Glerren Bangalan is an artist at Negative Space Punks and is your resident community auntie at Diamond NFT.
What were you doing before Web3?
How did you get into Web3?
Through my best friend! She is one of the artists here in the Philippines who did NFTs early. I was initially a witness to her exploring the technology and participating in the community through Twitter.
What was your first crypto or NFT project?
Does it count if I said my own art? Like I said, my introduction to NFTs was through my best friend who’s an artist, so I ended up minting my work.
But if we go with the project where I first got WL and I first minted, that would be 0N1Force.
How would you explain what you do to someone outside of Web3?
First up, I would need to explain what web3 is first.
If I’m talking about NFT Art and me as a writer and artist, I would explain how web3 allows me and countless others to immortalize our work in the blockchain and how it’s easy to prove provenance and set royalties without needing a middleman.
If I’m talking about my work as a Head of Community, I would liken NFTs to the collectible subculture–trading cards, in particular. And I would tell them that I handle and act as support for a group of people who participate in the subculture.
Which creator or thought leader do you enjoy learning from?
I have the utmost admiration and respect for the founders of theVERSEverse, Kalen Iwamoto, Sasha Stiles, and Ana Maria Caballero.
The written word as art seems like it always plays second fiddle to visual art in this Space. These three ladies are one of the first in the front lines to celebrate and experiment with our chosen craft, and make sure everybody else doesn’t discount us writers.
I’m not a holder but I appreciate Betty, the co-founder of Deadfellaz. She’s one of the more prominent female project co-founders in the Space and I appreciate her energy in championing women all around.
Lastly, there’s DC (@Diamond_Cruiser), the founder of the DiamondNFT Supercommunity. I appreciate his leadership style. He’s ever pragmatic, especially when it comes to projects and trading. He constantly tells the community one way or another to keep our feet on the ground and to never be ashamed to exit when we need to.
He also subscribes to the mindset of encouraging calls or alpha that leads to the success of many (ideally all) rather than just the success of a few.
What is the biggest highlight of your career so far?
I had the pleasure of interviewing Josie Bellini for a Twitter Space last year. That was super nerve-wracking, but also super fun! Doing research in preparation for our session was also super enlightening and inspiring to me as an artist.
Also, not completely web3-related but could be potentially useful, I recently got an offer to graduate school overseas. Come fall, I’ll be studying to be a creative producer under one of the best drama schools in the UK. With my experience in web3, who knows what kind of cool stuff I
can propose to implement in productions!
What tech or crypto trend are you watching this year?
I wonder what new process to secure allowlists are projects gonna come up with this time? I kinda miss the fanart (not meme) phase—that was fun seeing on my timeline.
What advice would you give someone starting out in Web3?
First and foremost, if the reason you started on web3 is because you think it’s a get-rich-quick scheme, then I suggest you disabuse yourself of that notion quickly. Otherwise, your mental health—and possibly your wallet—is gonna pay for it.
The Space can be overwhelming, so find your corner and connect with people. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but also don’t feel pressured to participate for the sake of making noise. It’s alright if you don’t say GM back. Really.
If you could do a TED talk on any topic, what would it be?
Being compassionate and having empathy is hard work, but it’s also worth the effort.
What is the one thing you would bring if you were stuck on a deserted Island?
If said island has trees, then a small axe. If no trees, then a tent.
POW stands for “Proof of Work.” It is a new feature article series in The Mega Maxi to highlight the savviest builders in the Web3 space.
