MICAH JOHNSON
“It’s been an evolution of understanding the different ways to use technology.”
Micah Johnson was perhaps best known as a professional baseball player with the Los Angeles Dodgers, but when he wasn’t wielding a bat, he could be found between games wielding a paintbrush and honing his artistic skills.
After retiring and realizing that making a living from art was going to be a more arduous slog than making it to the top of professional sport, he discovered crypto and its ability to make money.
Not without his fan base when he was playing, Micah has nevertheless been blown away by the community and camaraderie that also exists in the web3 world, where names as big as his had been in baseball were willing to hold his hand, giving him the confidence and experience he needed.
“I really gravitated towards the fact that these people, who are so successful in this industry, were taking time out of their day to work with me to help me understand, and that’s something I just knew made this place different than any other industry,” he says.
It is Micah’s character Aku that has earned him his own avid collector base. He started the series to inspire young African American kids to dare to dream, but despite his success with galleries, Micah realized he needed to reach a broader and younger audience. Aku was, after all, created for children to inspire children.
He wanted Aku to be scalable and a character easily viewed by digital natives on their phones versus having to buy a painting and have it on your wall.
“It’s been an evolution of understanding the different ways to use technology. If you look back to November of 2020 when I released sä-v(Ə-) r Ən-tē at that time, there was nothing like that.”
Micah has always been an inspiration both on and off the baseball field. He has been deliberate in his choices working with NFTs and has carved an entirely new career out of web3.
“If you look back over at my time in this space, I think it could be noted that every single thing has been an evolution and a growth and strategic,” he says.
