In an era increasingly driven by usefulness and efficiency, questions such as:
“What’s the use of a painting?”
“What’s the utility of this Ordinals, Stamps, or NFT’s collection?”
“Why should I collect something that can’t be ‘used’?”
These questions may sound perfectly rational on the surface, as if we’re searching for logical answers to justify our choices. But behind it all, these questions actually contain a fundamental error:
They judge art through the lens of a wholly utilitarian world—a world that demands everything be practically useful to be considered valuable.
And this mindset has become a standard way of thinking that (unconsciously) has lost the essential sensitivity to what art and value truly are.
In truth, these questions—despite sounding rational—are a form of conceptual confusion. It’s as absurd as someone standing in front of Picasso’s Guernica and asking seriously,
“What’s the practical use of this painting? Can it pay for coffee at a café?”
Not everything of value needs to be visibly useful. There are things in life that exist not to be used, but to be felt.
And art is one of them. A logical and comprehensive answer to this confusion requires dismantling the narrow way of thinking about “utility,” and a complete understanding of what art is, how it works, and why it cannot (and should not) be confined to a functionalist paradigm.
Imagine walking through a museum. In front of you hangs a large painting—abstract, colorful, with chaotic strokes. You stand there for one minute. Then two. Then, without realizing it, you begin to contemplate. Somehow, the painting speaks to you—not in words, but in feeling.
Then someone next to you asks,
“What’s the use of this painting?”
And in that moment, you realize: the question feels strange. Even ridiculous. Because art never needs to explain itself. Art is its own reason. Art doesn’t need to be useful, because it already has value. Have you ever stood before a masterpiece like Starry Night by Van Gogh or The Persistence of Memory by Dali and felt something inside you shaken, lifted, or even awakened?
Have you ever listened to a piece of music and suddenly remembered the past, or felt enveloped in an indescribable peace? That is art. It doesn’t need practical function. Its presence alone is enough—to touch, to enliven, even to save the soul.
Art is not a tool. Art is a mirror.
And this applies to art in the form of Ordinals, Stamps or NFTs as well, because Digital Art is evolution, not illusion.
Many people underestimate digital art like Ordinals, Stamps and NFTs because they cannot be “used.” But if we’re honest, paintings in a museum can’t be used in a practical sense either. We don’t sleep on paintings, cook with sculptures, or pay off debts with poems.
We keep, collect and love artworks because they are extensions of our soul. In the digital world, Ordinals, Stamps or NFTs are new ways to store, touch, and express emotions, ideas, and identity.
The other say: Ordinals, Stamps or NFTs are just trends. That they’re not real, not tangible, just “pictures on the internet.”
But remember this important point:
“All art, from cave drawings to digital creations, is a representation of human expression.”
Let me say again that “Art is one of the highest manifestations of human existence”. In human history:
- Cavemen drew on stone walls.
- Ancient civilizations made statues, reliefs, and artistic rituals without utilitarian reason.
None of it had “practical function”—yet they did it anyway, because art is a need of the soul. Art is not about whether it’s needed, but whether there is a soul in civilization. Now people create art on the blockchain because they want to be remembered and to pass it down to future generations. And although the form has changed, the essence remains the same:
“Art is a language that needs no translation.”
Museums and collectors never ask about “Utility.” Let’s use a very real analogy:
“Imagine someone walks into the Louvre, looks at the Mona Lisa, and seriously asks: ‘Excuse me, what’s the utility of this painting? Does it make coffee or store data?’”
Of course, this would be seen as absurd or as a misunderstanding of the concept of art itself.
But strangely, when Ordinals, Stamps or NFTs emerge—a new form of art living in the digital realm—people start asking the same thing, as if art needs to pay rent to justify its existence.
Yet, paintings don’t need chairs to sit on. And digital art doesn’t need to run DeFi protocols to prove its worth.
Collecting is a form of participation in meaning. Ordinals, Stamps or NFTs collectors, including those buying pixelated characters, understand one key thing:
“You are not buying an object. You are buying a piece of history.”
Cultural history, digital history, contemporary aesthetic history. Whether or not you like the art is a matter of taste. But the symbolic value—that is what’s captured.
Even Ordinals, Stamps or NFTs characters that appear “silly” or “funny” often carry meaning: satire of the crypto world, aesthetic statements about creative freedom, or even expressions of the artist’s own existence.
