What a crazy couple of days! Those of you who read the last newsletter or some recent posts will know that I launched a new collection of NFTs on OpenSea this past Tuesday. It’s my fourth drop overall after some experimentation previously on Foundation, MakersPlace and another on OpenSea. They were all great learning experiences (and exceeded expectations) and this week was no different.

The short version is that in 2 days, split over the 50 Cities/NFTs in the collection, over $1million USD was processed. My thanks to any of you who got involved, it’s really incredible and we are full of gratitude. Today, along with there being some items still available on the first and secondary markets, there are 4 auctions ending (LA, Moscow, Tokyo and Paris) if you want to get involved in the fun.

As I’ve mentioned in previous mails, I think NFTs are certainly something artists and collectors should be getting involved with now. The potential is huge, and I think it will be a big part of the art world in the future. That, along with giving back to other artists, is why I’m now investing in other NFT projects. I know it can be a bit daunting though, so I’ll be producing a bunch of how-to videos and recaps of my experience so far for Passport Subscribers. There are already 3 or 4 available which can be viewed after signing up ($9.99 a month, cancel any time, and on top of those NFT videos you get access to all of my tutorials to stream, preset downloads, eBooks and a weekly video which can be anything from processing tips to behind the scenes of helicopter rides in 360.). Once you’re in there, check this page for quick links to the previous NFT videos.

In terms of getting yourself involved in this drop… it’s fairly simple. You’ll need an electronic wallet (MetaMask is one that works with most NFT sites, others are available so definitely read some comparison articles). You’ll also want a way to get Crypto in/out from the “real world” and services like Coinbase are used for that (again, there are alternatives so do a bit of reading to see what’s best for you). If you’ve got questions, drop into my new Discord collectors group where there are a bunch of awesome, friendly people who will be happy to help. Feel free to join and just lurk or chat too as you ease yourself into this wild new world as a collector or creator.

*On re-reading this I just realised I automatically #’d NFT… too much posting on Crypto Twitter. Time to go take a solo lockdown walk…

Hey awesome blog reader… you’ll probably be aware that I’ve been delving into the world of NFTs in the past few months. So far, it’s been both a success and an interesting adventure. That continues today with my 2nd drop on OpenSea. This set of NFTs is based around 50 of my favorite cities spanning all seven continents. There are a wide range of configurations (and prices) available and I’d love it if you’d check them out. If you thought an NFT mixed with physical art was odd last time then how about several NFTs, wrapped in an NFT… mixed with some Aave tokens which should appreciate over time??!

The first drop on OpenSea did better than expected and broke $100,000USD in the first three days. This second one already has a lot of interest as more and more collectors are getting into the NFT world. Jump on in! I’ll make a detailed video soon that talks more about what I’ve learned, mistakes I’ve made, some new ideas, and other interesting stuff from this wild wild west of cryptofun.

Also, if you’re an NFT curious artist, be sure to sign up for Passport where I’ve been sharing videos about my NFT experience so far. If you’re thinking about listing your own, you may find those helpful. Speaking of your own NFTs, I’m now starting to invest back into other projects so if you launch something cool tag me on Twitter and I’ll be sure to take a look. 🙂

The Gift of Laughter

For this Christmas, I will turn you on to my favorite podcast! It’s called Off Book and it’s an improvised musical comedy. Sounds weird eh? It is! Try this episode on for size and tell me what you think! The two people that run it, Jessica McKenna and Zach Reino are just amazing… In fact, I have a little crush on that Jessica!

Daily Photo – The Only Smiling Old Woman in Russia

I don’t know if the title is factually correct, but it was definitely the only one that I saw! I had a very similar experience during my four trips to Ukraine. It’s just not a smiley culture. It’s kind of the opposite of Japan where everyone is smiley to the point of being giggly. I figure a lot of the severeness comes from leftover Communist angst where you just don’t trust anyone around you, ever.

The Only Smiling Old Woman in Russia

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2017-06-04 14:12:44
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/200
• Aperture
• ISO640
• Focal Length
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias-0.7

In continuing the series of my favorite photos from various places around the world, today we have Russia. What a crazy place, that Russia, eh? I was only there for four days, but I made the most of it photographically!

Moscow Photo Walk Highlights

Here’s highlights from our final photo walk in Europe!

Daily Photo – Gloomy Day in Moscow

There was a giant rainstorm before the photowalk, but suddenly the sun peaked out to light up these golden towers. We got lucky on all the photowalks and have never had rain after about 60 of them or so. Crazy right? I thought our luck had run out here in Moscow, but I was wrong!

Gloomy Day in Moscow

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2017-06-03 16:44:26
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/1600
• Aperture6.3
• ISO250
• Focal Length163.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias-2.3

Michael Hawley

So sad to lose my friend Michael Hawley – he was such an inspiration… and, in fact, still is! This is a little video I made when he and Nina You came here to Queenstown to visit us around the holidays. I loved that dude… I don’t know anyone else remotely like him. You can see in this video how he’s just off the charts when it comes to inspirational stuff.

