{"id":21556,"date":"2023-08-25T23:27:16","date_gmt":"2023-08-25T23:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nftandcrypto-news.com\/nft\/exclusive-how-hug-is-empowering-artists-through-discovery-opportunity-and-education\/"},"modified":"2023-08-25T23:27:18","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T23:27:18","slug":"exclusive-how-hug-is-empowering-artists-through-discovery-opportunity-and-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nftandcrypto-news.com\/nft\/exclusive-how-hug-is-empowering-artists-through-discovery-opportunity-and-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive: How\u00a0HUG Is Empowering Artists Through Discovery, Opportunity, and Education"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In an era where technology is driving the evolution of everything, including art, at an unprecedented pace, artists are in search of platforms where they can not only exist but thrive despite ever-changing algorithms.<\/p>\n

One such platform, born amidst the tumultuous backdrop of a global pandemic is HUG, which has shown itself to be a beacon for equal representation and opportunity for all \u2013 a platform that provides a platform.<\/p>\n

To fully understand the gravity of what HUG is doing for artists in and outside of the Web3 space, we caught up with its co-founders, Randi Zuckerberg and Debbie Soon, and like any story worth hearing we thought it best to start at the beginning.<\/p>\n

One Message and One Mission<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While HUG may have been formed in 2022, it really started several years earlier as the world faced a global pandemic that would bring forth changes in the lives of nearly everyone on Earth, including Zuckerberg and Soon.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany may not know this\u2026 but after Facebook and before NFTs, I was a Broadway actress, and then producer,\u201d shared Zuckerberg, adding \u201cCovid shut down many of the shows that I was working on, and that resulted in me immersing myself in NFTs as a way to marry my passions for both arts and technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

She further explained \u201cBefore I knew it, I ended up becoming a mentor to many digital creators. All of them were struggling with the same thing \u2013 feeling challenged by the algorithm, and in general feeling unseen and at times lost on how to scale their artistic business.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eager to scale the existing support she was offering to creators, Zuckerberg set out on a search for a co-founder with a vision for creating a \u201cthriving and sustainable ecosystem that would allow artists and art lovers to support each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

As fate would have it, Soon was also on that very same search. Having fallen in love with Web3 when navigating a mid-pandemic move from Singapore to LA, she decided to put her background in the finance and start-up sector to the side for a moment and sought out kickstarting a career in the NFT space.<\/p>\n

\u201cI put a wish out in the Meta Angels Discord,\u201d she explained, adding \u201cTo my surprise, Randi found and responded to my message there one whole week later! We both are passionate about leveling the playing field for anyone to succeed in arts and technology, so this really was a match made in heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Are you a creator looking to get discovered?<\/p>\n

Are you ready to connect with collectors like never before?<\/p>\n

Over 3K artists have a free artist profile on HUG.<\/p>\n

Sign up to join them today\u2728https:\/\/t.co\/S8bzwoudvV pic.twitter.com\/TCz2lvK5V8<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 HUG \ud83e\udd17 | Apply for an Artist Profile (@thehugxyz) August 25, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sharing her side of the story, Zuckerberg explained how Soon was still going by an anon identity when they first met but if you know anything about early Web3, that was often seen as a plus! \u201cWe got onto a Zoom call a few days later, and immediately hit it off,\u201d Zuckerberg shared, adding \u201cAs I was getting to know Debbie, I was blown away by all of her thought leadership pieces that she was putting out on Twitter, and knew that there could not be a better person to embark on this journey with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Embark on a journey they did. Zuckerberg expressed, \u201cIn a nutshell, HUG\u2019s mission is to help all artists become creative entrepreneurs, and we are doing that through discovery, opportunity, and education.\u201d<\/p>\n

What started as two like-minded individuals with a shared vision eventually grew into 200 people with a shared cause, and from those 200 passionate individuals, has emerged a diverse community of over 3,000 artists from over 85 different countries.<\/p>\n

Soon explained that \u201cWe\u2019ve intentionally flown under the radar and avoided being surrounded by moments of hype. Instead, we\u2019ve been consistent with our mission from day one, and have adopted a really intentional and inclusive approach to building our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Community Resources<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In a space where nearly everything of value is hidden in secret alpha groups or housed behind a token gated club, HUG has dared to do something radically different, providing free resources for both artists and collectors alike.<\/p>\n

