Goodwill Hunting
Florescent lights illuminate scuffed linoleum as second-hand clothes dangle precariously from a well-worn rack. A Spring Forward: Colorful Shirts sign hangs in the distance in stark contrast to the scene of an early twenty-something male sporting a baggy black t-shirt shuffling around patiently for the next great find. Being your own boss is a risky endeavor, but this man and his wife likely found some much-needed freedom in their online shop. This undoubtedly showed Gavin Meeler that when you pursue what you love, you just keep moving forward—one foot in front of the other, and the ground will come up to meet you. This may have also been something that gave Gavin the time and courage to press on with his biggest passion: expressing himself and portraying the world around him through art.
I chose to feature Gavin not just because I love his art and the meaning behind it, but because he and his story are sincere and genuine. No YOLO posts on Twitter. No yachts. No flexing. No dunking or negativity. No trying to be anything other than himself—a shy guy who loves art, puts himself out there and wants to see others succeed too. I can’t help but admire and respect everything about what he does and how he does it.
Meeler’s Creations
Meeler’s Creations are a prolific collection of NFTs from artist Gavin Meeler . While it’s hard to pin down an exact number, Gavin’s art comprises hundreds of unique pieces across multiple collections, amounting to thousands of NFTs that speak to the human experience and what he sees in the world around us. 30% of all proceeds from his art go directly towards supporting other artists by purchasing their works:
I actually had quite a bit of trouble narrowing down which pieces to showcase in this article because they’re all so emotionally provocative. Gavin’s work covers some of the more ineffable aspects of the human experience that are not often translated from the world of the abstract to visual mediums: from humor and sorrow to grief and hopefulness, Gavin highlights and addresses the many issues concerning the modern condition, chiefly those related to mental health and personal wellbeing.
Some of them are hilarious…
…and some of them are just…friggin’ terrifying!
Anguish the Clown—Jack the Clown Grinding Teeth—Fallen and I can’t turn back
Potato Head
Potato Head is a limited collection of Ethereum NFTs hand-drawn by Gavin and released bi-monthly. This series is a recreation of Mr. Potato Head and other iconic toys portrayed as being stuck halfway between human and toy.
There will only ever be 600 Potato Heads with 180 exclusive reward toys created. They are also released in 30 different generations with 20 1/1 Potato Heads and 6 exclusive 1/1 toys rewarded in each generation. The 1/1 exclusive toys are awarded to the top three holders from each generation.
Etherabloom
Etherabloom is a separate collection of digital crypto flower NFTs with each emotion-filled piece aptly named to touch on all of life’s questions. Only 7 out of 10 of these experimental 1/1 flowers have been released so far.
Holy Skully
Holy Skully is a separate 1/1 collection of 6 Skull NFTs on the Ethereum Blockchain. Like Etherabloom, Holy Skully is an experimental collection from Gavin.
Meeler Fish
Meeler Fish is a limited collection of two 1/1’s and two 1/3’s made available to holders of specific Meeler pieces.
‘Impact to the Psyche’
Impact to the Psyche is a limited series of Ethereum NFTs from Gavin that includes a mix of 1/1’s, 1/15’s, and a 1/100 that cover dark, cerebral, almost tangible themes that poke at the neurotic little demons we all carry around.
Meeler’s Signatures
Meeler’s Signatures is a collection of Ethereum NFTs released on 10/19/2021. They represent Gavin as an artist and are priced for those in the community without deep pockets who still want to get involved in the space.
‘I hate that not everyone can jump into the space because of affordability…Think of them as if I’m signing something for you & putting a small doodle on it’
Gavin’s World
Gavin’s latest collection, Gavin’s World, is set to launch Thursday, November 25th, 2021. While his other collections focus on what’s important in the world around us, this collection will focus on the things that are important in his world.
This first image from the ‘Gavin’s World’ collection is already impressive as it is…but look closer. This piece is drenched in symbolism, featuring characters and elements that hold special meaning for Gavin.
This part features a balloon guy & a skeleton figure dangling from the balloon, seeing where it takes him🎈
Inspired by my love for Dr.Seuss when I was young, which lead to my love for Tim Burton as well. This is a symbol of their work mixed w/ mine
Check out that eth earring😎 pic.twitter.com/6Qzcy0PnDt
— Gavin Meeler (@Gavinmeeler) November 22, 2021
In this corner we see a clown named "cautious the clown." His nose is the balloon "Balloon guy" is holding onto. Cautious the clown is so cautious of everything, he is too terrified to do anything, so he does nothing. The best he can do is smile to feel like everything is okay.🤡 pic.twitter.com/i4MbmnEk58
— Gavin Meeler (@Gavinmeeler) November 22, 2021
Here we have what are known as "Heck's" they usually sit on an eyeball planet. They are these black figures w/ simple facial expressions and long socks. Under this you will see a "Happy Harry" this guy usually likes peaking over to show how happy he is, he is yellow with 2 horns. pic.twitter.com/X8Qo3G0Mcm
— Gavin Meeler (@Gavinmeeler) November 22, 2021
I'm this corner we see these outlandish blue lips, under that we see these words written "I'm shy and that's okay." Under that we have a "Shy Sheldon" brother of "Happy Harry." Shy Sheldon is always too afraid of any interaction, he prefers to watch & listen from a far. pic.twitter.com/1BpxQkc8DS
— Gavin Meeler (@Gavinmeeler) November 22, 2021
In my many months of covering NFTs, I’ve yet to see this level of detail encoded into an NFT. Absolutely ridiculous!
Heart & Soul
Needless to say, Gavin Meeler is by far one of the best artists on the scene: A true up-and-comer with talent and humility who pours his heart and soul into every piece. He’s definitely someone you should acquaint and familiarize yourself with.
Be sure to follow Gavin on Twitter and join his Discord so that you can keep up with the latest news and releases or even just chat with him directly.
There are many people in the world who are disingenuous, conniving and greedy. Mercifully, Gavin Meeler isn’t one of them. Perhaps one of the most endearing aspects of his work is how his humility, humanity and kindness translate in an expressive, yet entirely relatable way that, despite its strangeness, feels incredibly close to home.
Simon is a WEB3 developer and writer. When he isn't busy programming microcontrollers, documenting Blockchain software, and saving the world from centralization, he enjoys creating music and exploring the latest technological trends.