Thread by @jitterypixels

A thread about @jackbutcher and @jalil_eth's opepen.

This is not a TLDR on the project.

It’s just some observations that I, as a fan, holder, and creative person, find ingenious and interesting.

Let’s go…

First, I think opepen is a brilliant articulation of a creative concept Jack phrased this way; The tighter the constraint, the more creative the solution.

Jack has proven the effectiveness of this idea many times. First with @visualizevalue and again with #checksvv.

Often, new artists or anyone jumping into creating anything for the first time think constraints are stifling. They want to be able to create whatever they want, sky’s the limit, etc. “How can I create a masterpiece if I’m constrained?”

What they quickly run into is a brick wall. The infinite possibilities become paralyzing and they can’t create anything.

Paradoxically, constraints free you. They channel and focus your infinite creativity.

Here’s a pop culture example you may be familiar with. In the late 90s, a guy from Detroit decided to start a band. Most people would say, okay, I need guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, maybe a couple vocalists, etc.

But this guy said nope. The two of us are just using guitar, drums, and voice. That’s it. And the White Stripes became one of the most unique and innovative bands of the times.

Jack White’s use of the concept didn’t end with the music, either. It extended to their wardrobe, album covers, and music videos. Which all became instantly recognizable.

Jack White’s articulation of the concept? “Telling yourself you have all the time in the world, all the colors in the palette, that just kills creativity.”

Back to opepen. The visual template we have now, thanks to Jack and Jalil iterating in public with the community, could not be simpler or more constrained. It’s just four cubes, right?

Yet the possibilities created by this template are truly endless. Be honest, who hasn’t thought of an idea within this constraint? I know I have.

The second aspect of opepen I find incredibly fascinating and brilliant is the way it manifests another of Jack’s theses as it relates to community building; “A continuous mechanism for expressing the values is what is needed.”

Maintaining attention in today’s culture is hard. Maintaining attention in web3/NFTs is near impossible. As a project founder myself, I speak from experience 😂😭.

So many projects we see day after day are static. After the initial drop, keeping attention becomes more about manufacturing hype, rather than an organic, dynamic mechanism within the project itself.

The continuous mechanism the fellas have constructed here, through the simplicity of the artistic form (which invites endless participation), combined with the sets and release mechanics, keep the community organically engaged for the long term.

This active engagement captures attention and creates FOMO, more people enter, and voila, an ever-spinning flywheel and community is born.

The third aspect of opepen I find incredibly fascinating goes back to the art form itself.

As the final geometric form took shape, the community began using AI to create the Pepe shape out of numerous other objects, in other worlds, formats, and expressions.

The technique itself isn’t new. Salvador Dali often created shapes constructed from other elements. Human faces, dogs, and skulls to name a few.

Brands have used the technique as well. Most notably, Absolut Vodka. Absolut created an ad campaign around the iconic bottle which lasted for YEARS.

Absolut also happens to be another great example of Constraint. Every execution in the campaign featured the shape of the bottle front and center. The endless creativity came in the way the bottle was articulated.

What makes this technique so interesting to me in opepen is that it is a real-time demonstration of the fundamental nature of “meme”; An idea that spreads through culture, constantly evolving, with added meanings and adoption.

This simple geometric form of Pepe is supercharged with the ability to show up anywhere and everywhere. Every clever iteration and thought-provoking juxtaposition brings new perspective and meaning to the OG meme itself.

Meme IS project IS meme.

Anyway, that’s all I have for now. Endless admiration for what Jack and team are creating here. So happy I get to participate in it. If you got this far, thanks for reading 🙏🏼