These resources aren\u2019t quick threads on X that you should bookmark for later or a halfway-finished hook to get you to buy into something at the end. Instead, HUG has dedicated a significant amount of time and resources to provide full-length guides and documents put together by its research team.<\/p>\n

Explaining why this was and is important, Zuckerberg shared that \u201cI have always been a firm believer that trust has to be earned, not given. We never want to extract value before we provide it, and offering these free resources is one of our ways of building trust within our artist and collector community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Further driving the significance of this decision home, Soon shared that \u201cAccessible education has always been a core belief of ours. Particularly in Web3, where the technology is evolving faster than the average person can keep up with, we believe it is our responsibility to demystify these trends and make them easy for everyone to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n

At the time of writing, HUG has seven full-length guides and workbooks up on its site under the Resources tab. These range from \u201cThe Ultimate Artist Marketing Handbook Vol 1.\u201d to\u00a0 \u201cThe Art Collector\u2019s Companion: An Interactive Workbook\u201d \u2013 again, available free of charge, as HUG believes anyone building in the space should be stewards and not gatekeepers.<\/p>\n

To this end, the platform has recently had the opportunity to partner with TransientLabs, one of its many like-minded partners, and ran a six-week-long Innovation Lab program that introduced over 200 artists to dynamic NFTs via Transient\u2019s no-code tooling.<\/p>\n

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Ready for a crash course in all things arts & tech?<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfa8 Dynamic Art
\ud83e\udd16 Collaborative AI
\ud83d\udcb8 Diversifying your income
\u2026.and more!<\/p>\n

Check the latest edition of Creator Royalties, our weekly source for education, news, & opportunities for digital artists \u2935\ufe0fhttps:\/\/t.co\/I0nYVwYLFH<\/p>\n

\u2014 HUG \ud83e\udd17 | Apply for an Artist Profile (@thehugxyz) August 22, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Following the release, Soon shared \u201cWe saw several artists landing their first-ever commissions through HUG. The outcome of that was many happy artists, and even happier collectors, who were delighted to acquire a personalized, one-of-a-kind artwork\u201d \u2013 which includes Soon herself, as she commissioned a hand-painted football from artist and Women and Weapons founder, Sara Baumann.<\/p>\n

Power in Profiles<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While discoverability can often be used as a buzzword in the Web3 art realm, HUG has seemingly embraced every aspect of the word and made it part of its core mission. This has been done not in a broad manner but rather through a very specific and thought-out approach.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFrom day one, we set out to build the inclusiverse.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

-Randi Zuckerberg<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

\u201cFrom day one, we set out to build the inclusiverse, which was really our way of describing a universe\u2026 or metaverse if you will? Where everyone feels included,\u201d shared Zuckerberg, adding \u201cI\u2019m proud that at the top of the HUG homepage, you will see a banner calling for us to celebrate diverse creators from all walks of life. These communities should be celebrated and feel supported 24\/7, 365 days a year, and not just in specific months.\u201d<\/p>\n

This mission also strikes a chord close to home for Soon, who shared that \u201cAs a recent transplant to America and a woman of color, this is deeply personal as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

She further expressed \u201cI know many people like to say that Web3 doesn\u2019t care about race, gender, etc., but the reality is that many unconscious biases still carry on from the traditional arts and technology worlds. By acknowledging that from day one, we can be intentional about the way we design HUG, both from a product and community standpoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

This has been exemplified since the inception of HUG, as it continues to operate as a community-curated platform. Soon explained that this has been achieved through a thesis of community-driven and decentralized curation in which the members vote for which artists should be onboarded to the platform and which artists should be selected for various sourced opportunities.<\/p>\n

Early on, HUG recognized the need for a platform that provides a platform. As a result, it has developed comprehensive profile tools that help artists to get eyes on and also benefit collectors looking to keep up with their favorite creators.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are biased, but we definitely believe that [artist profiles] are an artist\u2019s best tool to getting seen, shared, and celebrated,\u201d said Zuckerberg, adding \u201cNot only can you collect the most amazing, thoughtful reviews from appreciators of your work, you can also showcase your entire portfolio of work, both within and outside Web3. We can\u2019t wait to keep upgrading these Artist Profiles, and bring additional functionality and interactivity there.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to this, HUG boasts an \u201cArtist Updates\u201d tab, which Soon \u201cAllows artists to share important updates directly to the email inboxes of their followers.\u201d<\/p>\n

