Note: This is a reproduction of the original PDF available on my website. That document contains formatting not transferred here that may be of interest.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
As a creator inspired by crypto technology and immersive techniques in worldbuilding, I believe in the power of personal tokens to create a sustainable income for artists through nurturing and rewarding a passionate community. DEIA is an artist token that will allow me to increase the immersion and value of my artwork as well as build a community around my projects.
In this whitepaper, I have communicated the following points:
What is DEIA token?
How will DEIA be used?
How does DEIA create value?
What images and colours make DEIA identifiable in the community?
INTRODUCTION
My name is Ciel Noel and I am an artist and crypto enthusiast. I have performed and exhibited work in Winnipeg, Vancouver, and Toronto in Canada including venues like Tangled Art + Disability, the Vancouver Queer Arts Festival, and The Gladstone Hotel. My poetry was published in Contemporary Verse 2(1) ’s Fall 2019 “Emergence” issue and an excerpt of my upcoming short film “alien cake romance” was screened during Tangled London: Mediations – Media + Activism. My forthcoming novella “The City with No Animals” was shortlisted for Metonymy Press’ Gay Book Lovers Unite competition in 2017.
At the time of release of DEIA, I am a sophomore at the School of Art at the University of Manitoba in Canada. In my first year I was selected to be in two different art shows. This year, through my work study position at the School of Art Gallery, I have created a report about online art exhibitions in experimental platforms and will be curating a first-of-its-kind art exhibition in Animal Crossing from March 5 to May 7, 2021. My work at the School of Art Gallery is giving me experience in curating as well as collections management.
My work uses immersive installation, crypto technology, game design, salvaged materials, gardens, romance, and alchemy to explore the intimate mythology created through pain and ecstasy. I enjoy the wilds of liminal spaces and exploring conversations between art, desire, and transcendence.
I am passionate about crypto and have included it heavily in my artwork and writing. I have been involved since 2013 when I bought my first bitcoin. I became more heavily involved in crypto in 2017, becoming one of the first Community Mods for the CryptoKitties discord. CryptoKitties is the creator of the ERC-721 Non-Fungible Token Standard and arguably the first playable game on the Ethereum blockchain. I also curated an art project called Slothicorn on Steem for several months, before Steem was forked to HIVE. At its height Slothicorn upvoted the work of 10 artists per day, allowing them to earn income from their work, and was delivered in three languages.
DEIA is my personal artist token(2) that will help facilitate my Small Magics(3) project. It uses blockchain technology to ensure scarcity and value. There will only be 84 million DEIA created, split across different blockchains(4). 21 million have been created on the Ethereum blockchain at contract address 0x20BC390cA7F67e26EC8eCd4D83f4F925D580049C. 21 million will be created on the HIVE blockchain, through the use of Hive Engine(5). As of February 1, 2021, only the initial disbursement of 2,280,000 has been minted through Hive Engine(6).
After an initial distribution to jumpstart the economy, DEIA tokens on the Ethereum blockchain and the HIVE blockchain will be distributed monthly and staggered over 10 years.
UTILITY
DEIA tokens will be available for redemption for artwork, books, and other projects that I create. It is also my intention to experiment with gamifying and using DEIA for puzzles, especially the Materials Collection puzzle that is embedded in all of my work starting December 2020.
Through using different programming techniques, I can create a new level of immersion in my work. Historically, my most immersive projects have been live installations where audience members walk through physical spaces and interact with actors disguised as characters from the narrative. Using games, coding, and technology I hope to extend this immersive experience to an even greater degree.
VALUATION
The value of DEIA is underpinned by two sources: the initial art object (IAO) and a growing collection of my own work, both physical and digital, known as The Small Magics Collection.
Initial Art Object (IAO)
For the IAO, I have chosen to create a chapbook called Spellcasting. Spellcasting was published on December 26th, 2020 and includes two of my poems that were published in Contemporary Verse 2’s Fall 2019 “Emergence” issue(7). These poems were also incorporated into paintings and prints that were exhibited in two separate art shows in 2019 and 2020. In its first week, Spellcasting was a bestseller on Amazon in Canadian Poetry(8). Spellcasting represents both some of the most significant professional work I’ve done in the last few years as well as my potential as a creator in the coming years.
From launch day, 1 DEIA can be traded for 1 digital copy of Spellcasting, which retails for $2.99 USD. Other art objects will be made available in exchange for 1 DEIA token each through the course of my projects.
The Small Magics Collection
Along with the IAO, the value of DEIA will be underpinned by a collection of my artwork, projects, and related materials(9). This collection is made of tangible assets that will increase in value throughout my career as an artist. Certain objects from the collection will also be available by redeeming 1 DEIA each(10), further underpinning the value of the token. Because I am a writer and an artist, this collection will also include any short stories, novels, and related material I choose to publish as part of the collection.
REDEMPTION
Every DEIA that is redeemed for an art object will be removed from distribution, making the remaining tokens more valuable. At the time of launch, DEIA can be redeemed through DEIADrip.com for digital copies of Spellcasting. Other redeemable items will be posted on DEIADrip.com as they become available.
DISTRIBUTION
For DEIA token’s distribution, I am focusing on a model that allows me to build a strong community. Below are tables describing the distribution numbers for the token. The first table displays total numbers(11), while the second table illustrates the initial disbursement as well as the monthly distribution over 10 years.
