The Economy of the GIF

In 25 short years, the GIF has gone from this

to this

And at the forefront of this GIF resurgence have been two artists who have turned the format into art and careers.

First lady of the GIF,Lacey "lulinternet" Micallef

"I've definitely been really lucky with the work I've been getting," Micallef told the Daily Dot in June. "It's all been totally unexpected."

The patron saint of the GIF,Mr. GIF

"It's the most fun and rewarding art to create, Repeat told the Daily Dot in June. "I love that it offers a challenge artistically and technically."

(Mark Portillo,Jimmy Repeat)

Micallef built her GIF cred making animations for art's sake

To working with AMC's Breaking Bad on a special GIF project

Mr. GIF has been making animations since March 2011

And has recently started incorporating GIFs into their work with MTV

"I spent all of my spare time making GIFs. As the stuff I made started to get more popular it became clear to me that I didn't have to keep being a teacher anymore if I didn't want to. So, I took the plunge, quit my job, and moved to New York City."

- Lacey "lulinternet" Micallef