Not every project launches it’s Twitter and mints a few weeks later. The Wild West Project has been around since September 2021, slowly building things and making sure that when they do drop they are 100% happy with what they are launching.
We spoke to two of the guys behind the project, Kevin and Daylan to find out more.
Tell us a little about The Wild West Project, what type of artwork is it, what size drop?
Kevin: The Wild West Project started back in September 2021 when Daylan and I first discussed what we wanted to develop within the Cardano blockchain.
Our first brainstorming session involved ideas around developing a series of convicts and burglar-type characters which later lead to the idea of bandits, bounty hunting, and our well-known most wanted posters.
My expertise is primarily hand drawing but I saw the opportunity to introduce a digital feeling infused with a vintage pop art/comic style to really pave the road for what later drops and content can look like. We originally discussed a ten thousand NFT drop but after going through the traits and introducing a more sophisticated layering process we decided to reduce it to 5,555 to offer a more well-rendered and unique product.
Where did the idea for the project come from?
Kevin: Daylan and I were legit just having a couple of beers discussing different directions we can take from a general theme of ‘outlaws’. We ended up arriving at a Wild West theme once we discussed airdrop opportunities, games, zines, and just the idea of the Wild West – where nothing is truly governed or controlled similar to that of what we see happening in the crypto world.
Daylan: I couldn’t have put it into better words myself. I love western inspired ideas and I thought it would be cool to do something with it in the space. I already had a rough draft idea in my head but didn’t know where to start. I’ve known Kevin for a long time and knew his art and ability, So I reached out to him and the conversation over beers ensued.
What makes this project unique?
Kevin: From my perspective, it’s bringing a small hint of familiarity into a space that is new and growing each day. Additionally by meticulously hand drawing all of the traits every piece has authenticity behind it which aided the process that we went through to get there and working closely with our community manager and developer to figure things out as we go.
Daylan: We wanted to bring a completely different art style and aesthetic to the community. We haven’t really seen anything else quite like it and I think it’s such a unique style of art. Kevin has done an absolutely amazing job.
What about the team behind the project? Tell us a bit about the team, what are your background(s) and what has to lead you to start this project.
Daylan: We’re a small team. It’s just the 3 of us. Kevin- our team artist. Servi- our computer engineer, And myself. I personally come from sales and service background so I’ve taken the reigns with our full social media and Discord. I think people forget that we’re normal people all working full time jobs and doing this on the side. I wish I could be doing it full time, but right now we have bills to pay too.
Kevin: I’m an industrial designer by trade for about 4 years now. One of my most used skills is illustration and sketching which I perform on and off the clock and innately led me to the development of The Wild West Project.
Do you have a set-in-stone roadmap for the future of the project or are you expecting the roadmap to develop with the project? Any plans you do have set in stone?
Daylan: we have a set roadmap for the rest of this year, but I don’t want to say in stone. The ideas we have already on our roadmap we plan on delivering, but as the space changes we may have new ideas or innovations.
We plan on updating it with more to come in the future after we fulfill the current roadmap. We want to do our best to under promise and over deliver versus the other way around.
What got the team interested in Blockchain and NFT’s?
Kevin: Daylan, Servando, and I are all huge fans of Cardano and after discussing NFT’s for a bit and some projects are what really made us dig deep and fully realize our potential in both NFT’s and the Blockchain overall.
Daylan: I’ve been into blockchain technology, specifically Cardano, for a couple years now and truthfully I would never have dove into NFT’s had they never come to this platform. I’ve never been involved in the ETH community as much as I have been with ADA. Really my interest started because I enjoy this community and all the great people in it.
What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far with this project?
Kevin: Being able to seamlessly pass off the work to the team has been the biggest challenge for me personally. Making sure the traits were perfectly set up for success and keeping up with quality assurance for the project was a major challenge. 10 – 20 traits are absolutely manageable but once the number surpassed 70 traits or so things required a ton of attention to detail.
Daylan: The biggest struggle, for me at least, is shilling the project. I have tried very hard to not pay influencers or spam their DM’s and it just seems like we can’t get the ball rolling. It’s tough because I see projects who don’t seem to be putting any creativity or effort into their projects gaining massive amounts of attraction.
Why did you choose to launch on Cardano?
Kevin: I believe it’s the community I relate to most and personally have been a fan of the CNFT projects and long-term plans as well.
Daylan: Cardano has the best community hands down. The low fees and POS also play a huge role in why I’m such a big supporter of the chain.
I couldn’t see our project being launched anywhere else.
How do you see the NFT space evolving over the next few months?
Kevin: Although it has been a bit dormant as of late, I hope it evolves to be more immersive and personalized in the coming months. I’d even argue to bring physical products into the space when the time is right.
Daylan: The space has already grown and evolved a ton in the past year, but this next year we will see a big adjustment in the type of projects people are interested in. Right now people get excited for a project Pre-Mint, but as soon as it comes out they lose interest and move on to the next one. I believe we will start to see true “Bluechip” project rise to the surface. Old and New.
What project would you ideally love to do a collaboration with?
Kevin: We as a team are huge fans of Disco Solaris which would be dope to collaborate with. I also think a collab with Clay Mates would be interesting.
Daylan: I would kill to work with Disco Solaris. I think their art is absolutely stunning and their community is amazing. I also agree Clay Mates would be incredible. I had a chance to meet the team when they were in New York and they are some of the most genuine people I’ve met.
Do you guys collect NFT’s too? What’s your favourite?
Kevin: I definitely do some of my favorite cops are from Yummi Universe, Clay Mates, Lion Legends.
Daylan: I’m a big collector too. It’s so hard to pick a favorite. From my personal collection my DCC, Disco Solaris and Chilled Kongs are probably the ones I find myself admiring the most. I think there are so many good projects out that get overlooked too like Veggie Mates and Tavern Squad.
Thanks for reading, if you’d like to learn more about the Wild West Project check out their website and join the Discord.
Before you leave check out our CNFT drop calendar to see what projects are coming up or see what projects are still minting.