Have you ever fallen in love with a song whose lyrics you didn’t even understand? Or kept an old childhood photo that’s worn out but you refuse to throw away?
That’s art. And that is its true function:
“To touch us without needing explanation.”
When you see absurd, pixelated, or even “silly” Ordinals, Stamps, or NFT’s collections—and you smile, laugh, or feel connected—that’s enough. No need for utility. No need for a spreadsheet.
That feeling is the highest function. Because humans do not live on utility alone, but also on emotion. You don’t need the world to understand your unique taste. A person who dares to love something simply because they love it has rare mental freedom. You don’t need to convince everyone why you like a certain painting. Or why you collect absurd Ordinals, Stamps or NFTs characters. Or why you feel peace when gazing at a work of art that defies logic. You don’t need validation from a system that doesn’t even understand art.
Ordinals, Stamps or NFTs as an evolution of artistic medium, not utility products. Ordinals, Stamps and NFT’s:
- Are not merely functional tokens, but vessels for digital works—images, poetry, animation, music, or narratives.
- They are closer to paintings on a digital canvas than they are to “applications.”
So, asking “what’s the utility?” of a digital artwork is like asking “what’s the utility of a Rembrandt painting?”—the question is contextually wrong.
Utility Is A Reductive Concept When Applied To Art
“Utility” in economics or tech refers to how an object or tool provides direct and measurable function to its user: cutting, transporting, paying, storing data, and so on.
But art is not a tool. It’s not a linear function.
Art is an experience felt, not an efficiency calculated. Thus, demanding art to have utility like an app or a gadget is a category error. It’s like asking a poem to operate a photocopy machine. Not because the poem is bad—but because you’ve placed the wrong expectation.
Art is an irreplaceable form of wealth. Art is not just an “object.” It is experience. It is symbol. It is cultural and historical heritage. It is a window into yourself.
And in the digital world, where identity becomes more abstract and value more fragmented, owning or creating digital art—in any form—is a reclaiming of existential space.
A statement: “I exist. I feel. And I choose to be present in meaning.”
Art and beauty do not need to be justified by function. Let this be a foundational principle:
“Art and beauty do not need practical functions.”
Just like the sunset. You don’t demand the sunset to be a streetlamp. Yet you still gaze at it, photograph it, even long for it.
Art resides in the same realm as love, memory, symbolism, and identity—things that are the most valuable in human life, yet cannot be boxed into a ‘utility’ format.
Stop searching for ‘usefulness’ in things already full of meaning. Yes, we live in a transactional world. If something doesn’t make money, can’t be used as a tool, or isn’t immediately useful—it’s deemed worthless. That’s why people start asking the same questions about art:
“What’s the use of this Ordinals, Stamps or NFTs?”
“What’s this painting good for?”
“What’s the utility of this Ordinals, Stamps or NFTs?”
But let me ask you back:
“Does laughter need utility?”
“Does a hug from your mother have to produce something?”
“Does a sunrise need to explain why it’s beautiful?“
No. And that’s precisely where its real value lies:
“Art doesn’t need function, because art is already full of meaning.”
Definition of Utility: Utilitarianism vs. Intrinsic Value
Utility in the context of economics or technology usually refers to:
- Practical function or objective usefulness in solving problems.
- Something functionally beneficial to achieve a certain goal.
Whereas art is:
- Intrinsic value: enjoyed for its beauty, meaning, and emotional experience, not for practical usefulness.
- Non-utilitarian: art does not need to solve functional problems to have value.
Utility is not the only measure of value. In a fast-paced, efficient, and pragmatic world, we are taught to measure everything by its output and benefit. But humans do not live by function alone. We don’t just need food and shelter. We need poetry, dreams, colors, and stories.
Art is the purest form of unconditional presence. It doesn’t come to take us somewhere. It comes so we can pause for a moment, be still, and feel ourselves more fully.
Art already provides a function—but a psychological, emotional, and symbolic one. We don’t buy artworks (physical or digital) because we need to fill hard drive space or empty walls. We buy them because they represent something—values, identity, humor, nostalgia, even intentional absurdity.
Even the most absurd pixelated characters, which some may consider “silly,” are still cultural symbols. They can be representations of identity, resistance against corporate aesthetics, or a form of existence in a digital world that is meaningless—except for the meanings we assign.
