Why aren’t more artists doing NFTs? (Issue #4)
+ spotlight on artist Jonathan Quintin, quick hits & good reads
Sup cool cats! The Fat Cat Fun(d) is two friends (kevinhabits and stevenmeets) sharing news, notes and thots about the exploding NFT space.
🤔 Why aren’t more artists doing NFTs? (YET!)
An established artist tries to enter the NFT space, and numerous questions come about - great for understanding an artist’s journey:
“Would these sell on this platform?”
“Does animation do better than static images?”
“Would you recommend selling multiple tokens instead of a single token?”
“How much do gas runs usually cost to upload to Rarible?”
Imagine you’re a digital artist new to the whole buzz around NFTs and crypto. Just to get started, you’ve got to learn:
what are bitcoin and ethereum and how to buy some
setting up a digital wallet like Metamask and transferring your bitcoin or ethereum to that wallet
how to mint your NFT in a marketplace like Rarible or OpenSea (easily another 5-10 steps)
As the thread so clearly shows, it’s a complicated process made even harder cuz money’s involved at every point, plenty of bad advice, and fluctuating gas fees etc.
And then the hard work begins of actually marketing your NFT and telling your story.
Challenges for would be NFT artists boil down to (i) technical learning curve, and (ii) customizing your marketing for this new medium.
Compared to 5 years ago, the NFT space has come a LONG WAY. It’s WAY easier now, the projects are WAY better, the market is 10x more active and liquid, and these trends will only continue.
If you’re an artist of any kind and want to mint NFTs and participate in this world, message us, we’d be glad to help!
👨🎨 Artist Spotlight: Jonathan Quintin
British digital artist Jonathan Quintin (website, IG, Twitter, SuperRare), whose client list includes Google, Manchester United, Tommy Hilfiger, etc., has truly embraced NFT art.
A few things stand out about his cryptoart:
Personified subjects. In his Astro & The Universe Series, collectors follow the adventures of a whimsical astronaut named “Astro”.
Prolific on social media. Jonathan posts everything! From works in progress…
…to real-time auction updates…
…to #openstartup-like metrics:
⏰ Quick Hits:
Buy a physical good, get a cryptotoken too. The future of merch?
A Sotheby’s curator purchases a digital art piece from @muratpak
d.mirror.xyz 🌫 @Iiterature
New post https://t.co/sh2e5TEeIu🤯
What makes crypto art and NFTs valuable? FLEXing 💪
And this tweet lol
📚 Good Reads:
Why 2021 Will be the Year of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs): “2017 ICOs, 2018 Smart Contracts, 2019 Stablecoins, and 2020 DeFI. It’s Time to Pass On the Torch: Non-Fungible Tokens in 2021.”
Simon De La Rouviere is an absolute OG in the crypto and NFT space. He helped design the ERC20 standard which just about every ETH fungible token uses, and is a novelist and creator among other things. Highlights from his blog:
Neolastics: similar to Cryptokitties for art, a smart contract generates a piece of art for you, which is priced on a bonding curve
Seasons & Longevity of Community Tokens: the potential of community tokens to reward fans and encourage participation
A 2020 year in review for social tokens: “In perhaps the most notorious development of the year, creators experimented with micro-raises through social tokens. Alex Masmej raised $20k through $ALEX to fund his move to SF and Kerman Kohli raised $20k through $KERMAN.”
@Cooopahtroopa’s thread on the topic:
Why Cryptopunks are one of the most valuable NFT projects:
Reply with your questions, feedback and requests for deep dives. Follow our new Twitter account for real-time updates.
-ttyl, Kevin & Steven
We've got a lot more in store in coming weeks, let us know what you think here or on twitter: @fatcatfund