What really determines the value of a project? Is it four-year roadmaps and fancy tokenomics, or is it something more?
Today I’m diving into market energy: what it is and how can you, as an investor, capitalize on it. Also have some updates on Caliber, Digital Sages, and a little esoteric wisdom to share.
As always, thanks for reading. I’ll make it worth your time.
Highlights
⬜Community, Attention, and Market Energy
⬜ Caliber Community Updates
⬜ AI Spotlight
⬜ Digital Sages Updates
⬜ Esoterica Corner
Community, Attention, and Market Energy
You don’t have to be an expert chart-reader to “read” the market. Here, as in most things, it’s all about energy.
Community and attention are what largely determine the value of crypto projects, not “utility,” roadmaps, fancy user interfaces, KYC, or anything else really.
When determining whether or not I will invest in a project, the only thing I look at is energy, spiritual liquidity, buzz. Whatever you want to call it.
How this energy is generated differs somewhat from project to project, and can be ignited by different catalysts. Meme value, a great team, positive news that resonates with the market, or even a whale jumping in and pumping the price. These are signs that a project has enough spiritual liquidity to move within the market and attract further value.
Metaphysically speaking, this energy must be generated from within. That is, the energy that constitutes the project itself must be great enough to attract more of the same.
Here is an example: Bitcoin is already widely known, yet there is very little “hype” surrounding it. The raw attention that it already has, mixed with a moderate amount of anticipation and community, continues to buoy the price. This price was once driven by pure euphoria and hype.
On the other hand, small market cap projects that don’t have a fraction of the attention that Bitcoin has, must derive value in smaller circles, often with tight-knit communities that are extremely hyped about the project and its future.
These are the kinds of projects you want to sniff out and invest in, not just because you have the potential for financial gain here, but because of the positive karma you may accrue by association.
This is one reason why I invest in communities, because it is the people behind a project and their collective mindset that contribute to the spiritual liquidity within a project. The better the mindset of the community, the more energy that is being consciously directed into the project itself, the much higher chance it has of growing and attracting physical value as well.
Going off of what I wrote about in last week’s Esoterica Corner, you also have to be ready to put value into a project. Communities that make this easy are the ones that will always win in the end, because they make attracting new members / investors a seamless and rewarding process.
Always be prepared to put in attention and energy when you enter a project. Market energy doesn’t just appear out of nowhere, it is generated from those who are invested.
Based on this information, can you read the current market landscape? Whether this is a scam pump or a bull trap or whatever is largely irrelevent. Seek to ride the waves of energy within the market and you can always capitalize. While many investors are sidelined or complaining, smart investors and traders are making a killing with projects like Aptos, Solana, Magic, and Level. Aptos for instance is trash, but the community / hype behind it isn’t.
Don’t fade the market. Always look for projects with that certain energy behind them, becuase where there is energy, there is value.
Reading fear, or negative energy, is just as important as being able to spot positive energy. When fear hits the market, it draws attention from the projects back to the individuals, the energy in other words is retracted. With the retraction in attention, comes to retraction in liquidity. Thus the market contracts, shrinking in value.
Smaller projects suffer more in this scenario because they are held up by the attention of far fewer individuals and institutional confidence. When fear hits a smaller market cap projects, its value can vanish overnight.
The more you practice reading the energy of the market, the better you will be able to sense when things are moving in the wrong direction. If the project is small enough you may be able to correct the flow of energy your Self.
Caliber Community Updates
Another exciting week on the Caliber Capital front. I encourage everyone who is the least bit interested in “making it” during the next bull run, this is one area you want to invest your time and energy in.
One of the key reasons why I’m so bullish on Caliber is not necessarily its core premise - web3 marketing - but because of how heavily we are leaning into the community and connection aspect.
Connections are energy, and for the last 7 months we have done nothing but build connections in web3, which are being weaved together to form what I can confidently say at this point is its own ecosystem. Although we are still in the initial stages of getting off the ground, we already have a packed team roster and deep connections with great protocols on multiple chains.
As Caliber unfolds, you will get to see the full vision behind it and how it will relate back to everything else that I am building. Remember, there is no web3 without connection - this is what it all comes back to.
AI Spotlight
The dynamic forming between well-adjusted, whitehearted, artistic individuals and whatever the hell is going on over in #noAI land continues to fascinate me.
For something that overwhelmingly has positive energy behind it, AI art continues to be an incredibly divisive issue for a small subset of people. This isn’t surprising on the surface, because positive energy always agitates the disgruntled crowd, but what is surprising is just how much hate is being levied at artists and creatives who use AI.
This is relevant because the energy that is being generated within the AI movement is nothing short of astounding. It is already a force unto itself, creating million dollar enterprises out of thin air. I have seen dozens of instances already of how AI has given new life for creatives who felt stuck and in creative funks.
Expression, artistry, and experimentation is at all time highs - the Internet as a whole has a sort of 1999 feel to it right now. There is a newness to so much that is happening in this space, it is in stark contrast to much of the digital space over the past decade.
This is the nightmare scenario for “artists” that have banked their entire personality around “creating art by hand” and “being a good artist.” This is all ego driven narcissism that is the antithesis of true art.
Imagine gatekeeping artistic expression? Couldn’t be me.
What’s ironic is so many of these people that are up in arms over AI art learned how to draw / paint by copying, tracing, and otherwise emulating the work of other artists. The entire foundation of the art world rests on the shoulders of those who have come before us, and now the idea of AI learning models that are trained on this same body of work somehow crosses the line.
I would argue that the invention of digital painting and Photoshop was a much more threatening issue for “traditional artists.” For instance the control and skill needed to properly paint with watercolors is vastly different than the skill needed to paint with digital watercolor brushes, and you can do so without having to buy an easel, watercolor paper, or the paints themselves.
Art has already undergone a massive transformation in the last few decades. Many of today’s most popular and prolific artists never touch an actual paint brush or pencil - all of their work takes place in the digital space.
And yet AI generative art somehow poses an issue. 🙃
You can always tell when ego is involved with something because logic flies out the window.
The lesson here is once again, go where the energy is and invest in it heavily. I spend an inordinate amount of my free time learning the ins and outs of many of the popular AI art and writing tools, because these are the humble beginnings of a massive revolution. In a few years artists that don’t rely on some form of AI will be seen as irrelevant luddites - you can bet the house on this.
It’s so important to put ego aside and just align with the positive and creative forces that are at work. This goes for anything, not just the AI art movement.
Digital Sages Updates
Work continues on the refresh, close to the 50% mark.
Also working on a heavy-hitting self-mastery blog that you won’t want to miss. Here’s a taste:
The philosophy of being a quiet observer that is detached from everyday chaos is rooted in the idea of mindfulness and detachment. The idea is to observe the world and one’s own thoughts and emotions without getting caught up in them or reacting to them in a knee-jerk fashion.
That piece should be going live later this week. Keep your eyes open 👀
Esoterica Corner
You can change your life around on a dime.
I thought this message was a great compliment to the theme of today’s newsletter, which is basically to be aware of the energy around you and use this information to make positive shifts in your own life.
Just because you invested in a couple dud projects or hold hate in your heart for something that happened to you in the past doesn’t mean you can’t change things around in an instant. You always have the power to drive your life in the direction that will bring you joy and peace.
no ill will 🤍