Art is an expression of the soul frozen in visual form. And the deepest function of art is to bridge human emotion, without the need for rational reason.
The function of art is not practical utility, but psychological and symbolic utility. Art provides:
- Aesthetic experience: Touching emotions, expanding perspective.
- Existential reflection: Inviting humans to contemplate meaning, death, love, struggle.
- Cultural & historical representation: Becoming a mirror of the times, social critique, or witness of civilization.
- Symbol of identity: For collectors, curators, or communities (for example in Ordinals, Stamps or NFT’s).
All of these are forms of non-material and non-practical utility, which are deeper than just:
“What can it do?”
In fact, art can also be a store of value, but that is not its original purpose. Many people buy art not because of its “utility,” but because of:
- Emotion and personal taste.
- Social status (as a collector, patron, etc.).
- Store of value, as many artworks appreciate in price.
But economic value is a side effect, not the main condition for the existence of art.
To be honest, when you ask for “utility,” it’s because you’re afraid of making the wrong decision. Let’s be honest for a moment. Many people don’t really need utility. They’re just afraid. Afraid of buying the wrong thing. Afraid of being seen as foolish. Afraid they can’t explain why they like something.
And when that fear arises, the cliché question comes out:
“What’s the utility?”
When in fact you could just be honest:
“I like this because I like it.”
As simple as that. And you don’t need to defend yourself for feeling what you feel. Liking doesn’t need a reason. And art doesn’t need justification.
Or perhaps, due to a fallacy in thinking and logic, there is a belief that Ordinals, Stamps, and NFTs on a blockchain MUST have “utility.”
Why must every pixel and art on the blockchain be “useful”? Why must every creation answer the question:
“What is its function?”
Isn’t this a new form of the tyranny of logic? Art is being forced to wear a corporate suit. Imagination is being dragged into boardrooms. And the blockchain—once a free land for experimentation and digital anarchy—is now being forced to submit to spreadsheets and roadmaps.
Ordinals. Stamps. NFTs. These are not applications. They are visual manifestos. They are digital screams that say:
“I exist, and that is enough.”
If every on-chain artifact must serve a function, then we are building an aesthetic prison,
one that only allows the existence of something if it can be measured, monetized, or capitalized.
But don’t you see?
Even prehistoric cave paintings had no roadmap. Love poems have no tokenomics. And your tears when listening to music need no whitepaper.
When you ask, “What is the utility?”, I want to ask you in return:
“What is the purpose of the stars?”
“What’s the function of falling in love?”
“What is the objective value of your childhood memories?”
If everything must be logical and functional, then this world will lose its color, and we will become dry algorithms living without feeling.
The blockchain is not only for finance. It is an eternal canvas. It holds moments, protests, absurdities, and hope. It holds our souls that wish to remain alive— beyond censorship, time, and death.
In The End: Art Is The Reason, Art Is The Utility
If you’re still asking:
“What’s the utility of this Ordinals, Stamps or NFTs?”
“What’s the function of this Ordinals, Stamps or NFTs if it’s just a pixel image?”
Then know, you’re asking the same thing as:
“What’s the utility of a love poem written on a torn piece of paper?”
“What’s the use of childhood memories?”
“What’s the point of crying when listening to a song?”
The answer: None. But that’s exactly where the meaning lies. Because a life filled only with usefulness is a life numbed.
And art, in any form—classical paintings, absurd NFTs, or Ordinals, or Stamps—is the breath of human freedom from a world that is too rigid, too serious, and too busy calculating.
You don’t need a reason to admire a piece of art. You don’t need justification to feel a poem. And you don’t need a “use case” to collect that touches your heart.
Art is the reason itself. Art is the utility itself.
Because art, in the end, is not about what you can do with it—but what it can awaken in you.
But surely, there will always be people who ask:
“What’s the use of this?”
But you know what’s more important?
“What does this mean, to you?”
Because at the end of the day, it’s not utility we seek from life. But feeling. Meaning. Connection.
And art, in any form—painting, music, pixelated Ordinals, Stamps or NFT’s, even an absurd poem—is always there to remind us:
“Not everything in life has to be useful to be valuable.”
Sometimes one thing is enough: “It makes you feel alive.”