She joked \u201cWhile we love the gm vibes and community discourse on X, sometimes artists and collectors just want a dedicated place to share and discover art for sale. Today, hundreds of artists are posting their updates to HUG every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Highlighting one of the most significant aspects of the Updates tool, Soon called out that a majority of NFT marketplaces tend to showcase creators that are trending based on trading volume, which in turn unfairly disadvantages emerging artists.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat we have built allows art to be appreciated for how it emotionally resonates, as opposed to simply its monetary value,\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

-Debbie Soon<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

Beyond the Digital<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With the royalties aspect of NFTs being yet again at risk due to shifts in stance from a variety of major marketplaces and loopholes created by aggregators, we asked HUG what they\u2019re doing to prepare their artists for this change and to our surprise, it\u2019s something they\u2019ve almost anticipated in a sense, from inception.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtists didn\u2019t wake up one morning because of NFTs and decided that they were artists,\u201d said Zuckerberg, adding \u201cInstead, they have been artists for years, even decades, before NFTs existed! As such, our view has always been that NFTs should be one of many ways that artists should look to monetize their artwork and that it is completely okay to shift priorities from one way to another depending on the market or even what inspires and excites them.\u201d<\/p>\n

She further explained, that in support of this, not only has HUG published a variety of resources on the topic but it has also introduced mechanisms like its commission feature, where artists can opt-in to receive commission requests through their HUG profile.<\/p>\n

Other initiatives include merchandising opportunities as well as Open Call opportunities for both physical and digital exhibitions, like its most recent and ongoing call in partnership with the Seattle NFT Museum.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udce3 ARTISTS WANTED<\/p>\n

We want to share your art that shares your heritage! \ud83d\uddfa\ufe0f\u2728<\/p>\n

HUG is partnering with the monumental @seanftmuseum<\/a>, the world\u2019s first NFT museum, for our debut collaborative exhibition \u201cCultural Kaleidoscope\u201d \u2728<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddef\ufe0f RT to tell your friends
\ud83d\udd17 Submit below \u2935\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/erP2TMquiG<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 HUG \ud83e\udd17 | Apply for an Artist Profile (@thehugxyz) August 15, 2023<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A Bright Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As exciting as all the growth detailed above is, Zuckerberg and Soon have shared that HUG is just getting started. In fact, thanks to a $5 million USD seed round led by Ohhsiny\u2019s VC fund with participation from OKX and L\u2019Or\u00e9al, HUG is now positioned to accelerate its growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese funds help us build out our product further, and to really turn HUG from a place of discovery to one of social commerce,\u201d explained Zuckerberg, adding, \u201cWe already feel like we are helping artists and collectors connect on an emotional level like never before, and these funds will help us extend that relationship from one of appreciation to one of patronage, and help artists build sustainable businesses out of their work!\u201d<\/p>\n

Looking forward, Soon described HUG as \u201cthe Facebook meets Etsy for a new generation of creators who are curious about blockchain and emerging technology,\u201d joking that, how could they not be with Randi in their corner?<\/p>\n

Soon further explained that as creators shift into an era where they are no longer selling their work in one single medium but rather in a range of mediums, on-chain or otherwise, HUG wants to help them explore those options and provide a one-stop shop.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimilarly, we believe the consumers of the new generation will also purchase art across multiple mediums,\u201d shared Zuckerberg, adding that \u201cPurchasers of NFTs still buy prints for their wall, and similarly, we hope that by allowing artists to express themselves through multiple mediums, we can convince every single art lover to also become art collectors and curators on the blockchain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Encouraging words from the \u201cMother Hugger\u201d <\/h3>\n

\u201cFirst off, I will say that bear markets come and go. When I was at the frontlines of Web2, there was the same amount of uncertainty and extremes of euphoria and despair. Being in the world of emerging tech is always scary and overwhelming, but it is also an incredible opportunity to learn. My advice is to keep exploring, keep learning, keep creating, and more importantly, remember to have fun.\u201d Zuckerberg continued. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n