Little by little, the idea of a fighting artist was disturbed by the rise of the NFT scene. It can be incredibly overwhelming to be an artist who wants to learn about the metaverse. Listening to Crypto words, blockchains, and so on can really be a lot to take in at once. I think the great part of learning and entering the scene is you can really do it at any speed you’re comfortable. There will always be something to learn about and dive into, so don’t feel like you’re missing out, you’re already ahead of the curve if you’re reading this article. We will be going over some basics and general information that will help you start in the NFT and start sharing the art that you create digitally or physically. Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s get buckled in.
WHAT IS AN NFT? WHAT DOES NFT STAND FOR?
A non-fungible token is a unit of data stored on a digital ledger, called a blockchain, that certifies a digital asset to be unique and therefore not interchangeable. NFTs can be used to represent items such as photos, videos, audio, and other types of digital files. Wikipedia
I can keep providing you with big words, but I think an easier way to understand is the same way we spend money on video game items and stylish items across other apps and programs that we have here on web 2.0. A great example is Fortnite, you buy a skin, and you own that skin, but wait… You’re still relying on Epic Games to host your skin and not ban your account… Now imagine when you purchase a Fortnite skin, it provides you with a digital asset that is yours. Hell, you could even bring it to other games. (See what DIGITALAX is doing.)
What does that have to do with Art?
Well the great thing about NFTs, is the use cases are endless as they aren’t limited to art and art selling. There is Gaming NFTs, Collectibles, Defi related NFTs, and much more. The list just keeps growing too!
Why would I spend money on it? Why wouldn’t I just right-click and save the image?
Come on.. Don’t be the butt of the joke.
I’m An Artist, How Do I Sell NFTs?
There are a lot of ways to begin selling your art via the blockchain. Beginning with the most used blockchain, Ethereum. Before you begin selling any art or joining any platform, it’s good to do a bit of research on the cryptocurrency you’ll be using and the blockchain you’ll be on.
What is Ethereum?
Ethereum is open access to digital money and data-friendly services for everyone – no matter your background or location. It’s a community-built technology behind the cryptocurrency ether (ETH) and thousands of applications you can use today. – Ethereum
To begin using Ethereum, you’ll need a wallet. What I typically recommend to those I help join the scene is good ole trusty Metamask. Always be sure to download Metamask from the official website which is metamask.io.
How does Meta Mask work?
Creating a wallet and keeping a wallet secure can be a very scary thing. We recommend you to write it down. The most common method is to write your 12-word phrase on a piece of paper and store it safely in a place where only you have access. Note: if you lose your seed phrase, MetaMask can’t help you recover your wallet.
What is a Hardware Wallet?
‘Not your keys, Not your wallet.’ is something you may often hear in the crypto community. When you hear this it is often referencing people that store money via an exchange or a secure metamask.
So I’ve done the research, now how do I sell my art?
Now when it comes down to it, it is a lot of information to absorb, and it can be overwhelming, however, the great joy of NFTs and crypto is everything can be learned at your own pace. When it comes to selling your art, there are quite a lot of platforms now (SuperRare, Rarible, KnownOrigin, & Opensea) and days that provide curated art platforms, or a free to use platform that is open to the community. For this interview, we’ll be focusing on Opensea as they provide an easy and free way to begin minting your art without worrying about gas fees.
Open sea recently provided the option for you to create a collection of your art. With this process, you can mint, and list your art for sale. I recommend following the tutorial below to get your own collection created.