Conversation with the founder of Little Ghost, Sleepy: I am just a simple idealist. (Part I)

Welcome to wenser’s special column in web3. Welcome to Wenser's Web3 column.

As a representative NFT project in the Chinese-speaking region, Little Ghost is growing increasingly outstanding on its journey of continuous building. The founder Sleepy, known as "the man behind Little Ghost," has always been quite low-key and reserved, giving off a mysterious vibe. So today, we are pleased to invite Sleepy to share his thoughts on Little Ghost, NFTs, and related practices, insights, and future views in the Web3 field! Without further ado, enjoy it～

Interviewer: @wenser2010

Interviewee: @Sleepy0x13

Note: This interview was conducted before the one-year anniversary of Little Ghost, and specific information is subject to official announcements from Little Ghost.

Wenser: To start, I wanted to ask, if you could express one sentence in this interview, what would it be? I'm personally quite curious. Or do you have any motto that particularly motivates you?#

Sleepy: Actually, I don't have one. I often express that I am a very idealistic person.

Wenser: It feels a bit like a humblebrag, haha!

Sleepy: Mainly, you have a belief and want to do something in this industry.

Wenser: Does Sleepy have any other identities to briefly mention? It feels quite multifaceted.

Sleepy: I am currently working full-time in Web3 entrepreneurship. Previously, I was an NFT researcher, a rapper, and I also create some art.

Wenser: Wow, that's quite a lot, very low-key. (In fact, he has written hundreds of research articles related to NFTs and Web3, released his own album, and is one of the founders of the well-known new-generation artist organization Weir DAO in China.)

Sleepy: I actually started my full-time entrepreneurship last summer (2022). Before that, I was a writer for Web3 news at Rhythm. Prior to that, I was in university. So, I basically jumped into the Web3 industry right after graduating.

Wenser: Got it. You were doing research-related work before, and then by chance, you started a project?

Sleepy: Yes, because while writing articles at Rhythm, I gained some recognition. For example, I wrote the first reports in China on NBA Top Shot and BAYC, so many people recognized me. I also felt that there should be a good Chinese NFT project emerging. You see, there are excellent Chinese projects or teams with strong Chinese genes in exchanges, public chains, and DeFi, but at that time, I didn't see any such projects in NFTs, so I thought, why not just create one myself.

Wenser: It sounds like after doing a lot of research and theoretical work, you felt something was missing and wanted to get hands-on with a project to see how it really works and do it exceptionally well, or in a way that aligns with your own vision, right?

Sleepy: Yes. Because whether you write articles at Rhythm or publish on Mirror, most of the time, research is about finding reasons after the fact. For example, when the monkeys became popular, people analyzed how they became popular and what new airdrop methods there were. Before they became popular, no one was doing these things. No one knew if this path could be taken, so after being an armchair expert for too long, I wanted to verify if my understanding was correct.

Wenser: It seems that from the perspective of Little Ghost, the choices made earlier were quite forward-looking and had some innovative highlights. Okay, let's return to our interview.

Wenser: The first question is, can you introduce Little Ghost NFT to us in one sentence? More globally, what keywords and expressions would you use to describe this project?#

Sleepy: One keyword is bottom-up, and the other is community-native. Yes, I think these two are the main points. Because in the past few days, we have been reviewing our process from the early ideas to project initiation and formal operation. We found that it is quite different from most current projects—we actually built a DC community first before deciding to launch it as a 5555 PFP project. At that time, we discussed everything, including total supply, unit price, and basic operational directions, such as designing regular whitelist (distribution mechanisms), which communities to collaborate with, etc., all within our community. Many projects nowadays set everything up first and then operate the community to get people involved. In fact, we did the opposite; we created the project together with everyone.

Wenser: I see. It does feel like Little Ghost aligns well with the concept of "Organic growth"—the project didn't grow through forceful means but rather through collective nurturing, where everyone contributed to its growth. The pricing and quantity were also the results of community discussions (initially planned for each person to mint 3, later changed to 2).

Sleepy: Yes, these were all decided after community discussions and voting.

