For the past eight months I’ve been noodling around with the idea of making ceramic money. There’s so much media buzz these days about cryptocurrency, bitcoins, and NFTs that it boggles the mind. It’s a bold new world of sci-fi finance that borders on surreal. I pretty much hate it because it’s an artificial stock market, not unlike Beanie Baby collectors in the 1990s or Dutch Tulip Bulb Market Bubble of the 1660s. So I decided to make my currency the exact opposite of crypto. My money is tangible and you can put it in your pocket. And the name “Shitcoin” is priceless, right?
The first incarnation of the Shitcoin was the simple green Shitcoin 1.0 that I released in my online store last November. They sold quite well at $5 each, and a week after the initial offering I raised the price to $6. “Wow! a 20% return on your investment in just one week.” I joked. As I made more of these coins, I became intrigued with all of the variables in color, texture and imagery that were available with the various stamps, glazes and decals in my studio. I dropped the idea of a simple standard coin and decided to make them all one of a kind works of art. Another important feature of my “ceramo-currency” is that they can help you connect with your magical self. Throughout my life, I’ve had numerous mysterious occurrences that would fit the definition of “manifestation magic” so I’m sending these coins out to the world as a tool for encouraging that phenomenon. The back of the coin stakes my claim.
In researching the topic of money last summer, I came across the documentary, “Project 33: An Alternative is Possible!” It’s a wonderful story about Eugene glassmaker Marcel Braun and his idealistic crusade of making his own glass coins that he calls “Art Units.” I can’t recommend this film enough as it takes you to a fascinating world of cutting edge glassmaking and utopian dreams. While Marcel sees his handmade currency as a way of taking down the system, I view mine as something to put in your pocket and make a wish, set a goal or pursue a dream. The magical power is within you if you believe that it’s there. I’ve gone into full-scale production on Shitcoins this month and I’ll have a bunch available at the NCECA conference in Sacramento the week of March 12th. More on this in a blog post next week. Until then, you can see my current supply of Shitcoins in my online store.
