Pixelwank: Manifesto

**This manifesto is for pixelwanks artistic intentions**

I used to be a musician. I guess you could say I still am, but that's not something I identify with anymore...

25 years spent a willing slave to the pursuit of music, from primary school clarinet, state orchestras, releasing EDM tracks with a bunch of international labels, to slapping the bass nationally/internationally with a punk outfit, record deals, the lot.

It would've been safe to say this was it for me, the only dream I'd ever had, and lucky enough to be living it for the previous few years. I was going to ride out my time and this path to the ground.

Long story short, at the end of 2021 I was kicked out of the band without fair trial, purely for having a different opinion about the pandy-wandy (I now refuse to say 'pandemic') compared to the bandmates. I was jabbed, I was prepared to do whatever it took to keep us on stage and making a living. Ultimately, at the time I tried to inform myself about people's opinions who weren't keen for the jab - so I could understand the full landscape surrounding this colossal fucking mess the world was in.

Kicked out without fair trial or even a chance to properly communicate with my band mates, ghosted and alienated still to this day - after 7 years of dedication and sacrifice - by my "best friends".

Times were dark my dear reader. From periods of being suicidal to a general depression which I'm working through today, it's been a topsy turvy time.

"From the darkest moments comes the brightest light." - countless people before me would've said this. I couldn't tell you where I heard it but this hit home for me.

It was in the initial months of turmoil post-event, I was desperate for a creative release, desperate for a form of expression - music was too jaded for me and still is - that I discovered the wonders of generative art.

I was lucky enough to discover Filaments by Abwagmi (now AbInfinite) and a group of wannabe devs/builders in CircolorsDAO. This was the lightbulb moment realising this kind of work existed, not just mashed together png elements like we were seeing in pfp-land.

Circolors lead, McToady, was hugely encouraging and instrumental in those early months picking up P5 and being more active within this space, along with Genlight, Irreverent, Duke and more... I owe that toad and wonderful bunch of humans in Circolors dearly <3

I'd been tunnel visioned to music for many years, I literally knew nothing else until this.

Now, here we are in 2023. I'm so proud of having been able to push through the dark clouds hanging above my head and give birth to Pixelwank in late 2021, with a swamp of releases I forced down your throats in 2022.

I'm so very grateful to my collectors so far who have helped me establish that new form of expression for myself and opened the doors for a new creative path. Pixelwank is as much yours as it is mine.

Im here for the long haul. There's ideas constantly swimming around this daft head and not enough hours in the day. Full-time work doesn't help the cause, but there's plenty of time to think about what to work on next.

I hope my work brings a smile and makes you think - sometimes about silly things, sometimes serious. I hope that even if you don't collect any pixelwank - the fun, tongue-in-cheek energy rubs off on you and still brings a smile to your dial.

From my darkest of moments, has come my brightest light.

Remember...

"it's all a bunch of pixelwank"

Tom - pixelwank