Imaginary Ones co-founder Clement Chia on creating an impact with NFTs

What is the secret to Imaginary Ones’ success?

Originally, I was creating Instagram art for fun, but those went viral over time. So when NFTs became a thing, I created five characters and posted them on social media, had a good response, and decided to launch my own project.

In addition to NFTs, the focus is on building a community. Jumping directly into it is not going to work if nobody knows who you are. Having a following made my project more visible.

Authenticity and community separate good projects from those that are there for a quick buck.

What are you doing differently in Web3?

I strongly believe Web3 has a huge potential to change the world because it is still being shaped. We want to ensure that we create a positive space for everyone.

You will see that IO has a style that is distinctly different from many other Web3 projects that are often male-dominated. We aim to make IO’s aesthetic much more inclusive and accessible to people of all ages and genders — males, females, parents, kids, and everyone else in between.

When I was buying NFTs, the culture was always about “grinding” or performing repetitive tasks in Discord or Twitter to get on the Allowlist. That felt wrong. I wanted to make a change in the space, so our community activities involved more wholesome activities, such as going out for a walk or learning a simple magic trick.

I would like IO to be more than just beautiful art or art with a message. Spreading positivity in the very way we build our communities and engaging with the world are what it’s all about.