Wenser: Also, I think it's worth mentioning separately, who initially came up with the idea for Little Ghost's secret operation, or how did it come about?

Sleepy: Initially, I only designed one part, which was to hide the answer in a piece of land I bought in Crypto Voxol. I placed a Google Form link there; if you found it and filled it out, you could get a whitelist. That was my only idea at the time, but later, everyone participated in the activity and found the format very interesting, and their enthusiasm was high. At the same time, I didn't see other projects doing similar activities, so I thought to make it a continuous, series activity.

Wenser: Speaking of this, I remember a profound statement about the secret operation: "Other projects obtain whitelists by grinding levels, kissing mods, or flattering project parties, which is more of a Pow way of obtaining; Little Ghost's secret operation is like an alternative ZK proof (zero-knowledge proof) method of obtaining." I think this was said by someone in a WeChat group, and later it was summarized separately, which left a deep impression on me.

Sleepy: Yes, I remember that too. We felt that simply chatting in the channel every day could easily be done by a bot or a studio, and this method is something everyone can do, with relatively low barriers. We actually wanted to find a group of people who recognized our values, could get along with us, and mutually acknowledged each other. Additionally, the market was relatively hot at that time, which allowed us to support this kind of two-way selection between community members.

Wenser: Supporting these heavier attempts?

Sleepy: Yes, you see, now that the market is cold, to be honest, there is a lack of buyers, so many project parties are afraid to make a two-way selection. You come to me, you are my buyer, and I just hope you come and buy my stuff; I don't care who you are, as long as you buy it. Basically, that's the mindset of most project parties now.

Wenser: Right, it used to be a seller's market, and now it's a buyer's market.

Alright, let's move to the second question: You mentioned before that Weirdo Ghost Gang, which is the English name of Little Ghost, was intentionally chosen to add to the weirdness. Now, as a creator, a community founder, or an artist, do you think you are weird enough? And do you think the members of the Little Ghost community are weird enough? If so, what makes them weird? If not, in what aspects do you think they could be weirder? Let's discuss.#

Sleepy: Yes, at that time, Weirdo itself is a noun for weird people, so I actually wanted to express: our NFT is Little Ghost, and we, our community, are Weirdos. With our community and these NFTs of Little Ghost, we are a complete organic entity (or organization?). That's the meaning. As for the weirdness, I think we are okay, not particularly weird. However, if we talk about our role in this industry, we can indeed be considered a relatively "weird" presence—perhaps because this industry is early, and technology and finance lead the way, so most people prioritize making money. But you can see that our team and the entire community are more long-term oriented and idealistic. Some members of our community are working on their own projects, some are builders, and some are developers; they are all quietly cultivating and building. In the Little Ghost community, the number of traders is relatively small.

Wenser: So, the so-called traders and flippers are relatively few, which makes them more patient and not in a hurry to flip or expecting a specific price increase tomorrow, right?

Sleepy: Exactly, everyone is very nice.

Wenser: Got it. Then let me ask more, what do you think are areas where Little Ghost could improve, or how do you feel about the performance of community members?

Sleepy: I think our holders are great, and the atmosphere in our community is particularly good. However, one area where our team may have fallen short is that in the early stages, we were a bit too focused on our own work and didn't spend enough energy to engage the community's participation. I think this is something we didn't do well before, and it's an aspect we are currently working hard to improve. Because, to be honest, from the beginning, the community has been moving forward with us, so we should continue to work together with the community now and in the future.

Wenser: Understood. It seems like you were so focused on doing things that communication was relatively lacking, so at the beginning, people might have felt like there was a lot of work but no voice. But later, I saw the adjustments were quite quick—whether it was activities or the Ghost Monthly Report summaries, or collaborations leaning towards Web 2. These aspects are all evident to the community, and that's my feeling.

Sleepy: Yes, that's one aspect. Another aspect is that we may not have provided enough support for some family members' entrepreneurial efforts. For example, some family members are now making books or clothing, and we may not have paid enough attention to help them with promotion or support them in doing these things, so their enthusiasm may have been relatively low in this regard.

