Welcome to the Cryptoverse and get ready for an adventure! That's kind of what it feels like being relatively new to cryptocurrency (again).
We'll save my crypto origin story for another time, but trying to understand the terrain of blockchain while traversing the cryptocurrency landscape is both a dream and nightmare due to the volatility and the nuances of the different projects. But I'm back, here to stay, and hopeful for others to join all of us as we go forward together!
I've been a poet/writer for a hot minute now and the lessons I learned as an author led me to starting my indie arts brand soul what. My return to crypto has a lot to do with this blog.
soul what's tagline is 'soul speak from a to z' and that guides the mission of having a creative adventure in service in all that is undertaken.
As my journey unfolded creatively, I started to paint, then shot a lot of 35mm film, which led me to graphic design, and fast forward a few years to the hold my beer meme of 2020 and the silver lining discovery of NFTs and the growing CryptoArt scene.
What are NFTs?
NFT stands for non-fungible token and it's a nifty little creation that exists on the Ethereum network, which there are far more qualified people to wax poetic on it better than me. But to sum it up, this technology allows people to mint digital collectibles that can be bought, sold, traded, or sent as gifts.
As an artist, I think NFTs are dope as bleep because it's a game changer for anyone creating digital art!
IRL, if an artist creates a painting, photograph, sculpture, insert whatever creation here, it's possible for another person to physically own the original, a print, or something that exists within a series. You walk into someone's home, office, wherever and it's easy to see physical proof of the piece.
This was more or less impossible in the world of digital design because it's fairly easy to download an image, gif, or even just screenshot. But with NFTs and through sites like Rarible, Mintbase, MakersPlace, OpenSea, and more, artists can mint true digital originals because of blockchain technology.
Here's a collection of ERC-721 tokens I made on Rarible as an example.
But what stops someone from downloading or taking a screenshot?
If I'm blunt here, nothing so far as I can tell.
But similar to counterfeit works of art, or imitation pieces that aren't from the original artist, there's not a whole lot of real value for a fake work of art. The same as you can get certificates of authenticity for physical pieces, blockchain technology documents true digital originals and ownership, which allows for value to be attributed and collectors can do what they do - collect!
As our lives become more intertwined with technology and cryptocurrency gets more mainstream, the market for digital art and digital collectibles will only grow.
Still skeptical?
There is value in owning something, even if it's not physically tangible. If there wasn't, people wouldn't be getting down with cryptocurrency in the first place, right?!
If you're familiar with cryptocollectibles already, think CryptoKitties or CryptoPunks.
Not as crypto savvy like I was when I found out about NFTs, a comparable example can be found in gaming. You, your kid, whoever probably think some of the freebies are cool, but it's the season passes and promos that unlock the limited skins and other collectibles that are even cooler.
I'll admit, Fortnite got me with X-Force.
Another way to think about it, what does owning a stock even mean?
Every time you buy a share (or fraction of a share) of something these days, it's not like you get that share in the mail. You might get an email, you can log-in to your account and see it there, but it's not like your actual share is locked up in the safe at home or displayed on the wall. And if it was, it'd be something that wasn't even the original because part of the value of owning a share is in what it represents.
At least with art, and in the case of crypto-art with NFTs, you can both truly own the piece, and what it represents.
Get into CryptoArt - It's Fun!
As I wrap this up, let me just say that it's cool if it's not for you. My view on art is that it is for everyone and is meant to be inclusive to all perspectives, including the perspective that isn't down with it. Should you change your mind, art will be there.
Artists - another bonus in all of this is that platforms let you set royalties on future sales! Where else is that possible? This is a market that exists so creators can get compensated for that they do - create! You'll also find, as I have, a community of other artists who have come together to create and realize the value of blockchain and cryptocurrency. We all get to be a part of the adventure in taking art to more people because of it.
Collectors - you'll own something awesome, and there are fun finds like when a piece has an unlockable feature, which makes the experience even more rewarding. And you're contributing to the growth of cryptocurrency adoption by participating in its sub-markets.
As a result, CryptoArt and collectibles could be used as a talking point for why people should adopt crypto.
I'd be way deeper in crypto if not for a plot twist that occurred earlier. But for many reading this, I'm guessing you're here because you believe cryptocurrency is the future, or you're curious about why it's so great. Yes, everything about blockchain is the future and its adoption is great.
The same underlying thought that cryptocurrency can help to free people financially, CryptoArt levels the playing field and opens the doors for more artists and collectors to connect without the corporately approved decision makers and algorithms getting in the way.
Like owning Bitcoin, Ethererum, XRP, Litecoin, or Chainlink when it was only (insert much lower entry point here), if you've ever wanted to own art, but didn't have the pass to get into the auctions or the funds, in the CryptoArt space, there's literally something for everyone, at every level.
And it's only just getting started.
Soul Enjoy!