My son Ethan loves playing the piano and it was incredible to have this genius just do this natural jam. Isn’t that awesome… inspiring people of all ages. That’s kind of the key to life, eh? Just be loving and help other people. People make life too complex… yeah he really has made me a better person.

I first met him about a decade ago when he invited me to speak at his incredible EG Conference in Monterey, CA. He’s the classic Gladwellesque “connector” and I made so many lifelong friends from those conferences. It spawned so many stories and adventures… and all because of Hawley’s vision.

Just as one of the hundreds of examples, it’s because of Michael that I ended up spending a while in Australia with Neal Stephenson to help him research an upcoming novel. Note that I did absolutely nothing to help the actual research, as I was only there because Neal was afraid to drive on the left side of the road. I have all kinds of stories about that, but I’m waiting for the book to come out so I don’t ruin anything.

Anyway, besides that strange anecdote, Michael has been instrumental in vastly affecting the lives of tens of thousands of people… a truly lovable inspiration.

Daily Photo – Woman in St. Petersburg

We stopped at this hipster coffee shop just after our train rolled into the station. It was filled with all sorts of interesting people like this gal. I had on my 35mm F/1.4 lens, so I made as much use of it as possible. There’s not a lot of people that run around with cameras in Russia to take photos of people… so everyone was a little bit more suspicious than I would have liked.

Woman in St. Petersburg

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• Date Taken2020-07-08 14:05:36
• Camera
• Camera Make
• Exposure Time
• Aperture
• ISO
• Focal Length
• Flash
• Exposure Program
• Exposure Bias

Gigapixel

Thanks Stu for sending me this… here’s a 48 gigapixel zoomable photo of The Night Watch!

Daily Photo – St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square

Ever since I saw photos of this place when I was a little boy, I wanted to visit Russia. It seemed like it was right out of some kind of fantasy novel with the unique onion domes and cartoonish colors. I ended up there at a good point in the day when the yellow sun was setting, making all the colors really pop in a warm manner against the backdrop of the cool blue sky.

St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2017-06-03 19:32:10
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/320
• Aperture3.5
• ISO125
• Focal Length24.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias

Free Tutorial!

Since many people are bored at home and looking to add to their skillset, I have just released my best tutorial for free and it already has just over $92,000 worth of downloads – awesome! People seem to love it and thank you for the great feedback. I’ll keep it free as long we’re stuck here in this weird isolation… Beyond that, we have the “Passport” monthly subscription (at https://stuckincustoms.com/passport/) that has over 300 videos waiting for you. Great how-to stuff, behind-the-scenes, inspirational stuff, tutorials and more! I do the same thing as Sam Harris in that if you are struggling financially, for whatever reason, just contact the team and we’ll give it to you for free for a year. I don’t want money to stand in the way of buying keys to unlock your creativity. We also have some other cool Passport videos coming up! I release a new one every Sunday on the blog and there’s some amazing stuff in the pipeline. Anyway, thanks again for enjoying the tutorials and I’m in productivity overdrive…since…I… don’t have anything else to do! Last, we have a free group here on Facebook where you can share your creations, ask questions, and make some cool new friends. As opposed to a lot of Facebook, it’s a guaranteed asshole-free zone! 🙂 Cheers and enjoy!

Daily Photo – Cool Boarder in St. Petersburg

In Russia, you can just be as cool as you wanna be. I haven’t taken this many people/street photos as I did there except for the times I go to Burning Man! I saw almost no photographers there, so most people were very confused while I was taking their photos. Well, not the young people, they were all cool with it. The older ones seemed a bit more suspicious, probably because they grew up under hardcore communism when everyone was spying on one another.

Cool Boarder in St. Petersburg

Photo Information

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• Date Taken2017-06-05 13:28:08
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time1/5000
• Aperture
• ISO200
• Focal Length
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramManual
• Exposure Bias+0.7

Michael Singer’s Surrender Course

I’m a big fan of Singer’s books and he has a new online course about Surrender that I recommend. If you read “The Untethered Soul,” then you have a pretty good idea of what this course is about. I don’t think most people can take it… but, if you’re ready, you’re ready.

Daily Photo – Abandoned Rubber Factory in St. Petersburg

While in our crazy-long day here in this classic old city, we spent a chunk of it in this abandoned rubber factory. They would make shoes and all sorts of things with rubber back during the Communist days. I can’t imagine how miserable a job that would have been! People complain about their jobs nowadays, but being a common worker in Communist Russia would not have been a joyride.

Abandoned Rubber Factory in St. Petersburg

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• Date Taken2017-06-05 17:35:57
• CameraILCE-7RM2
• Camera MakeSony
• Exposure Time5
• Aperture7.1
• ISO100
• Focal Length13.0 mm
• FlashOff, Did not fire
• Exposure ProgramAperture-priority AE
• Exposure Bias+0.3