Proof of Origin FAQ

What's the easiest way to learn about this artwork?

How many stars are there?

Launched in January, 2023 the work began with 454 stars, the number of calendar months which passed since March 1st, 1985 when the 4 year old artist put crayon to paper. A new star is added on the 1st of each month.

What are the times of days that crayon colors appear at?

12:00am – 12:59am : carnation pink
1:00am – 1:59am : red-violet
2:00am – 2:59am : violet-red
3:00am – 3:59am : red
4:00am – 4:59am : red-orange
5:00am – 5:59am : brown
6:00am – 6:59am : orange-red
7:00am – 7:59am : orange
8:00am – 8:59am : yellow-orange
9:00am – 9:59am : peach
10:00am – 10:59am : orange-yellow
11:00am – 11:59am : yellow
12:00pm – 12:59pm : white
1:00pm – 1:59pm : green-yellow
2:00pm – 2:59pm : yellow-green
3:00pm – 3:59pm : green
4:00pm – 4:59pm : sea green (“traded” black)
5:00pm – 5:59pm : cornflower blue (“traded” gray)
6:00pm – 6:59pm : blue-green
7:00pm – 7:59pm : green-blue
8:00pm – 8:59pm : blue
9:00pm – 9:59pm : violet-blue
10:00pm – 10:59pm : blue-violet
11:00pm – 11:59pm : violet

How is each NFT unique?

Each Proof of Origin NFT has a unique star field generated using entropy from the blockchain’s transaction hash of that NFT’s minting.

Another way each NFT is unique is the “Star Appearance” trait. This is the speed at which the stars appear after loading the artwork. Each speed is represented by a different emoji related to a special childhood memory.
= 0.05
= 0.1
= 0.25
= 0.5
= 1.0
= 2.0

How was this a collaboration between a 4 year old and 42 year old of the same person?

In order to “collaborate” with his 4 year old self, the artist employed a free-writing technique in which he visualized introducing himself to his 4 year old self and gradually explained who they’d become as an adult and about the project they’re working on and why they need the 4 year old’s assistance.

“It was actually very emotional for me – this exercise. I was very surprised by some of the responses. It really was like having a conversation with a younger version of myself who was locked off from knowledge of future events. He surprised me by bringing up things I’d long forgotten. For example, when I started explaining the project to him, he started talking about a computer game we played, Parsec. And he remarked how he loved how all the stars blinked in the background. I had to actually go back later and check YouTube to confirm this because my adult self didn’t think they blinked – or that the technology would handle that, but sure enough the stars in that game blink!”

“And he talked about how his favorite part of the planetarium was how at the beginning of a show, the stars come out gradually. All of these things that were important to me as a child fueled this work and instructed me how to best honor my 4 year old self. But I have to admit, I think that the state of mind I was speaking to was around 5 years old, because he talked quite a bit about the Challenger explosion, which happened a year after the drawing was made.”

Do some stars move?

They are very rare, but some stars are born as satellites, which orbit the screen.

How do I make a wish?

This is an ‘easter egg‘ in the artwork, never discussed until discovered by collectors. If you type ‘i wish ‘ followed by your wish, and press the ‘ENTER’ key, you’ll be greeted by a generative shooting star. Keep your eyes peeled, as it isn’t instantaneous. Enter as many wishes as you like, but be careful what you wish for. You just might get it.

Why did I hear that this drawing was made by Elon Musk, Jimmy Kimmel, Gary Vee or maybe even Beeple?

As part of PROOF’s 3rd edition of Grails, this artwork was released and minted before the artist behind it was revealed. There was much speculation over whose children’s drawing this was.