DON'T MISS A THING

She was called in as a moderator to a Clubhouse room with Diplo, Paris Hilton, Dead Mau5, Pete Wentz, and Lindsay Lohan. The topic of conversation? The new wild, wild West of NFTs. Why did they call Karsen Daily? Because she is the digital renaissance leader of “Crypto culture”. And a woman in Crypto to know.

For many, the words Crypto and NFT are still mostly foreign when it comes to day-to-day living. This is decidedly not the case for Karsen Daily who has been talking about Crypto art and media for years. As we have seen the NFT space start to take off in a major way—Christie’s sold their first NFT for $69 million and EDM DJs make millions without the help of a major brand or label—brands, artists, and companies are scrambling to incorporate an NFT strategy. This is where Karsen comes in. As a crypto and NFT expert and advocate, CEO of 888 The New World, “The first digital art marketplace founded and built by artists”, and host of The Karsen Daily Show, The Crypto Culture Show No One Asked For, Karsen is a woman all about what she calls “crypto culture”.

In addition to her commitment to raising awareness and increasing accessibility to the rapidly evolving NFT space, Karsen, one of the first female C-Suite Executives in the industry, also strives “to dismantle hegemonic power structures and gender imbalance for the Metaverse to fulfill its utopian promise”. She often finds herself boldly in Clubhouse rooms doing just that—calling out the lack of diversity within the space of those in the NFT space. In other words, she wants women to join her in the rising crypto industry—and to join her in a major way. Turning Crypto into a form of empowerment, for women, but also for anyone, across all industries.

Read on to hear what Karsen Daily has to say about digital identity, the world of Crypto and NFT’s, getting into it all, and why her fellow females need to pay attention!

Lh Exclusive Interview With Karsen Daily, The Crypto Culture Woman to Know

Love Happens: What first sparked your passion for Crypto?

Karsen Daily: I have always had a passion for a digitally-driven future. As a millennial woman, virtual communications and a digital identity have been a part of my life since I was a teenager. That being said, my own experience was overshadowed significantly by my parent’s internalized fear of the internet and the dichotomy that surrounded it. As an evolution of Web 2.0, Crypto is a more liberating, empowering, and secure way to experience all the things I love about living a digitally-driven lifestyle. For me, this was a jumping-off point for a term that I’ve coined, “crypto culture.” Crypto culture is the practice of digital agency, promoting opportunities for individual happiness, which in turn lead to communal bonding. The core of Crypto is sovereignty, and sovereignty is denouncing a system’s power over you. As a woman, nothing excites me more than the opportunity to reclaim my power and have agency over my decisions. My body, my choice. My money, my choice. My data, my choice. My digital identity, my choice! I can’t be the only one that gets chills just writing that. 

Lh: How have NFTs shaped your career?

Karsen: I don’t know that they shaped my career, but I feel that part of the purpose of my earthly experience is to shape NFTs – to give them a home, a body, a mouth, and a heart. I was introduced to NFTs as the former Director of Brand Development at Superplastic. I was developing the first animated character universe that used social media as its primary distribution platform. The mechanics of the technology very much aligned with the brand, but it was the community where I truly fell in love. There was a collective sense of lostness between us. Like we were all on the edge of a hypothetical cliff, looking over the edge at an abundant and exciting future, but we never had a reason to jump. As soon as NFTs became a part of our everyday experience, it was like we jumped without a safety net and found ourselves on the way. There’s something really intimidating and empowering about discovering a technology that 90% of our inner circle won’t latch onto – you don’t know if you want to gatekeep it or tell the world. I decided to tell the world. Now we’re here! 

Lh: Why do you believe women need to pay attention to Crypto?

Karsen: Women are responsible for many of the most important advancements in technology—the world’s first computer programmer, the inventor of WiFi, the first person to have the computer in their home, the inventor of the first search engine ever—all women. And yet, only 25% of jobs in tech are held by women. Women are being held back from wealth opportunities in every industry. If we don’t get into Crypto early—and yes, it’s still early—men will get all the wealth. Again. 

Lh: In what ways has social media and its relationship with NFTs helped you grow your business?

Karsen: The clubhouse was one of the first social media apps and community platforms that I could leverage to discuss and collaborate when it comes to NFTs. This platform was so crucial during the early learning stages for me. Now, I’m so obsessed with Twitter, where the larger conversation is happening. People are learning about the technology in a quick, easy-to-digest short form of content. Community is the heartbeat of the NFT market, and so much community is built on social media. It is a valuable tool and allows for great opportunities to form collaborations and soundboard new ideas. 

Lh: What three pieces of advice would you give to someone looking to enter the world of NFTs? Both for buyers and sellers, please.

Karsen: Get on Twitter, Clubhouse, and Discord! The people there are so eager to bring new artists and collectors into space. We’re all happy to help. 

Don’t let the jargon and vocabulary around the technology scare you. I don’t know what “ATM” stands for, but I still know what happens when I walk up to one and put my card in! It is not intended to be divisive, and it’s not as scary as it sounds! 

Recognize and appreciate how early you are to this. Our future is digitally driven—we’re already experiencing it. Whether you dive in headfirst or you keep Crypto at the back of your mind, you are so ahead of the curve. Breathe it in! 

Lh: What is your favorite (or what you believe to be the most impactful) NFT transactions to date? In particular, the most valuable/luxury-related.

Karsen: Krista Kim, a contemporary artist, and true innovator sold the first digital home for 288 ETH, which is over $600,000 at today’s market evaluation. I agree with Krista that we will have a life in AR and VR in the future—to a certain degree, we already do. Luxury fashion and collectible brands, and fine artists have a reputation for being disruptive and thought-provoking. Think Alexander McQueen, Vetements, Andy Warhol, David Lachapelle. Some critics call them over the top but look where that got them. Pay attention to the areas where people are most critical—isn’t this what luxury is about? Doing something because you can, because you want to, because no one else is doing it—trendsetting. 

Lh: What’s next for NFTs?

Karsen: Art is leading the way. Traditional entertainment, gaming, and fashion will follow closely behind. It won’t be a single multi-thousand or million-dollar transaction for those industries, but we will see countless smaller-scale transactions baked into fan and consumer experiences. 

Lh: What’s next for Karsen?

Karsen: As the Chief Experience Officer for 888 The New World, my role is to take care of, protect, and nurture the platform’s community. 888 The New World is the first digital art marketplace founded by artists and architects of the digital future. With builders and believers like Paris Hilton, Jason Seife, ThankYouX, Krista Kim, FEWOCiOUS, PAK, GucciGhost, and many more, we’re committed to financial autonomy, sustainability, philanthropy, diversity, equity, and the most elevated art. 888 The New World is building the ultimate case study for other industries to implement blockchain technology with integrity and authenticity. We are already making massive strides toward a decentralized and digitally-driven future, and I am so fortunate to be at the forefront of that.

Connect with Karsen Daily at www.karsendaily.com!

More to Love:

Meet More Empowering Women & Be Empowered!

NFT Digital Art Trend: A Guide for Beginners