Co-authored by @mmazco and @JamesJWLynch.

Do we build and grow in the creative economy, or does it commoditize our humanity?

Each of us tries to create in an unbound landscape made claustrophobic by the realities of life, survival, and preparation for an unknowable future. At each step, we must decide what is opportunity, and what leverages the chance of greatness for the certainty of conclusion. What is inspiration, and what is creative oppression.

Together, Crowdmuse, IDEO CoLab Ventures’ Creative Residency, and Lens Protocol are launching a contest inviting creatives such as artists, designers, writers and musicians alike to chart their creations across the image above which includes themes prominent in this new era of the web such as Creation, Ownership, Access and Monetization.

When it comes to creativity we question whether these forces are in opposition like oil and water, chunks floating amongst one great vinaigrette, isolated pillars of the creative compromise, or something completely different all together?

Contest overview

Creatives can submit a piece of work that reflects their understanding of the creative economy, their place in it, and the forces that act on them. Maybe one quadrant reigns supreme, the truth lies somewhere along the x-y axis, or to exist at all is to be a singular point moving across this creative topography.

The two-week submission window opens this quarter, look out for announcements on Crowdmuse and IDEO CoLab Ventures social channels. For a chance to participate in the contest, creators must mint their work as a digital artifact on the Crowdmuse marketplace. This competition is open to the Crowdmuse and the wider community. After the submission window closes, the Crowdmuse community will choose the winning design through a community vote hosted on JokeRace, an onchain community contest platform.

The winning design will be made into a limited-edition physical product enabling access to Crowdmuse’s sustainable manufacturing and NFC chip partners with accompanying exclusive digital assets as part of the product bundle sold on the Crowdmuse marketplace (see here for an example in the product includes section). The Crowdmuse marketplace enables creators to benefit from revenue splits on product sales allowing the winning creator to earn from the production with their collaborators. Alongside onchain attribution to showcase product provenance and visibility in the product’s supply chain and co-creation.

Crowdmuse and partners of the contest will develop a social campaign to showcase the winner across partner distribution channels for further exposure.

Open call for creatives is now open, please submit your interest to participate in the contest via this form. We will share a more in-depth contest scope and voting framework in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

Point of contact
Representing, IDEO CoLab Ventures Creative Residency @JamesJWLynch will run content coverage throughout the contest window and campaign. Representing Crowdmuse @mmazco will co-lead the contest coordination and platform support. To speak to the organizers, please email your questions to gm@crowdmuse.com

About the collaborators
Crowdmuse is a permissionless marketplace that transforms supply chains and creative production. Their network of creators and producers leverages web3 onchain architecture to showcase their work, produce in the real world, and earn.

IDEO CoLab Ventures invests in big ideas and good humans. They partner with visionary founders at the earliest stages to help them create products and protocols that people love. Their Creative Residency gives resources, community, and support to creatives exploring emerging digital spaces.

JokeRace is an open-source and onchain community voting platform where users are able to create and run community voting contests that provide the benefits of onchain mechanics including monetization, reputation, and community insight.

Lens Protocol is a decentralized and interoperable social platform. Users on Lens’ various decentralized social apps can navigate between apps while maintaining their profiles, content, and networks.

Follow @crowdmuse for updates