Original Bitcoin Wizard Artist Raises $150K in BTC via Lightning

• An artist who created the original 2013 Bitcoin Wizard meme raised nearly $150,000 in Bitcoin (BTC) through Lightning Network.
• Udi Wertheimer and the Taproot Wizards helped the artist with minting and selling a collection of Ordinal inscriptions to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his artwork.
• However, Bitcoin Maximalists and r/bitcoin moderator Bashco disliked it.

Artist Creates and Sells Original Bitcoin Wizard Meme

An artist who created the original 2013 Bitcoin Wizard meme successfully raised nearly $150,000 in bitcoin (BTC) via Lightning Network. Udi Wertheimer, a crypto proponent and member of the Taproot Wizards, helped the artist with minting and selling a collection of ordinal inscriptions to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his artwork.

Bitcoin Maximalists Dislike Artist’s Work

Despite its success, Wertheimer noted that bitcoin maximalists and r/bitcoin moderator Bashco disliked it. He explained that maximalists hate ordinal inscriptions because they have decided that JPEGs are evil. Despite this criticism from some members of the crypto community, Wertheimer insisted that most “Bitcoiners” are builders, explorers, researchers – not maximalists.

Lightning Network Used To Make Payments

Wertheimer also shared how many NFT enjoyers downloaded a lightning wallet from Alby for the first time ever in order to make payments during the sale which lasted three hours. He noted how watching everything transpire made him really happy by simply using BTC and Lightning Network to support an artist – something he argued would be impossible with traditional payment methods like PayPal or credit cards.

Creator Raises 6 BTC From Sale

At the end of three hours, Wertheimer reported that 6 BTC had been raised – close to $150,000 at current prices – which went directly to supporting the artist’s work. The proceeds were mostly from NFT enthusiasts who purchased ordinal inscriptions on blockchain as part of their own collections or as gifts for other collectors they know.

Conclusion

Ultimately, despite criticism from some members within the crypto community about using BTC for digital art sales such as this one, this story is evidence that real-world use cases for cryptocurrency still exist – even if those use cases do not fit into strict definitions set by certain groups within this industry or community