‘BBGirls’ on Avalanche
Sugar, spice, and everything in between- ‘BBGirls’ is an artistic celebration of feminine expression, exploring alternative subcultures of modern fashion. This 888 piece collection brings diverse representations of aesthetics as well as tongue n’ cheek commentary on the countercultures birthed in response to societal suppression of the feminine.
-BBGirls Collection Link-
https://campfire.exchange/collections/0xb110dd28312e48d74b8a725f1ee39b74d365245f
Hey there!
Before we dive into the logistics and vision for the BBGirls brand & collection, I think it’s important to have some context for the inspiration behind creating this project:
- Generative art’s modularity immediately pinged my brain to another artform: paper dolls. Though, paper dolls are nowhere near new age tech. Dating back to the early 1800s, commercially produced paper dolls depicted the idealized fashion of the era. Besides their implimentation as a visual additive for adventure tales, these dolls were typically marketed towards girls and young women, sending a message of what type of woman was valued in their society. What started as fantastical, ornate role play, by the 20th century had expanded to wardrobes of WAC (Women’s Army Corps) & women’s career wear.
I thought there might be a way to play into this with today’s fashion… - I often found myself lost in worlds of my own as a kid- and with the boom of 2000's Adobe Flash games, myscene.com was my ish. Minigames like “My Scene: Makeover Studio” And “My Scene: Fashion Designer” (Gotta give an honorable mention to the DS game Style Savvy) gave me a digital experience when I didn’t have the space growing up in rural Alabama to play with my appearance in real life.
Seeking to create these kinds of experiences came with me even till now. - Coming onto the blockchain last year, as a classically trained artist, it’s been very refreshing to see all the building being done- and the women in the space really bringing it with their artistry. Avax Women is a coalition of female artists creating on the Avalanche chain, all sharing their skills uniquely through their medium of choice, backend development, and community building. Avax Women is 72 women strong, including artist Cosmic Friend, who through her work on Cosmic Frens is a great example for fem PFP creation.
After a journal sketch sparked the stylistic thought, the ambition’s fire was lit for ‘BBGirls’.
In the context of Web3, we see the transmuting of this play on identity through PFP NFTs. Stylistic choices, pop-culture references, and character personality all lend themselves to curate a visual resonance for those who engage with the work.
My work often centers around identity and self (re)discovery. Much of the inspiration as of late has come from tapping into nostalgia.
With all the talk of inspiration, let’s get into the collection!
‘BBGirls’ Genesis Collection
At the heart of BBGirls, the goal is to uplift personal authenticity. In this collection, that translated into highlighting alternative fashion subcultures. Fashion is an artform in and of itself, and the plethora of aesthetic variety fascinates me. I personally love playing with appearance as a way of personification; I think it’s a really powerful thing. The choice to wear your own unique visual expression is dope- and the collection, BBGirls, is my way of celebrating that.
With style and personal fashion, there’s more than just one element at play when curating “a look”. This way of creating a personalized expression lent itself when fleshing out the collection’s traits: skin tone, facial accessories (blush, etc.), hair, eyes, mouth, eyebrows, nose jewelry, earrings, eyewear, and clothing.
There are 20 subcultures are featured in BBGirls, with the collection including just over 100 outfits- each being tailored to it’s specific aesthetic grouping. [Example of each included on Style Sheet]
In addition to the generative pieces in this collection, 22 unique 1 of 1 pieces were created and included bringing the total stock to 888. These legendaries are all inspired by female figures in history and pop-culture icons. I have an evergrowing list of characters I would love to BB-ify.
I started working on BBGirls shortly after onboarding onto the Avalanche chain fall of 2022. Transitioning from an Atlanta ad agency as a graphic & motion designer back towards a more illustrative role on my own, I was excited to develop as solid of an identity for the project/brand as I could. Logo-mark design and typeface exploration as I continued to create asset artwork opened my eyes to what this could become.
Current BBGirls Holders
( Congrats! You are now a vital member of the BBWorld! ♡ )
Token gated channels in the Chromasphere discord have been created for holders to claim BBGirls physicals. I want to say a tremendous thank you to everyone who supported this project and its launch- 68 holders and 178 BBGirls minted!
Holders eligable:
- Holders of 4 or more BBGirls — 1 (5"x5") shipped print [per set of 4]
- Legendary BBGirls holders — 1 (5"x5") shipped print
Remaining BBGirls Stock
Honestly, I’m still working out what’s to come of the rest of the BBs.
As of now, the remaining BBGirls have been moved to treasury, and their futures are being discussed. If you would like to participate in the discussion, join the Discord! [Link at bottom of page]
The BBWorld
This genesis BBGirls collection took 8 months to come to full fruition. From conception in late November 2022 to launch July of this year (2023) on Campfire.exchange, I spent over 1300 hours creating 424 assets and 22 legendary 1/1s- easily the greatest artistic pursuit I’ve personally taken on.
In my opinion, it was well worth it creatively.
I do want to be tranparent with my experience, in hopes some find value in it.
Undertaking a profile picture project comes with connotations like identity and community. When I set out to create this project, identity was first on my mind. The fashion I adorn has always been a form of personalization that elevated my identity, so I knew the BBGirls needed this energy. Looking to the historical artform of paper dolls, I saw a way to explore that medium with fashion through the contemporary lens of PFP compositions. My intention in highlighting countercultural aesthetics was to share a celebration with likeminded, alternative individuals.
With my head down in the creative work all these months, I had hoped my excited energies would roll over into fostering community enagement once the project launched. Little did I know, my past traumas would return to make any ounce of socializing, majority of the time, excedingly difficult. This wrestling is the reason for my absence these past few weeks, and truthfully, the cause behind the delays on this article.
To be quite honest, it has been a struggle to continue working to manage my self regulation. For my own mental health and transparency, I will not be actively pursuing social and community engagements and will just be focusing on the art. That Art, being the further development of all things BBWorld, my 1 of 1 art, and my music.
To reiterate, I won’t be going away; I truly cherish the connections and friendships I’ve made in the AVAX community and I look forward to making more. I will be quietly working, sharing my art, and occassionally popping in to chat as my mental health improves. Currently, I am exploring activities that improve my well being such as therapy, grounding physicality, and diet. With the lingering stigma around mental illness, I believe now more than ever in the importance of emotional honesty. The way to healing is through connection. I hope all my fellow BBs out there are taking needed action for the benefit of their mental health. ♡
The time it took to create the project was a great adventure. Though I’m struggling for now, I believe down the line I’ll be ready to take another big step on the BB journey. I know this because I already have thoughts and dreams percolating.
Here are some of those dreams:
- BBWorld website
- 1/1 BBGirls collections
- BBWear [Actualized IRL attire]
- BBBuns [small generative collection]
- BBBoys collection [same formatting as BBGirls]
- Dynamic BB NFTS [UI reminescent of character creation pages]
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If you or anyone you know is exeriencing difficulties with their mental health, please encourage them to reach out to someone they trust. Or, if you’d like someone to just say something to, my DMs are always open.
US Suicide and Crisis Lifeline- call or text: 988
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Thanks for reading- Peace and Love, my friends.
Socials
- Twitter-
[Personal account sharing 1 of 1 work and art exploration]
-BBGirls Twitter-
[This new account will be for sharing BBNews and BBWorld updates]
-Chromasphere Discord-
-Website-
