Moonlight: A Mystical Tarot Platform for the Digital Age
Danielle Baskin, a renowned Bay Area artist known for her immersive art installations and witty projects, has embarked on a new venture called Moonlight. Described as “SaaS for witches,” Moonlight is a free online tarot platform that allows users to draw tarot cards, participate in multiplayer readings, and even book sessions with vetted tarot professionals.
From Art to Entrepreneurship
Baskin’s creative mind has given birth to numerous successful projects, some of which have unexpectedly evolved into legitimate businesses. From Dialup, an app that connects strangers through one-on-one phone calls, to humorous products like OneHoodie and Drone Sweaters, Baskin’s entrepreneurial spirit knows no bounds. The funding for Moonlight came partly from the sale of her previous business, Maskalike, which produced photorealistic face masks.
The Mystical Origins of Moonlight
Moonlight’s roots can be traced back to Baskin’s early days as a custom bike helmet painter. Simultaneously, she began learning about tarot, a practice dating back to the 1400s, where each of the 78 cards in the deck tells a unique story. Tarot readers help clients interpret the cards and gain new perspectives on life events. Baskin envisioned painting each tarot card on 78 helmets, creating a mobile tarot experience on the streets of New York.
“I had this idea to paint each tarot card on 78 unique helmets, and sell them all in New York, so that they’d all be shuffling around, and when you pass a cyclist, you could get a reading on your bike.”
During a tarot lesson with a witch, Baskin discovered the potential of an online tarot platform when she learned about her teacher’s virtual tarot shop in Second Life. This experience planted the seed for what would eventually become Moonlight.
Collaborating with a Game Designer
To bring Moonlight to life, Baskin partnered with Caroline Hermans, a game designer and former UX engineer at Google. Together, they created a beautiful and intuitive interface that allows users to shuffle their tarot decks, pull cards in various spreads, and access a built-in handbook with minimalist keywords to encourage personal interpretations.
Image Credits: Moonlight
Investors and Business Plan
Despite her history of poking fun at Silicon Valley, Baskin managed to secure investors for Moonlight. She emphasized the importance of having a solid business plan from the start, learning from her experience with Dialup. Moonlight generates income by taking a 15% platform fee from bookings with tarot readers and sales of digital decks.
Embracing Technology in the Tarot Community
Baskin initially worried that witches might be hesitant to embrace technology, but she quickly realized that the tarot community is active on social media and open to digital platforms. Moonlight’s launch has been met with excitement from tarot practitioners who appreciate a platform created by someone who understands their craft.
“Witches have Instagram. We’re all using technology, and I think they’re excited that someone’s making a platform who’s a tarot person, too.”
As Moonlight continues to grow and evolve, Baskin’s unique blend of artistry, entrepreneurship, and mysticism is set to revolutionize the way people connect with tarot in the digital age.
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Danielle Baskin’s Moonlight, blending tarot with tech? Silicon Valley’s really embracing the mystical!
Silicon Valley’s tech scene diving into tarot through Danielle Baskin’s Moonlight? Looks like the stars are aligning in unexpected ways!