with everyone receiving a percentage of that month's funding based on those votes. This was my first time experiencing that sort of funding, and for someone with my brain, it was an incredible example of what crypto could do. I suddenly had a job again, doing something I loved that was valued by people around me, in service to a cause I cared about. This exemplified yet another definition of Nounish: rewarding people for their contributions and, whenever necessary, helping them learn what to build to earn those rewards.

Over the last few years I've stuck with TNS as the hub of my nouns journey, and now my day-to-day job and primary income source is hosting the daily Noun O'Clock show and producing its accompanying streams. Through this gig, I've met so many people in and around the nouniverse; and so perched on our virtual clocktower, I've had the privilege of a bird's eye view of what kind of people Nouns attracts. Their traits are many and varied, but there is one that remains consistent throughout everyone I've met:

In all the best possible ways, Nouns attracts some of the most unique individuals I have ever encountered. We've got artists, animators, musicians, dancers, developers, writers, entrepreneurs, chefs, athletes, you name it, and not a single one of them can even see normal from where they're standing. Nouns, as a culture, represents the full beautiful spectrum of humanity. We are all dreamers, striving to bring our dreams into reality, and collaborating in search of that goal. As someone who has always believed in people above all else, it's a beautiful example of that belief being proven.

There is a key feature of Nouns that allows this to be the case- Nouns is open source and open culture. There are many DAOs in web3, but I have seen very few that welcome those who have not the means to contribute fiscally- Nouns, as a culture, doesn't just talk the talk of public goods, and it doesn't pick and choose where it walks the walk. Everybody is welcome, whether you own a noun or not, and this shows yet another definition of Nounish: to be welcoming to all, and to embrace absurdity.

That brings us to the present day, where we must ask again:

I hope, throughout this mermaid's tale, that you have come to your own conclusions. I hope that you aren't still trying to fit Nounish into a rigid definition, to stuff this broad and beautiful concept into a neat little cage of language and expectation. That said, I recognize that some need that structure, so I offer you my own definition, with the hope that you take what you will and make it yours.

The question this story was meant to answer was,

"Is being 'Nounish' a state of mind, a cultural signal, or maybe a way to look at the world?"

After rambling so long, my answer is simple: It's all of them.
To be Nounish is to dream.
To be Nounish is to be unbound.
To be Nounish is to do good without expectation of return.
To be Nounish is to embrace life, in all its ups and downs.
To be Nounish is to learn, teach, give, earn, love, lose, laugh, cry, trust, feel, and Live.