Table 1.1 DEIA Distribution
| ERC-20 Token | Hive-Engine Token | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Small Magics Projects | 6,999,300 | 6,999,300 |
| 2. Community Distribution | 6,999,300 | 6,999,300 |
| 3. Mining Distribution | 5,002,200 | 5,002,200 |
| 4. Artist’s Distribution | 999,600 | 999,600 |
| 5. Token Stewardship | 999,600 | 999,600 |
| Total | 21,000,000 | 21,000,000 |
Table 1.2 Monthly DEIA Distribution
| Distribution Channels | ERC-20 Initial Distribution | ERC-20 Token per month (120 months) | Hive Engine Initial Distribution | Hive Engine Token per month (120 months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Small Magics Projects | 999,300 | 50,000 | 999,300 | 50,000 |
| 2. Community Distribution | 999,300 | 50,000 | 999,300 | 50,000 |
| 3. Mining Distribution | 202,200 | 40,000 | 202,200 | 40,000 |
| 4. Artist's Distribution | 39,600 | 8000 | 39,600 | 8000 |
| 5. Token Stewardship | 39,600 | 8000 | 39,600 | 8000 |
| Total | 2,280,000(12) | 156,000 | 2,280,000 | 156,000 |
Small Magics Projects
This distribution channel is for any Small Magics project that I conduct. This may include gaining resources to successfully execute projects, rewards for participation in projects, or any other unforeseen uses that enable me to create interactive and engaging projects.
Community Distribution
This distribution channel is for direct distribution to community members who engage with my work. This may include giveaways through newsletters, rewards for community engagement, and other unforeseen channels.
Mining Distribution
The tokens for this distribution channel will be held in reserve until I initiate mining at a later date. This may include rewards for staking tokens, liquidity mining, or other unforeseen channels.
Artist’s Distribution
This distribution channel is for my personal use and will be sent to my personal wallets.
Token Stewardship
The tokens for this distribution channel will be held in reserve for now to support the health of the token economy at a later date.
TOKEN DESIGN
Logo
The logo for DEIA token is a sans-serif capital “D” with the inner space shaped like a moth. It was designed by Battleax Bunny in December 2020.
Palette
The colours to identify DEIA are warm and related to my current favourite colours. Many tokens default to cool colours, possibly due to the desire to present a professional business image. As an artist token, I want DEIA to find a middle ground between professionalism and welcoming.
The palette for DEIA token and related materials was inspired by KimiVengez(13) who pulled the colours from an original artwork by Alexis Trice of WelcometotheDoghouse.net(14). While you cannot copyright a colour palette in derivative works(15), I would like to acknowledge the source.
CONCLUSION
DEIA token is a creative and challenging experiment that I am excited to work into my projects and use to create a passionate community around my work. The initial value is created through my Initial Art Object (IAO) and a growing collection of my work. As an artist, I already have significant professional experience to create a viable contribution to the community and have concrete plans to use DEIA token to increase the immersion of my projects. DEIA will have a staggered distribution over 10 years and I will use a variety of tools to ensure it is viable despite changing technologies in the crypto space.
References
- Contemporary Verse 2 is a literary journal published in Canada.
- The first example of a personal token that I found was $ALEX issued by Alex Masmej.
- “Small Magics” is the umbrella term I use for all of my artwork and creative projects, as they are all linked by a narrative thread.
- The DEIA token is distributed across different blockchains to ensure the stability of the token and community. The Ethereum blockchain and the HIVE blockchain both have positives and negatives that can be eased through a combined token offering. As the artist issuing the token, my own personal feelings influence this choice as well. I personally have spent the most time with these two networks and currently feel most passionate about engaging with.
- Hive Engine is a platform that provides smart contracts on a side-chain for the Hive blockchain.
- 42 million DEIA are held in reserve to be created at a later date on blockchains of my choosing. This gives me another tool for ensuring the usability of DEIA in the long-term should something happen to the Ethereum blockchain, HIVE blockchain, or the Hive Engine platform. Ideally, 21 million of those DEIA will be issued on a blockchain that works with the Bitcoin (BTC) blockchain as Bitcoin is the original cryptocurrency.
- My poems were published under the name “Ciel Sainte-Marie”.
- “Best Sellers in Canadian Poetry.” Amazon.ca Best Sellers: The most popular items in Canadian Poetry. Accessed December 27, 2020. https://www.amazon.ca/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/5790352011/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_digital-text.
- I first encountered this idea in the $whale whitepaper. The $whale token is backed by a basket of NFTs purchased by WhaleShark. It’s a ground-breaking approach that I wanted to merge with the idea of an artist’s personal token.
- To create genuine value with DEIA, I’ve decided to offer a 1:1 exchange ratio for any art object that DEIA is redeemable for. Whether it is a chapbook, a painting, or a game the ratio of exchange will be 1 object for 1 DEIA.
- To repeat, these number are based only on 42 million of the 84 million total DEIA that will be created.
- Content creators who issue their personal tokens on Roll are issued 2,000,000 to start their economy. The rest of the tokens are staggered over a 3-year period. Because DEIA has a higher cap on tokens, I’ve extended the distribution period for DEIA to 10 years.
- “At Sea..” COLOURlovers. Accessed January 2, 2021. https://www.colourlovers.com/palette/1754492/At_Sea.
- “Unnamed Photo / Photo Palette.” COLOURlovers. Accessed January 2, 2021. https://www.colourlovers.com/photocopa/135338/Unnamed_Photo.
- “How Can You Copyright a Color Palette?” COLOURlovers. Accessed January 2, 2021. https://www.colourlovers.com/faq/18/How_can_you_copyright_a_color_palette