The Bitcoin Muse

This week on the world’s premier Bitcoin art podcast I speak with Gus Grillasca whose multi-year efforts as a Bitcoin artist have led him down many paths, To some, his rebellious, fun-loving spirit may be triggering but since he found his way to Bitcoin art through pepes, he seems quite comfortable being a potential thorn in your side and to keep your mind pried more open than it might otherwise be. I think Gus makes some reasonable arguments that a more stubborn person, even someone like me, can be persuaded or at least entertain the idea that we haven’t figured it all out. And part of me, even though I like a slim and slender chain, and recognize the true value of scarce block space, there is a window here where artists are at the forefront and one man’s bloat is another man’s expression. The more I do this podcast, the more I realize the answers don’t lie in the present. What we have here is record for historians, decades or maybe centuries from now to evaluate the nascent and profoundly important role bitcoin is playing in the history of art. Remember to rate share and subscribe to The Bitcoin Muse and at the very least tell someone creative in your life about what I’m doing here. Alas, I hope you enjoy this conversation with Gus as his time in service to bitcoin combined with his aesthetic judgment is worth contemplating and perhaps make some room for the novel ideas and artistic exploration he embodies.

"I'm trying to find different ways to talk about bitcoin without using too much contemporary visual language." — Jure Kastelic This week on the world’s premier Bitcoin art podcast I’m joined by painter Jure Kastelic. whose recent, large paintings evoke mythological themes of old melded with the emerging themes that Bitcoin inspires. He's got a great experiences inside the oft-maligned contemporary art world and a family history directly affected by hyperinflation. He's a photographer who found paint was a better medium for exploring bitcoin's unfolding effects on humanity. With some work measuring as large as two meters wide and equally tall, Jure's work is figurative, textured, colorful and somewhat surreal and mysterious. Obviously, I'd encourage everyone to visit his website or Instagram feed to see his work for yourself but if you're driving I can say his work reminds me of Gauguin in Tahiti and Degas mixed with Gustav Klimt and hints of the surrealist, Giorgio de Chirico. It's original and inviting that bears contemplation in its painterly subtleties. With titles like "Pleb with laptop," "Mrs Honey and the Badger" or "P2P" they are smile-inducing nods to Bitcoin and bitcoiners. Be sure to check them out at your leisure at jurekastelic.com or linked from thebitcoinmuse.com. As always, I'd love if you could take a minute to rate, review and share this podcast on your social feeds and with your real life friends. I'm still waiting for a review from someone other than my dad or wife. And if we're ever going to break the ad model of the 20th century I'd encourage you to listen on a podcasting 2.0 app like Fountain or Breeze. There, 10% of all streams and boosts go to OpenSats to help fund bitcoin and other free and open-source projects. And now, we join my conversation with Jure Kastelic as we were discussing the turning of the tables where he's the guest on a podcast rather than the guy listening them. He's not my first guest whose never previously been tapped by the legions of other Bitcoin podcasts but I'm going to put a feather in my cap for that and let you enjoy this episode of The Bitcoin Muse. Please remember to rate, review and most of all share this podcast with the world. Let's try and raise the profile of art and beauty in this world all to often dominated by macro doom & gloom and divisiveness. Let's instead share inspiration about bitcoin and those creating bitcoin art.

