This is my very first NFT.

It's an experimental piece inspired by an animated series I created almost a decade ago, called "Tales From Nanumea", which was sponsored by the likes of Adobe and Toonboom Animation at the time.

If you've never heard of Nanumea, it is one of eight islets that make up the island nation of Tuvalu, which is located in the South Pacific. Around 2012, Tuvalu was at the forefront of climate change news, and still continues to be as ocean levels continue to rise. Despite the doom and gloom, however, Tuvaluans are exploring new ways to ensure their long-term survival.

The animated series was a labor of love back then, but I knew it was something I would come back to, at the right time. The NFT space is what I wished existed in 2012, so this particular piece is a very special one, as it will be proof of the very first NFT minted as inspired by that series.

This animated NFT is meant to reflect a moment in Episode 3, titled "The Defeat of Tulaapoupou", where Tulaapoupou was (according to legend) defeated at sea by the Nanumean hero, Tefolaha. The "tentacles" are holding this piece in time, a reflection of both the legend, and also the NFT.

Who knows - if this gets sold for a lot of money, I'll use the attention (and maybe even funds) to finish off the rest of the series, hire stellar animators, and explore new ways in which the island nation of Tuvalu could leverage new and emerging tech (like NFTs).