Exploring the Heart of the CryptoPunks Community With Tschuuuly

Affectionately referred to as the “kindergarten teacher” of the CryptoPunks Discord, Tschuuuly recounts her experiences in mediating conflicts and nurturing a harmonious environment, crucial for the thriving of this dynamic community. Her deep engagement in the space extends beyond keeping the peace; as a collector, she offers profound insights into the allure and significance of CryptoPunks in the broader scope of digital art.

Her story is one of serendipity and enchantment as she describes how her role evolved from a mere observer to an active participant and peacekeeper within the bustling Punks Discord community.

In the eighth episode of “Punks As Told By CryptoPunks,” a revealing new docuseries presented by CryptoPunks and nft now, we explore the world of CryptoPunks, delving into the fusion of digital art and cultural phenomenon. Featuring Tschuuuly, a seasoned collector, artist, and moderator for the Punks Discord community, the episode offers a unique perspective on how CryptoPunks transcend mere pixels to embody a lifestyle for OG Punks.

Matt Medved: What was kind of your first impressions? You said you fell in love. What do you remember from your first encounters with the CryptoPunks project?

Tschuuuly: Yeah, well, I tried Discord. I saw the punks for sale. I had a quick overview of all 10k and I immediately flicked us thought like, wow, this is eight-bit aesthetics that our generation grew up with. Immediately touches the heart when you think of the old point of click at the computer games and Monkey Island and Indiana Jones and stuff like that. Also, it’s punk, which is pretty cool because I have a punk background. I would say I’m a punk. So I really liked them, and also being the first known collectibles that are art, collectibles, profile pictures, and social experiments all in one thing with that aesthetic. So it was obvious to me that I needed some of those, and I want to be part of this.

Tell us a little bit about it, like explain what Discord is and why it’s so relevant to crypto punks. It’s so important to the project as a whole.

The whole was used by gamers in the early days to organize themselves and talk about their games, but by now, almost every crypto project has its own discord. That’s where the community hangs out and discusses the project, venting and exchanging everything from the daily GM to the good nights, sharing personal life, discussing alpha, and sharing projects. And yeah, it’s a vivid space where, especially in the early days, there was so much knowledge and exchange going on that was really, really valuable, and I learned a lot.

“That’s where the community is hanging out and discussing the project, venting, and exchanging everything from the daily GM to the good nights, sharing personal life, discussing alpha, and sharing projects.”

Tschuuuly

How much time would you say you spend per day on Discord?

Between a couple of hours, like sometimes the whole day sometimes it’s just dropping in occasionally checking out everything’s peaceful and nice good. Nothing to do for me. I’m kind of the kindergarten teacher of the plants discovered I used to set up because I used to have DM discussions with people fighting in the discord, and I was talking to each of them in the background, trying to get back on track and in most cases have worked some cases but doesn’t matter. How

How does Discord kind of compare to other communities that you’ve been a part of before, like whether they’re digital or even IRL?

Well, I’ve been in many discards and groups, but then punks discovered in the early days. It was really like a family of super genius smart kids that hang out together and discuss the hot new shit and really deeply discuss it like pro-Contra. And there were lots of these. Still, most of the people from the early days will be different now, with new people trying all the time. But it’s still a place where projects get discussed in a very deep way. And there’s lots, lots of interesting stuff going on. And if you have a question and you ask it there, you will get really good and qualified answers within a very short period of time. And if you need help, there will be help. So, it’s a very supportive community. It’s a community with lots of various kinds of talents, and meeting those people in real life was really amazing. So it seemed so punk to draw a certain kind of person that comes with lots of good qualities and, yeah, great people.

What do you think gives the pumps Discord its magic? So many people talk about Discord being this birthplace that not only like brought people together but also spawned really important projects like art blocks, etc.

I think it’s the punks that draw for the people that bring out these qualities. And also by gaining value. It gave me tools that helped me cash out some of those great projects. So, by growing in value, the punks, punk owners, and all these smart people suddenly had the money to realize their dreams and make those cold projects happen. So it’s a mixture of the I think it’s a cool people, and I think the reason why there are so many great people is that punks draw these people in, so the cat dragged all of us in

As a curator yourself, where do you sort of see punks in like the trajectory of contemporary art, digital art, and this sort of like a new chapter in our history that we’re kind of writing right now with, you know, this with web three technology NF T’s and beyond?

Yeah, probably almost everyone would give the same answer like they’re one of the first big projects on either first NFT project that really kicked off all those other projects. I mean, there have been other tokens and art projects before, but I think tanks were the first that really gained the attention of the masses. Even though John might say they’re not artists, they’re still artworks, and they are being handled as artworks and received like everybody in the community agrees that they are artworks, so seeing them in big museums now. No big surprise by now; it’s not in question anymore, the CryptoPunks are art. They are the first profile picture and project of that kind, and they are collectibles. They are tokens that give you access to Discord. So it’s the first time that that art has so many use cases, so that’s really interesting. And that’s what kicked off a whole generation of projects, getting into these, filling these steps like being a profile picture, project, and trying to be art as well, but not many managed to really get received as art by the apples into the community.

“So seeing them in big museums now, it’s no big surprise by now; it’s not in question any more the CryptoPunks are art.”

Tschuuuly

Did you consider yourself like an art collector or a collector before CryptoPunks, and if so, what did you collect?

Well, I studied art, so I collected some physical art from friends of mine. We had a lot of exchanges where I would do a video for them, and they would give me an A painting. Also, whenever I got some money, I bought from friends of mine, which I wanted to support and like so in my flatters lots of art already. And yeah, so I definitely knew that punks art as well and that any collecting NF TS is a really good form of collecting art because you don’t need storage. You can look at it and show it to everyone. It’s really nice to have it on your phone. So when I bought my first pranks, I really looked at them very often. I’m like, Ah, this book, so much joy having them in my wallet. It’s really cool.

I love that. How many punks have you owned in total?

With the ones I sold, there are only a few left now, but I think I have around 32 or something.

If you had to describe the ethos of the punks community, how would you describe it?

Lots of deep conversations and lots of empathy and friendliness, helpfulness, and Yeah, fun against fun. It’s, Oh, it was always about, like, hanging out, having fun and learning, learning and developing. It’s really interesting what happens and what unfolds around them. What people join the discord? What kind of people are buying them? How do people see them? There’s so much to add, and there’s definitely some magic. It might not be the right word, but it’s definitely something that sparks a lot. And yeah, you should, you should treat the punks well, so we deserve them.

Watch the full eighth episode here. Check back each week for new episodes exploring the project’s evolution and interviewing notable figures across the CryptoPunks community.

Editor’s note: This interview transcript has been edited for concision and clarity.