"When I hear people talk about Bitcoin it's like a movie trailer for the future." — Michael Gambino This week on the world’s premier Bitcoin art podcast I’m joined by my friend Michael Gambino, co-owner with his wife Lisa of an advertising agency, Kangbino, a college professor and a painter, illustrator, filmmaker and musician. We sat down together in my living room to bring his unique perspective on the matters of bitcoin art and creativity. While he's not a steeped in the bitcoin ethos as I am, I think his innate sense of curiosity and open-mindedness is a treat to explore and to bounce ideas off. We've been friends a long time and he's endured any number of my attempts to orange pill him and his wife. He's always asked interesting questions of me along the way and today's conversation was no exception. It's just us sitting in the same room, a first for this podcast, and letting the conversation drift naturally across the landscape of art and bitcoin. He's the kind of person who makes a good barometer of where we might be in the timeline of the emergent Renaissance 2.0 and I hope you agree. Before we get into it, I'd love if you could take a minute to rate, review and share this podcast on your social feeds and with your real life friends. And remember if you're listening on a podcasting 2.0 app like Fountain or Breez, 10% of those streams and boosts go to OpenSats to help fund bitcoin and other free and open-source projects. Also, a quick note. we recorded this podcast a few months ago and I was holding it in reserve. As a result I broke my streak of mentioning Pubkey somewhere in our chat. Instead, I just said it now so I'm gonna say that counts! Cheers to all of you listening to and sharing The Bitcoin Muse and enjoy the episode with Michael Gambino. Guest Links: Website: Kangbino.com Etsy: KangbinoGallery Vero: kangbinogallery Instagram: @kangbino_gallery Facebook: KangbinoGallery Mentioned in This Episode (sort of): Pubkey | Website

"If someone says they want to be dressed as Rambo riding a unicorn over a rainbow, I'm your guy. I'll make that happen." — World of Rusty This week on the world’s premier Bitcoin art podcast I’m joined by World of Rusty, a memetic engineer, a meme artist, a memer...It's hard to find the right term for this low-fi, brutalist form of messaging so he's our guide to the abundant world of bitcoin memes. As a member of the non-existent collective known as the Memefactory™, he's a passionate artist often consumed by a project for himself or any number of high-profile bitcoiners. Our conversation started in earnest with some kind words about my podcast and we were off to the races. Please rate, review and share this podcast with your circles. Ideally you're listening on a podcasting 2.0 app like Fountain or Breez so 10% of those streams can go to OpenSats to fund bitcoin and other free and open-source projects.

"I see Bitcoin as a counter-culture like Punk or Grunge." — Moozi This week on the world’s premier Bitcoin art podcast I’m joined by Moozi, a creative voice that only recently popped onto my radar. An avowed bitcoin maximalist who his training is own AI models to evoke what he sees in bitcoin. Weather it’s his Persian-inspired painterly swirls or glimpses of an emergent fashion, his work focuses on an ethos of liberation and sovereignty as a means of ushering in the bitcoin-based future.

"It's a message of emancipation... free ourselves, help each other to be free. That's the message of Bitcoin. That's the message of the art." — Marcus Connor Marcus Connor joins me to discuss his most famous creation, The Bitcoin Roller Coaster Guy as well as some of his latest work and ideas around design, artistic discipline and of course, bitcoin. With some time to reflect on my chat, I was reminded of a saying that "the muses have to find you working" and Marcus is a great example of just that, plus, he's a wonderful dose of optimism. Marcus' now iconic roller coaster guy is a perennial fixture on twitter and nostr and alike when bitcoin's volatility kicks in. One you've likely seen, it's an animated cartoon bitcoin, bright orange and smiling with stick-like arms held high while riding in a single red car of a roller coaster as it quickly rises and falls on a wooden track. It's a joyful looped gif that was created in 2013 and as you'll hear, took on a mimetic life of it's own. Today, Marcus continues to explore and express his understanding of bitcoin and his ongoing relationship with his roller coaster guy at bitcoincoaster.com. There you'll find illustrations, sculptures, animations, paintings and consumer products that tap emotions familiar to even the most fresh-faced bitcoiner. Marcus and I were discussing how artists aren't always the best marketers and I chose that as the best place to cut into our conversation. Because these rips don't offer the standard introductions and closing thoughts it's on me to remind you to check the show notes or to visit thebitcoinmuse.com to find links to all my guests, their respective websites and social streams. Please share this podcast on your feeds. Just a simple repost of the episode on Twitter, NOSTR or Vero, helps a ton. I'm 20 episodes in so new listeners have lots to explore. And if you're listening on a podcasting 2.0 app like Fountain or Breez, you should know that 10% of all those streams and boosts split to help @OpenSats fund bitcoin and other free and open-source projects. Sharing this pod helps everyone!

