Z.
Zagabond.
What an honor, thankful for the opportunity that came out of a conversation I had with Rose (Community Manager) of Azuki. Something that went like ‘I wanted to ask, if possible.. Needing to shoot my shot’. Which I did.
Needless to say, and as the cliche goes. You miss all the shots you don’t take. Don’t be afraid to reach out and try to make that connection. Good energy is received and reciprocated, if meant with the right intentions.
Glad I did. Quick response back and things started flowing from there.
Now here we are, with the Creator of Azuki. A pioneer of the Web3 (Collectible) space. Founding a project from Anime roots and developing an ecosystem of ever-growing builders and like-minded individuals.
So, with this shot. I wanted to make the most of it, give my flowers and ask him a set of questions. Get to know Alex Xu a bit more, the story behind Azuki, and what influences has it had within the NFT space. The nitty gritty.
The conversation went a little like this..
Let’s start with the name, Why the alias ‘Zagabond’?
My original pseudonym was ZZZAGABOND, which combined ZZZ (representing chill vibes) and Vagabond (a manga about Musashi Miyamoto). As someone who moved around frequently during my upbringing, Musashi's story of being a vagabond and overcoming challenges in different places deeply resonated with me.
I'm just a vagabond with flowers for Algernon
The average Joe who knows what the fuck is goin' on
-”Feather” by Nujabes
Did you always have an understanding of crypto or when it was presented to you, that was the start of that conversation back in 2017?
There is a distinction between understanding crypto as a technological concept and grasping the profound impact that crypto can have on society. I understood the former when I learned about Ethereum in 2016, but my understanding of the latter continues to evolve as an ongoing journey.
So, I saw an interview you had where you said ‘To think like a Main Character’. What does that mean to you?
Everyone in the world has the potential to be a main character, to craft their own story, push themselves to the limit, and make things happen. However, it's easy to fall into the trap of being an NPC. You go to your day job, follow your daily routines, watch Netflix, go to sleep, and repeat the cycle. I've found that being involved in web3 presents an opportunity to connect with smart and interesting people, learn and apply new technologies, and for anyone to transition from being an NPC to being more of an MC.
How do you manage your time efficiently in order to have things complete at a deadline or ahead of time?
As I've grown older, I've come to realize that for the majority of my life, I've effectively managed my time solely based on my strong determination to achieve greatness. While there are various techniques that can assist with time management on a smaller scale, what has proven most effective for me on a larger scale is to have a clear understanding of my goal (objective), the reasons behind my actions (motivation), and then breaking it down into a feasible plan (execute).
Biggest challenge/Biggest success as a founder in the space?
Biggest challenge: maintaining relationships with friends and family. Hard to keep my mind off of work.
Biggest success: finding true passion and meaning behind my work. Most people never find this in their entire working careers, so I feel very fortunate.
Azuki is born. Explain to me how that came to be,
Why the name and influence for it?
We wanted the brand to embody the sense of community in the crypto space, a place where we can all grow collectively. The word "Azuki" translates to "red bean" in Japanese, and we were inspired by the idea of our community coming together in a garden, where we can all grow and thrive together.
There was a collaboration with ‘LineFriends’ not to long ago for the Beanz collection. Will there be another like it in the near future? Imagining, something in the line of ‘Sanrio’ even so.. Is something like this tangible with our current position?
We’re working on our first capsule drop with BEANZ x IPX (LINE Friends), stay tuned!
Safe to say, Azuki is a very prominent project and respected for paving the way to other projects. What sort of influence does it have and how do you maintain relevancy within the space?
What I appreciate about the early days in the NFT space is the diversity of strengths that each project brings to the table. There is no single path to success. When a project excels in a particular area, it serves as a model for others to follow, allowing the entire space to evolve together.
As for Azuki, we’re going to keep dropping dope shit only.
Are you happy with Azuki today?
I remember arriving at the LA Garden party just after the live airdrop and scanning the area to ensure everyone was enjoying themselves. Although my team assured me that people were having a fantastic time, I couldn't shake off the fact that some holders were turned away at the door due to the venue reaching capacity. Even in the days following the event, with many holders praising the event, I couldn't help but think about the disappointment of those who had traveled from out of town and missed out on the experience. I was proud of the team for organizing an amazing event, but my mind immediately shifted to how we could improve for the next time.
I'm proud of where Azuki is today, and I'm extremely happy that we have such an amazing community. However, I'm never satisfied because we still have a long way to go.
‘Hydro Spin’ questions
Favorite anime?
DBZ. Very fond memories as a kid waiting days for Goku to turn super saiyan.Itachi vs Sasuke?
SasukeBe honest, Favorite Elemental Domain?
Earth on weekdays, Lightning on weekendsWhich Main Character from any anime are you?
Tuxedo MaskIf you could switch places with any other founder and what they’ve contributed to. Who would that be?
I admire many but wouldn’t want to switch places with any
Before we end this interview, I have to ask and for those coming into the space as “Founders”. What advice would you give them starting off and working under pressure at times to deliver utility?
Truly understand what your motivations are for being a founder. Set expectations with the community. Have a vision, now make it reality.
With this, I’m extremely grateful and happy with how this whole interview went.
Every moment was a high note and I’m just always caught off guard when there’s lots of community engagements in one project. Meaning, as a community member and a recently added Garden Caretaker, I’ve been able to stay in contact with team members and various community members in anything I pursued or had a vision to build off of.
I could understand it more now and I’m excited to see where the journey continues for Azuki.
On the next one with Z, We’ll do a more of a laidback conversation and get to know more of the person behind the alias. Thank you again to all who read these articles and if you want to see more of this content, Connect below.
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Writer - Maru's Notes
Publication - The Bean Gazette
Socials:
Personal - Zagabond
Projects - Azuki | BEANZ | BobuBeanFarmer
Great write up 🫘