Paul, it's so great to be speaking with you here today. I'm a fan of your work and I'm excited to hear what you have coming up next. To begin, would you introduce yourself to our community? Your name, where you are from, and the mediums you work in?

Thanks so much for the warm welcome Dave. You know I’ve been an admirer of you and your work for a decade at least, and am honored to be chatting with you today. My name is Paul Seibert, I go by the username Beholdingeye. Up until about 18 months ago, when my wife and I moved to Colorado, I have been a lifelong resident of the NYC Metro area. I am a freelance photographer who has experience in commercial, editorial, wedding/events, cityscape/landscape genres, but I’m mostly known in the creative space for my aerial photography.

Welcome to ALLSHIPS friend, and mutual feels on the admiration. Let's dive straight into your upcoming drop and then zoom back out to hear more about how you got here. What have you been working on?

Yeah, so over the last few months I have been working on this project called "Sky Scraper". It is, to my knowledge, the highest open-door helicopter photo flight over NYC, ever - 15,000'. The idea for the project started about 2 years ago when a pilot friend and I took a small plane up to 10,500' over Manhattan. The views were incredible, and really brought into view the relationship between man and nature; how millions of people fit into this relatively small area.

I knew that if I wanted to show the "full picture" I needed to go higher. So the conversations began about getting a helicopter up to 15,000'. I learned that at 10,000' in an unpressurized aircraft there needs to be oxygen present if needed, and at 12,500' the pilot has to be on oxygen by law, so that added a bit more complexity to the normal "high-altitude" flight. Through my years of living, flying and photographing NYC I knew that my target date for this flight was around November. This is typically when the air quality is at its best over the city.

Sidebar, in 2021 my wife and I moved to Colorado so that I could pursue my next photo book project, personal, and business commitments during November of '21 made me unfortunately miss the window. Now in 2022, I am working with an exceptional cinematographer named Alex Geiger, and we decide to make this happen, and document it all. I have flown with a number of tour helicopter companies over the years, but I knew I needed an aerial production company that would get the job done. Helicopter secured, flight planned, clearances from FAA and ATC, now we just had execute.

Incredible. I can't even imagine the feeling of being that high above the city, looking down on this incredible construction of the city below. And despite the weather problems, you did plan well enough that you ended up getting the work you needed. Tell us a bit about how you are bringing this work to the blockchain.

It was definitely amazing to be there, to witness, and now to be able to share. Anyone who has been in the industry long enough knows that there will never be a "perfect" shoot. We just have to be fluid in the moment to be able to adapt, and pivot when issues beyond our control arise.

This is a a great segue into how I'm bringing these images to the blockchain. I have been sharing the images over the last 4-5 weeks to get a feel for how the people were receiving the work. Originally the idea was to release editions starting at 1,000 and having editions for each 1,000' increment. the edition sizes were going to get smaller and smaller the higher the altitude, eventually ending at a 1/1 at the 15,000' image.

However, from watching the reaction to some of the images that I have posted that I considered to be supplemental, I'm seeing a much stronger response to them. Here's where being adaptable come into play. I have since decided to re-structure the project. I will be releasing THE "SkyScraper" image. The 15,000' 1/1 on SuperRare. That will be in the landscape orientation, but the winner of the auction will also receive a landscape image showing almost the entire city in one frame. basically giving the collector a choice of how they'd like to display these one of a kind images.

The second tier will consist of a series that will be listed over time on SR called "Sky Scraper- The 02 Zone". These will be 1/1s that are all taken from 10,000' and above. Lastly, I will offer 2 TIMED editions so that those who can't pariticipate in the 1/1 sales, can still have a piece or two from this flight.

Nice- clearly well thought through and I love how you used social media as a testing ground for the interest in particular images. Where and when are the key dates and links for participation in this drop?

I am currently in the waiting part of the manifold indexing to SR, but I'm hoping that by the last week in January everything will be in place to start releasing pieces. All the 1/1s will be listed on custom Manifold contracts on SR, and the timed editions will be listed on their own claim page. So that's a big STAY TUNED, but once the ball starts rolling the opportunities to participate and communication surrounding the releases will be clear for all to see!

Let's pivot and chat a bit about your journey in Web3. How did you first discover the tech and what was your path to reach this level of understanding?

My first exposure to the possibilities started to show up on your feed and JN Silva's feed in 2020. Knowing that you two are living in the future, I took notice, and quietly watched some of the first drops. Early 2021 I got onto Clubhouse and found a group of photographers in a chat, and we literally spent hours a day talking about the possibilities of the space for photography, and learning about web3. The group was started by @focuspirate, but included culture shapers like @mindzeye, @benstraussphoto , @killianmoore_ , and @brynnalisephoto. Already this group was an incredible cross section of creativity, and the more people that joined, the more exposure to different areas of creativity, and that's how the community aspect came to be.

I minted my first pieces on FND in May of 2021 during that first wave of collection of photography. As I was working, and planning a cross-country move, this was more of a spray and pray method. It yielded 0 sales. Fast forward to October of 2021. A busy IRL work season, and move complete, I "re-entered" the space in earnest. I participated in spaces, asked questions, and was accepted to SR in January 2022. The following months were a combination of watching, experimenting, learning, and trying to bring value to the space.

Love to hear that Web3 journey, and so much of it resonates with me. Also honored to play any small part in that path! I'd love to hear if you have any advice for creatives in general. What is some advice you would share with someone who is earlier on their creative path?

My advice can be boiled down to a few thoughts... First - (and I say this to myself as a reminder of past failures) "Hard work beats talent, when talent doesn't work hard". Be willing to work at this craft harder than you've ever worked at anything. It's worth it. If you do this you will outlast so many more people who quit when it gets difficult, or a quick result doesn't happen. Second - Get used to hearing the word "NO". It happens...A LOT. there are two ways a "no" can be a blessing...

1. "No" doesn't measn no forever, it means no right now. that person may not have been the right person to handle your idea. Be patient.
2. "No" means that maybe you weren't ready yet. That's also ok. Take that no and turn into fuel for future successes. Do not look at a no as a reason to declare defeat. go back and spend time honing your craft.

Lastly, whenever it's tough, and it gets tough, remember why you started doing this in the first place. It wasn't how do I get likes, or how to beat an algorithm, it was simply because you needed to create something. in the tough moments find the wonder and joy that you felt in the beginning. That will sustain you.

Excellent advice my friend. To the reader, you can find all things Paul Seibert on his Linktree. Make sure to check out the video breakdown of Sky Scraper here, and visit the project page on SuperRare.