NFT Showcase: Anxious Bulldogs

Hedgehog's very own Jon Hope presents a Q&A with the creator of up-and-coming NFT collection Anxious Bulldogs.

Let me introduce you to the Anxious Bulldogs NFT collection created by Brainshambles.Eth. Full disclosure, I do hold some Bulldogs and love the community. I found this project while researching another project on OpenSea and liked the artwork. I am a dog person.

Artwork is usually the first thing that attracts me to a collection but is not enough on its own to buy NFTs. Similar to walking down Main Street and looking in an art gallery. The painting may catch your eye but you want to know more. Who is the artist? What is this about? Anything extra?

In the NFT space, all of this happens virtually. Meaning I like to make sure there is a website, a plan for the future, and a community that is active behind the project. This project checked all of those boxes for me. The creator is a marketing executive by trade and has put all of her energy into making this project successful.

In fact, the name Anxious Bulldogs is inspired by Brainshambles' experience as a "high-functioning anxious marketing executive" with two French Bulldogs of her own. She donates 15% of the Anxious Bulldog sales to Ronald McDonald House every single month.

This collection is offered on the Polygon Network. This creates an easier entry for many people due to cheaper gas fees, but sometimes can add a technological barrier. A cool thing I have seen in this community is Brainshambles walking people through the technology herself to participate in buying/selling NFTs safely.

I connected with Brainshambles to ask her about the Anxious Bulldogs, and here is what she said:

How would you describe your art and your community?

I would describe my Anxious Bulldogs NFT collection as illustrative cartoon pop-art. I like to describe my community as a group of collaborative helpers and learners. A pretty diverse group of people comprise the Anxious Bulldogs community, but there are a few common themes that most of them share. Super kind, quirky, honest, and curious.

Who introduced you to NFTs?

No single person introduced me to NFTs. It all started with my personal curiosity, which led me down a TikTok and YouTube learning rabbit hole. Of course, I've met some fabulous creators and friends along the way.

How did you build your own community?

I built my community totally backwards — honestly! I like to say that I launched my NFT collection to an empty room, and reverse engineered an audience which became my community. And I did all of that really, by documenting my journey on social media and sharing the many highs and lows in a very authentic and vulnerable way.

It didn't hurt that I was also able to add value by providing some digestible, basic education to others who were dipping their toes into the web3 space. I've helped many people set up digital wallets, navigate the challenges of OpenSea, and even buy their first NFT. Ultimately, my holders started begging me to start a Discord — so I gave in, and it was one of the best decisions I've made.

What is your overall goal and what does success look like for you?

I would be lying if I said I have a clear, defined goal at this point in my journey. The fact is, I still maintain a very demanding day job as a marketing executive, so I'm finding my way through that balance. My immediate goal is to sell out my genesis collection and get working on V2.

Longer term, my goal is to permanently embed myself in the NFT artist community and continue to create fun, beautiful art that helps connect people. I also want to help onboard more people to web3 because I see the unique value it can bring to others, personally and professionally.

Success will look something like: multiple NFT collections, a solid crypto portfolio grown organically from the sale of my art, and an absolute avalanche of human connection!

Are there any other artists or projects that you would like to work with in the future?

There are too many to list! I'm really protective of my time when it comes to any sort of collaborations — so it would really have to be someone special.

How did you decide which blockchain to release your NFTs on?

I went with Ethereum because I understood it to be the most mainstream, with the most addressable market. Unfortunately, the month I launched — gas prices were so high (consistently $100-$200 per transaction), and with no community — that became a real barrier to entry. So I actually switched my whole collection over to Polygon (manually, on OpenSea — which was a RIOT!).

Polygon did bring an entirely new set of challenges that I still manage today, but making that change was ultimately what helped me gain momentum and actually begin consistently selling my NFTs. I am, however, really excited to go back over to Ethereum when I launch Anxious Bulldogs V2!

Do you have any advice for the next artist getting into NFTs?

Document your journey and get it out there. Share the biggest failures and challenges with the world. Be ready to pivot, and when in doubt, get out of your head — and ask the NFT community for input. There are so many people uniquely positioned to help you build and grow right now.

I asked, what are some important things that are mentioned about your project?

I would love it if you could let people know that 15% of sales from the Anxious Bulldogs goes to Ronald McDonald House every single month. I've launched this entire 1k piece collection by myself and I am determined to sell out the remaining pieces (of which there are about 300) even in a BEAR market! Anxious Bulldog V1 holders will have the most elite access to all future projects.

If you would like to catch up with the artist or see the Anxious Bulldogs for yourself, check out the project's Linktree!

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