Sometimes I feel like I somehow got left out of the loop... at least when it comes to NFTs as a way to supplement the life of an artist.
It's not that I don't know what NFTs are, it's more a case of trying to understand how they can be useful. To be more specific, how they can be useful, aside from being a trendy gimmick a load of people — many of whom have dubious artistic merit — are trying to make a quick buck on.
Before NFTs, There Was NeonMob...
In a sense, the NeonMob Art Trading Site heavily colors my impression of NFTs. I always liked NeonMob — short version: It's a digital art trading card community — and I like the way they pretty much created "digital scarcity" and were able to attach that scarcity to a unique "art card" owned by a unique person... until you traded that card to another person.
The founder/operators of NeonMob have strongly rejected NFTs, and they even reject the notion of commercializing their venue — they don't want people selling cards to each other, just trading.
That said, they do allow creators to create "pro decks" on which they can earn a commission if site members use purchased credits to get more cards for their collections.
I have gotten to know quite a lot about how the community works because my wife was one of the earliest adopters, and has one of the largest collections of art cards there.
But to return to NFTs, it always struck me that they worked much like NeonMob cards, except with private decentralized ownership.
I also recognize that part of my sticking point might be that I am fairly locked into creating 3D physical art, rather than digital art. And I am not entirely sure I am ready (or willing?) to completely change directions and learn how to work with a completely new medium that essentially has nothing to do with the kind of art I have dedicated 15 years of my life to.
So maybe part of the truth here is that NFTs don't necessarily work for all artists.
And just for the record, I am really not that attracted to buying them as an investment. I like art because I like the art, more than because it has some kind of value.
Still, I fell sort of ignorant about the workings of NFTs... but at the same time not seriously compelled to sit down and study for a substantial chunk of time.
Maybe I just need to learn "just enough to be dangerous!"
Thanks for stopping by! Feel free to leave a comment, if you feel so inclined!
20230129
H0059/0296
All images are our own, unless otherwise attributed