Mask Off
On the eve of what is a major step for BOOGLE, I wanted to sit down and reflect on the journey that has been. We just announced that from today, BOOGLE has a new CEO — a now close friend of mine Primitive Money.
The story of my last 12 months is one that I will never forget; I wanted to document and share this for prospective founders and NFT enjoyers so that it may be used again as a resource in the future.Last August I was an average NFT market participant, not unlike many who will read this. I was in a few group chats and believed in the future of Web3, but wasn’t really sure how I could make an impact.
I truly believe that in crypto, you are only ever one DM away from changing your life; and this is exactly what happened to me. After many months of seeing every possible animal turned into generative artwork and monetised, my brain was seeking something new. One day I was scrolling on bird app and something caught my eye, it was something very different. I didn’t know it yet, but that something was a BOOGLE. There wasn’t much information on the Twitter profile, so I decided to reach out. Solana in August was a very different place, you could message any account and almost certainly get a response(even Sol Big Brain was only at 1.5k followers).
This short message, one that would make my previous sales manager seethe, changed my life forever. In true Web3 fashion we entered into a Discord handshake agreement and got to work. The Discord was created, partnerships were found and soon after we had successful auctions.
After the second auction, I really believed that we were onto something special, I waited until I had enough saved (in stablecoins) to keep food on the table for long enough to justify quitting my job — and off I went head first into a new adventure. Trying to explain to my colleagues what I was doing was tricky and led to some funny conversations, but they were supportive of the ‘young kid having a crack’ as we would say in Australia.
My career prior to BOOGLE was focussed primarily on relationship management, so naturally BOOGLE to me was about forming relationships and having meaningful conversations. I have always been a big fan of finding a gap in an inefficient market and filling it, and at that point in time for NFTs on all chains, there really wasn’t a group comparable to BOOGLE — a place that many called home in their digital world without the noise of larger Discords.
Large sales started rolling through, and whilst initially being a moment of celebration, these feelings of excitement could just as quickly turn into anxiety. The idea that people were investing such large amounts of capital into the project-and into me — translated directly into higher expectations of myself. This all happened in the space of a few months, and I would soon come to find myself feeling regularly overwhelmed.
What started as a side project with the intention of allowing greater flexibility and freedom turned into my full time job. I came across a saying which I think sums it up pretty well:
I quit the 9–5 to work 24/7
This concept was exacerbated by the nature of working within the Web3 environment during a bull market. Every second away from the screen felt like a missed opportunity. This resulted in very long days in front of a screen, terrible sleeping patterns, and the development of other unhealthy habits and poor lifestyle choices.
I have developed truly meaningful relationships in the crypto space during my journey thus far, many of which originated from within the BOOGLE community. While these relationships provided me with welcomed support, it was bittersweet — I started to feel that there was even more pressure to deliver something incredible for the sake of my friends. This was, of course, all in my head. My friends were nothing but supportive from day one, but an anxious brain is not a rational one.
The anxiety that plagued me wasn’t unique or special, many NFT market participants have experienced or will experience something similar. The mental health and wellbeing of those spending their time in crypto is something that needs to be discussed and represented far more than it is presently. We are constantly comparing ourselves with others, managing bankroll envy, and many struggle — or know someone who struggles — with gambling addiction. The above is not to complain, it is to add to that very same conversation.
BOOGLE has now reached a level of success that is beyond my wildest dreams, but the job is not finished. I became self-aware of the fact that I was perhaps not the best man for the job leading into what comes next. After watching Super Pumped and WeCrashed, I wanted to ensure I would never become a hurdle for BOOGLE when I could instead operate as a launchpad.
We have seen many ‘OG’ projects in the Solana NFT ecosystem fall to the wayside when original founders dug their heels in and caused friction, without necessarily thinking about what is best for the project they created. I have always had the opposite mindset, perhaps a byproduct of my anxiety and self doubt. My goal has always been and always will be, what is best for BOOGLE. I genuinely believe Primitive Money is just that; someone who can really take this project to the next level, and someone who holds no motivation outside of what is best for BOOGLE.
I am not going anywhere. I will continue to work tirelessly for BOOGLE, alongside some amazing friends of mine, Celon and Veets. As the tension is slowly being released from my shoulders, the feeling of excitement that I’ve long missed is rapidly returning. I can’t wait for what is to come for the project that I love. Thank you for taking the time to journey through this with me. It’s healing to pause and reflect on a series of months that I will never, ever, forget.
