What's the Story of Aku on the Surface?

This is Eric Golden, and my guest today is Micah Johnson the creator and artist behind Aku Dreams. Micah’s story as a pro baseball player turned famed NFT artist and Aku’s story, are both unique and inspiring. We dive into how Micahs childhood inspired the story behind Aku, what he has learned from his success, and tips for artists in the space. Please enjoy my conversation with Micah.

For the full show notes, transcript, and links to the best content to learn more, check out the episode page here.

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Show Notes

[00:02:04] - [First question] - His backstory and becoming a professional baseball player

[00:03:34] - Who inspired him to pursue a professional career in baseball

[00:04:38] - Whether he had any moments of doubt in his pursuit of the big league

[00:05:16] - Where he found time for painting outside of baseball

[00:06:17] - The origin story of Aku and stepping into the NFT space 

[00:08:17] - Making the transition from physical to digital art

[00:09:27] - The power of his message and the reach it’s had

[00:10:42] - Symbolism of the astronaut mask and where the name Aku came from  

[00:12:02] - How much is planned out in advance when releasing art in chapters

[00:13:59] - The size of the team when they started and where it is today

[00:15:02] - How much revenue they’ve generated and IP wealth

[00:16:12] - The Aku IP structure and how it works

[00:16:49] - What’s worked for him when it comes to community building

[00:18:02] - How different levels of ownership contribute and govern the project

[00:19:10] - Go-to-market products and how community impacts the creative vision

[00:20:37] - Adding value to early adopters and believers in the project

[00:22:01] - Worries about a lack of community engagement and constantly delivering

[00:23:12] - NFTs as a tool in native Web3 companies and how the business model works

[00:24:06] - Receiving movie offers so early and community driven IP

[00:25:42] - How he’s learned so many skills over his lifetime and thoughts on training 

[00:26:34] - Trying to remove money as a target and what success looks like for Aku

[00:27:21] - Lessons that can be shared with new creators in the NFT space 

[00:28:14] - Projects that have inspired him that cross over from web3 to media 

[00:28:55] - Examples where he’s overridden community decisions and why

[00:29:40] - Surprising ways Aku has impacted the lives of different people 

[00:30:56] - Intimate details and Aku as a diary of his lived experience

[00:32:45] - What he’s most excited to build over the next six months and six years  

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