"I will not start producing art for fiat. I want to be a bitcoin artist for the bitcoin community, for bitcoin, nothing else. Fiat is not important to me." — Adam Kadmon This week, Adam Kadmon, a fine artist who is as accomplished with a pencil as he is running his laser cutter to make his incredibly detailed and mathematically precise sculptural art works. Those latter pieces, done in series and painstakingly designed, cut, painted and guided are mesmerizing to see in person. Reminiscent of ornamentation established from earliest antiquity, his Bitcoin Mandalas and Bitcoin Religions are layered high-relief totems evoking bitcoin's clock-like beauty, it's perennial mysteries and embody a notion we fully embrace here at the The Bitcoin Muse, that a Renaissance 2.0 is upon us. Reading some of his own words from his website, his unapologetic commitment to his artistic mission is clear. Through the process of exploring the [bitcoin] rabbit hole, He found his path as an artist. Due to his hatred of the banking system and censorship, and his predestination to create art, he fully dedicated his time and energy to working in that direction. He has never felt more confident in the path he is headed now; to contribute to the Bitcoin community in the best way possible - through his art. Be sure to visit this episode's dedicated webpage at thebitcoinmuse.com or the show notes for links to all Adam's online efforts and galleries of his work. I can't stress enough how important is to share this podcast with the world. I don't exactly do a ton of pushing my work on anyone so any amplification of my tweets go a long way to helping get the message out there. Reposting of the episode on Twitter, NOSTR or Vero, is appreciated. As always, if you're listening on a podcasting 2.0 app like Fountain or Breez, you should know that 10% of all those streams and boosts split to help @OpenSats fund bitcoin and other free and open-source projects. So, Adam and I took some time to chat before recording both to establish a bit of trust and to figure out the parameters of maintaining his anonymity. As is now de rigueur, I later found a spot to drop in where we were discussing the speed of technological advance and the Y2K phenomenon that many fretted at the turn of the millennium. Thanks to Adam Kadmon for sharing his time, energy and sincerity with The Bitcoin Muse.

"I don't understand why every musician isn't writing [music] about Bitcoin or Satoshi." — Roger 9000 This week, Roger 9000, a musician, chocolate-maker, podcaster and a deeply original, free thinking bitcoiner wanders with me on a conversational stroll across a metaphysical landscape of aspirations, dreams, speculations, memories, vexing paradoxes around the meaning of life and the role of bitcoin. I'd love to say I dove deep into Roger's music or chocolate making but as you'll hear, it ended up being more like a late night chat around a campfire where only Roger and I were awake, too immersed in philosophical profundities to notice everyone else had gone to bed. Seven time zones separated Roger and I on the day and the fact that we were being recorded would have seemed like a tertiary concern to both of us if it weren't for the glitchy internet connection and software problems that made a mangled mess of the audio and that I've attempted to recover in post. He's a good-natured and patient fellow and I hope I've done justice to this record of our time together. There are a couple slightly disjointed edits but as a whole, I think it's still a fun and heady rip. I can't stress enough how important is to share this podcast within your circles of creative folks. Even just a simple repost of the episode on Twitter, NOSTR or Vero, helps a ton. And if you're listening on a podcasting 2.0 app like Fountain or Breez, you should know that 10% of all those streams and boosts split to help @OpenSats fund bitcoin and other free and open-source projects. Thanks to Roger 9000 for sharing his time, energy and musical and mythical meanderings. Guest Links: Website: https://www.roger9000.com Website: Bit Choc Rocks Chocolate Making Workshop Twitter: @roger__9000 YouTube: @Roger9000 TikTok: @roger9k Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/roger9000 Instagram: @roger.9000 Podcast: Bitcoin is Love Mentioned in This Episode: The Long Road to Joy: A Guide to Walking Meditation by Thich Nhat Hanh Laurie Anderson | Website Katy Perry Sells Catalog RIghts | Variety Knut Svanholm | Twitter Stanley Kubrick | IMDB The Cosmic Serpent | Amazon Bitcoin Shooter | Episode Adam Back | Twitter Nozomi Hayase | Website Max Keiser | Twitter Oliver Anthony | Twitter Adam Meister | BitcoinMeister Alan Watts | Website Joseph Campbell | Website Ouroboros | Wikipedia

