London Photographer Begins Bitcoin Payment Challenge

London-based photographer Abby Scarlet has begun a six-month challenge during which she will only accept work from clients willing to pay her in Bitcoin.

With her studio located in a warehouse in North London, Scarlet struggled to only accept Bitcoin payments for about two weeks, which led to her discovery of digital currencies and her personal quest to spread Bitcoin’s usage.

Bitcoin “from scratch”

“I’ve been into Bitcoin from the ground up,” Scarlet said.

Interestingly, Scarlet explained how she had shared her house in the English seaside town of Brighton with a Bitcoin miner and a Bitcoin enthusiast over the last year.

"He (the bitcoin miner) had all these machines and I had no idea what they were. In fact I turned them off when I got home because they made so much noise. He came in and started yelling and asking me what I was doing. I had no idea he was mining the digital currency."

Despite her somewhat laughable initial introduction to Bitcoin, Scarlet now considers Bitcoin to be “exciting” and points out how it can do better in the world.

What really sold her, however, was the community surrounding Bitcoin.

“I was exposed to all the subreddits and subreddits. It really caught my attention to learn how people in the Bitcoin community support each other and how some people take on voluntary roles without asking for anything in return. I’ve never been part of such a large community where everyone wants to help each other.”

The photographer reiterated that the Bitcoin community has been “amazing and really uplifting” after she announced her challenge.

Spread the word

This is not the first time Scarlet has set out to spread the word about digital currencies.

While living in Brighton, she helped local shop Flawless Clothing get its first Bitcoin ATM.

One could argue that her open attitude and unique way of seeing the world through her lens is the driving force behind her Bitcoin challenge.

“I think artists see the world a little differently than people who don’t practice art. Maybe we see glimpses of things that no one else has really seen, and maybe that’s the same with Bitcoin.”

However, it soon became clear that her venture into accepting Bitcoin was more than an artistic vision. Scarlet didn’t just talk the talk, she walked the walk.

Upon realizing Bitcoin had the potential to transform traditional finance, she decided to take matters into her own hands, educating clients about the digital currency and outlining its benefits.

“Every month I shoot live music events, I tell the organizers about Bitcoin, put them in touch with their trader friends, and now their flyers include the Bitcoin symbol, and their food and bar stalls at the concerts accept Bitcoin. They have been very supportive.”

Only Bitcoin accepted for filming

Scarlet’s challenge is not without risk, however. She is fully aware that it could lead to a loss of her usual clientele, which mainly consists of model portraits and wedding shoots.

Asked if she would turn away customers who didn’t want to pay with Bitcoin, she said: “Unfortunately, I have to. I’ve been trying, not to convert them to Bitcoin, but to get them close to it and show them how it works.”

She noted that her business has not been significantly impacted, and was quick to point out that her workload is still the same as when she also accepted fiat payments.

In an interview with CoinDesk, Scarlet photographed UrbanD Soul for the project. Romain and Enji, both musicians, told CoinDesk that they liked the idea of ​​bitcoin but weren’t completely convinced.

“Maybe I’m too French to believe in Bitcoin,” Romain said.

It’s not all skepticism about the shoot, however. Lee Smith, project manager at Fork the Banks, tells a different story, noting how cryptocurrency and blockchain could revolutionize the art world, giving artists more control over their work and how much they earn.

Smith will pay Scarlet in bitcoin. “Anything that empowers people and gets us out of the middlemen is a good idea,” he said.

Future plans

Scarlet undoubtedly intends to encourage Bitcoin adoption, but before we see mainstream use, she says there is a fundamental problem here that needs to be solved.

Access is a real issue, she noted. "The average person doesn't know about it. If they go online, they mainly read all these negative articles. I want people to go somewhere and get information."

To address this, Scarlet is planning to use some of her bitcoin funds to open a coffee shop, where she also wants to host bitcoin meetups and offer a commission-free bitcoin ATM.