Wenser: Indeed. Whether it's an NFT community or a Web3 project, building an ecosystem often starts from your holders or community members, and gradually the ecosystem starts to flow; this is indeed very important.

Wenser: OK, let's move to the third question: At this stage (early 2023), and with Little Ghost's one-year anniversary approaching, what do you think Little Ghost NFT represents for yourself, for our community holders, and for the entire NFT field? Or what significance does it hold?#

Sleepy: For me, Little Ghost is like a declaration of intent, a statement of determination: I am now going out to do things, and I must do this well in this industry.

Wenser: Is it that feeling of "getting your hands dirty"? Immersing yourself in the field? Similar to "skin in the game"?

Sleepy: Yes. And also, I want to make this circle more human and have some idealistic sentiment. So I created this project, and our community gathered this group of people. Because in this industry, as you know, sometimes people don't understand you, but these community family members, including the Little Ghost project itself, provide me with a very strong comfort and motivation to keep moving forward, similar to that effect.

Wenser: A spiritual pillar?

Sleepy: Yes, a spiritual pillar! For the holders, I hope that everyone can feel a sense of pride and honor in the future, proving that I am a builder or proving that I am an idealist, and I am doing the right thing in this industry. I want everyone to have this recognition.

Wenser: It's like telling everyone, "Actually, by supporting Little Ghost, you are supporting a force that makes life or the future internet world better; you are using your actions to support the development of the industry and field." That kind of feeling?

Sleepy: Yes, but I feel that I am not too bold to say that we can significantly promote the development of the entire industry; it might just be a small but firm force. How much can we really push? It's hard to say, but at least this force will always be there.

Wenser: I can hear that you are still very humble and low-key. At the same time, you have a lot of ambition and dreams, haha. Let's keep it a secret and not leak it out.

OK, next question, many people are concerned about what you think is the biggest difference between the Little Ghost NFT project and other NFT projects?#

Sleepy: For this question, I think using an analogy with investment makes it clearer: other projects may be investing in the secondary market; our project is investing in the primary market.

Wenser: It feels like the requirements are higher.

Sleepy: Yes. Because we are not trend entrepreneurs; we are not people who chase the wind; we are not those who follow behind others' cars to eat exhaust fumes; we want to be the ones driving.

Wenser: So Little Ghost is still pursuing new things, new ideas, and new directions, which is truly rare. Especially in the currently chaotic and early stage of Web3, where regulations are also unclear, it is indeed very different.

Sleepy: Mainly because those so-called "already proven paths" can indeed make money quickly. With such temptations in front of you, naturally, fewer people will choose to take other paths. Additionally, another difference is that our team, while not exactly a luxurious lineup, at least consists of people who have a certain influence in the industry. No one is a pure novice; everyone has enough industry knowledge, participated relatively early, and has their own reputation and credibility. Most of our team members have accumulated several thousand real followers on Twitter or are callers in some well-known Alpha communities. We all have a certain influence and voice. So I personally like to compare our team to the PayPal Mafia.

Wenser: Understood. It feels like the team members have their own networks and organizations they can reach within the industry.

Sleepy: Yes, "together we are a fire, scattered we are stars" kind of feeling.

Wenser: Don't scatter, haha, let's stay tight; there are still many small goals to accomplish!

Sleepy: Understood. In fact, the parent company has been established from the beginning; we just went through some procedural matters because we had some plans from the start. Some things are hard to advance without a company entity—for example, if you want to hold an event, people need to sign a contract with you. If you are just a pure DAO organization, this organizational form is not very common yet, and the other party will definitely not sign with you. So you still need to have an entity. Additionally, I am not very optimistic about DAO organizations at the current stage. Because if you want to accomplish something, you must pursue efficiency. I believe that DAO organizations currently have relatively low efficiency. So I think, for interest groups or those that regularly hold offline parties, having a DAO is great; but if you really have a specific commercial goal, I think it's better not to go for a DAO.

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Due to space limitations, this is the end of the first part. Please see the second part below⬇️

https://mirror.xyz/wenser2010.eth/aEjYAwZh_sp6f22QXw9xAPvmizjyegywVGIThdRQasY