"Most bitcoin artists...love bitcoin so much, they'll do whatever they can do to further its adoption. And creating art is the way they know to do it." — Chris Tramount This episode features Chris Tramount, co-founder of Scarce City, a marketplace to sell bitcoin-inspired art through auctions or directly by using bitcoin. He believes that bitcoin’s finest goods should be sold according to the network’s properties of pseudonymous, borderless, permissionless, trust minimized, and verifiable authenticity and supply. We wander across numerous topics, some triggering, but mostly optimistic around the role technology and artistic intention might play in forging our bitcoin world. This conversation has been a long time coming as his name has come up a few of my previously recorded rips. He spends his days working in behalf of the very creative people for whom I have made the focus of The Bitcoin Muse and I'm genuinely thankful for his efforts. Scarce.city too has become a magnet for artists inspired by bitcoin and I consider it booth a resource and a temptress for my precious sats. Be sure to check it out. Please share this podcast. Even if you just repost me on Twitter, NOSTR or Vero, any additional reach helps. And if you listen on a podcasting 2.0 app like Fountain or Breez, you should know that 10% of all those streams and boosts split to help @OpenSats fund bitcoin and other free and open-source projects. Guest Links: Website: https://scarce.city/ Twitter: @ctramount YouTube: @scarcecity6603 Mentioned In This Episode: Aryan Jabbari Chiefmonkey BTCPay Server House of Medici Music by Brandt Enos V4V on Fountain: https://fountain.fm/show/Auz9HAPsv8VRKBaiEXLw Clay's Links: Clay Enos Photography The Bitcoin Muse https://podcast.show/thebitcoinmuse/ Follow Clay Enos: Vero Twitter Nostr: npub1kl6j2296mvw05ng6m86n4ra34ytycxqxv8df2nx6hk9ytkr06amq3kg5ku

"I will do anything to make bitcoin a success. "For me, it's bitcoin or die." — Cyber This week, Cyber, a Barcelona-based bitcoiner, artist and the founder of Street Cyber, a group of artists whose mission it is to use street art to empower and educate people about bitcoin. Using murals, stickers and wheat-pasted posters, they've reached thousands with their message that bitcoin is a powerful tool for financial freedom. Cyber has a great story of shifting his proprieties and letting the muses direct his efforts, be it by liberally modifying the open-source work of Banksy or selling prints and stickers to fellow plebs ready to spread the word globally. I learned a lot about this relatively new medium of messaging and artistic expression that has me reevaluating my assumptions. For anyone without the time or inclination to click on links in the show notes, I'll take a second to describe the work Cyber is creating. It's the stuff of most urban landscapes if you tune your eye to it. It's the stickers that layer themselves on lamp posts and mailboxes, it's the rouge wheat-pasted posters that appear in marginal corners of construction sites, shadowed building facades or derelict phone booths. It may even be permissioned mural paintings under bridges or in a playground. It's made, displayed and left to the whims of neighborhoods and municipal authorities to last a night, a fortnight, or more. The Street Cyber aesthetic is that of Banksy. A bold and familiar stencil of something common or benign, a girl with balloons, a monkey wearing a sandwich board, or a Mario Brother, re-contextualized to serve a bitcoin message. Often but not elusively rendered in black and white with a deftly chosen splash of orange. These are arresting but not ugly. They're clever but not silly. They're pleasing to the eye with their familiar iconography but also deeply satisfying for the curious or savvy. Text is employed where appropriate but often just the bitcoin symbol is sufficient. It's bold stuff often made more so by context. I hope that helps and that my attempts at describing the art tempts you to visit streetcyber.art at your leisure. Please share this podcast. Even if you just repost me on Twitter, Vero or NOSTR, I'm grateful. And if you listen on a podcasting 2.0 app like Fountain or Breez, you should know that 10% of all those streams and boosts split to help @OpenSats fund bitcoin and other free and open-source projects. My conversation with Cyber begins by him asking me questions rather than the other way around. I could have edited it out but decided to leave it, Enjoy my rip with Cyber. Website: streetcyber.art Store: streetcyber.store Twitter Feed: @streetcyber_ Instagram: @streetcyber.art Geyser Fund Bitcoin: The Art of Revolution Exhibition NOSTR: npub1h5cmp8kys9dkzysv4wha3wuzruadalhtj82zyznscsx6fkw2efysje0yp0 Mentioned In This Episode Banksy Grokking Bitcoin Banksy: Elephant in the Room

"This system of having artists get approval from the people who are higher up on the status ladder is an entirely fiat game." — Jimmy Song Jimmy Song, a formative voice in my bitcoin journey, joins me for a blistering critique of modern and contemporary art including NFTs. Using his latest book Fiat Ruins Everything, and specifically, Chapter 26: "Fiat Debases Art" as the frame for our conversation, Jimmy jumps right in with his strong opinions and passionate disdain for Picasso, Rothko and their ilk. Unpacking the broken incentives across a huge swath of the art world, we simultaneously lament and posit solutions for the downstream distortions created by fiat. It's the kind of conversation that could have gone on for a long time but I'm committed to making these rips bite-sized points of departure for your own rumination. The Bitcoin Muse is intended to be an evergreen catalyst for conversation and thought. And I do my best to avoid current events so as to explore the recurring themes surrounding art under the emerging bitcoin standard. I think Jimmy's opinions perfectly fit into that mission but I'll leave you to judge that for yourself. Be sure to follow @jimmysong as you listen to our chat and to share, rate and subscribe to The Bitcoin Muse. Any support you can show me inspires me to keep going with this labor of love. I'm grateful for any and all reposting from my Twitter, Vero or NOSTR feeds. And if you listen on a podcasting 2.0 app like Fountain or Breez, you should know that 10% of all those streams and boosts split to help @OpenSats fund bitcoin and other free and open-source projects. Thank you. Guest Links: Website: https://vida.page/jimmysong Latest Book on Amazon: Fiat Ruins Everything Twitter Feed: @jimmysong Podcast: Bitcoin Fixes This Substack: Bitcoin Tech Talk YouTube: Off Chain with Jimmy Song NOSTR: npub10vlhsqm4qar0g42p8g3plqyktmktd8hnprew45w638xzezgja95qapsp42 Mentioned in the Episode: Fiat Ruins Everything Cryptograffiti Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel Ceiling Michelangelo's Pietà Bernini's Art David Perell's Write of Passage Music by Brandt Enos V4V on Fountain: https://fountain.fm/show/Auz9HAPsv8VRKBaiEXLw Clay's Links: Clay Enos Photography The Bitcoin Muse https://podcast.show/thebitcoinmuse/ Follow Clay Enos: Vero Twitter Nostr: npub1kl6j2296mvw05ng6m86n4ra34ytycxqxv8df2nx6hk9ytkr06amq3kg5ku

"In life we get nothing at all without some effort, and the best rewards of all are those we receive after hard work." — The Cultural Tutor In this episode, I don’t have a guest. Instead, I decided to channel Guy Swann and Bitcoin Audible to read a work from a newsletter I get every week written by The Cultural Tutor. Specifically, it’s Areopagus Volume LII. In this particular missive he deviated from his normal format and touched on a perennial lament that I thought would resonate in bitcoin circles around the problems modern art. This a fairly erudite affair but I think it's worth our contemplation. The newsletter is linked in the show notes and might be worth clicking because several of the artworks mentioned are worth a gander. Episode Links: Website: https://culturaltutor.com/areopagus Twitter Feed: @culturaltutor Mentioned in the Episode: Areopagus Volume LII

An educational romp across painting, artistic philosophies, AI and the broken financial system. "So many of America's problems, addiction, depression, racism, xenophonbia...this is all rooted in the money." —Alex Schaefer Alex Schaefer, best known for his paintings of burning banks bookends our longer conversation about creating art and technological advances with eloquent and passionate disdain for the Federal Reserve and its downstream malignancies. As the kids say, it's fire! Alex brought a wonderful animated energy to our discussion that must have made him a favorite among his students at California's ArtCenter College of Design. And he has lots of share about his chosen profession of painting, how we might interpret his and other's work and possibly provide inspiration for other artists in their chosen media. All the while remaining clear-eyed about producing meaningful, painterly quality amidst the fiat-fueled dumpster fires ablaze around us. As usual, we drop into our conversation with no introductions; but all his links, including to his online gallery, and many of the topics that came up, are in the show notes. Safe to say, @PaintwithAlex will take you to him. Enjoy this rip with Alex Schaefer as he brings the heat. Guest Links Website: https://paintwithalex.com/ Twitter Feed: @paintwuithalex Instagram: @paintwithalex YouTube: @paintwithalex Saatchi Art Gallery: https://www.saatchiart.com/paintwithalex

Life-long jewelry designer and precious metalsmith making bitcoin-inspired gemstone art. "Great art provokes an emotional reaction in the person that sees it. With great art, your heart responds to it. We need people to have that kind of attachment to the bitcoin philosophy." — Gareth Eckley In this episode, I tumble in conversation with Gareth Eckley, a jewelry designer, gemstone carver, metalsmith, and an inspired bitcoin artist whose precious art objects can be found at artofsatoshi.com. Gareth and I mine a range of topics from eliciting emotional responses to art and the molecular structure of opals, to the stark dichotomies of modernity and potential new forms of charity. All of it set amidst his ongoing understanding of bitcoin and polished by his breadth of experience. Be sure to follow @gareth_eckley as you listen to our chat and to share, rate and subscribe to The Bitcoin Muse. Any support you can show me brightens my day. Please share this podcast with your artist friends since that's who I'm trying to reach and corral. Any reposting of my Twitter or NOSTR feeds is key in additional to using a podcasting 2.0 app like Fountain or Breez. Even though not many of you are listening on those platforms, perhaps I can entice you knowing that 10% of all those streams and boosts split to help @OpenSats fund bitcoin and other free and open-source projects. Guest Links Website: https://artofsatoshi.com/ Twitter Feed: @gareth_eckley Instagram: @portraitcameos YouTube: @artofsatoshi NOSTR: npub1ta2v0rhkql3tjkenjs52k07dge2yn99fkpu30retq0c3qafnm9wqqsrl5j Website: https://portraitcameos.com/

"With bitcoin culture we are going to have beauty again. We deserve it. Everyone deserves it." — Flo Montoya I’m joined by painter, illustrator, engraver, and now screen printer, Flo Montoya whose self-described obsession with bitcoin has her expanding her skills and tapping art history's masters to explore deep and perennial concepts like justice, love and hope. She got on my radar because of her wonderful illustrations for the book, Rhyming Bitcoin, published in collaboration with Brekkie and Simon but as you'll hear, her ideas and talents are wide ranging and ever expanding. From fine art traditions to the aesthetics of activism, Flo is a fount of creativity. Based in Santiago, Chile, that seemingly remote South American base has her connecting with and being inspired by other bitcoin artists online. In perusing her social feeds, linked in the show notes, it is obvious how the work of others is stoking the fire of her own creativity and allowing her unpretentious and generous spirit to join the growing chorus of bitcoin inspired endeavor around the world. Be sure to follow @FloMontoya_ as you listen to our chat and share, rate and subscribe to The Bitcoin Muse. Any support you can show me puts wind in my sails. And any reposting of my Twitter or NOSTR feeds is the simplest of asks if you're not using a podcasting 2.0 app like Fountain or Breez. Remember, 10% of all those streams and boosts split to help @OpenSats fund bitcoin and other free and open-source projects. Thank you. Guest Links: Website: https://www.montoyasalvadores.art/ Twitter Feed: @flomontoya_ Instagram: @florenciamontoya.art Nostr: @flomontoya | npub1zw0uc6anqjeg0xt5ckwd5cwcd4updt22crecaea8yn053qrquewswctfhf

Banknote designer and author of "Art & Money" explores history, symbolism and the aesthetics of trust. "Bitcoin is one of the few things in this world that is truly avant-garde." —Tom Badley I’m joined by banknote designer and author of "Art & Money," Tom Badley. His rare skill sets and unique perspectives on history, symbolism and meaning, and art's role in, around and on money are the currency for our conversation. He brings deeply thoughtful reasoning to his own work and weaves a path back to the Baroque for all of us to better understand and ground ourselves for the future. While we have our differing opinions on NFTs and other D.I.N.O. blockchains, we find common ground on creative freedom, trust, scarcity and Bitcoin as the true avant-garde. Guest Links: Website: https://tombadley.net/ Twitter Feed: @CurrencyDesign Instagram: @tom.badley.life YouTube: @TomBadley Scarce.City: https://scarce.city/creators/tom-badley

A product designer taps her creativity and customer focus to honor bitcoiners. Lena is a bitcoin artist hewn from the world of high-end product design. With her eponymous brand, she is now dedicated to painting custom sneakers, making clothing and designing jewelry with plans for more. Her emotional connection and meticulous focus on customer satisfaction balances with her artistic impulses. Prioritizing her clients' stories, she brings professional design savvy and delicate precision to her brand identity without shying away from painterly abstractions. Lena is a rare, gifted hybrid and a lovely conversationalist despite English being her third language.

Today we drop a match into the can of turpentine that is, MADEX, an artist of some renown in bitcoin circles. His layered paintings and original script share the artist's studio with his deep convictions, valuable insights, informed opinions, and his grand and passionate plans. I’m honored to have had a chance to speak with and listen to MADEX in this tour de force of complex ideas, rarely expressed. He layers his thoughts like he does his paintings and the end result is a richer understanding of the man, the world and the possibilities for artistic endeavor open to all of us.

A deep dive into the complexities and satisfactions of making art on a bitcoin standard. I’m joined by mixed-media artist, Rebel. His evolution as an artist is perfectly reflected in his work that wrestles with many of the big ideas and aesthetic challenges posed by bitcoin. I admire his commitment and unwavering dedication to the high standards he perceives bitcoin inspires in everyone, but especially, artists. It’s great to hear difficult ideas eloquently articulated and it was fun to chat with someone who knows the world of podcasting first hand. His work with 21ism helped germinate The Bitcoin Muse and still provides me with a valuable resource. As kindred spirits, Rebel and I quickly got immersed in conversation so I just hit record and off we went exploring the role of art in a world where bitcoin exists. We went fairly deep out of the gate and didn’t really come back up. I'm sorry that many of the formalities of podcasting, introductions, URLs, Twitter handles and alike didn’t get spoken so be sure to pop into the show notes to find Rebel’s compelling work and social feeds. I feel like we could have bounced ideas back and forth for hours but as you’ll hear in a second, we both think it wise to honor everyone’s time with brevity, even if it leaves one wanting for more. I hope you enjoy this contemplative rip with Rebel. Guest Links: Website: https://www.rebelmoney.art Twitter Feed: @rebelmoneyart Mentioned in the Episode: Bitcoin Park Timechain Calendar Conversation with Dennis Koch and X Nardo Bathhouse

This episode is a conversation-turned-parlor game with Steven, a.k.a., Slumberjack, creator of Bitcoin Cartoons. We discuss his process and inspirations but also engage in the some fun as he leads me in a game of "Name That 'Toon" using his delightful and funny political cartoons.