NFTs | Right Click And Save
NFTs. A polarizing topic. Here’s a perspective:
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Right-click and save them. You can. Or, you can buy an NFT directly from an artist and support them. You can buy a print from an artist and support them, or you could save their image and print it yourself. It’s basically the same thing, innit? If you don’t see how these are the same, that’s alright. You have a preference and have prioritized the value of physical objects over digital ones. The value of all forms of art is subjective and always has been.
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It’s actually very difficult to sell an NFT even as a seasoned artist. Possibly the same level of difficulty as trying to sell prints. Yes, if you have some existing level of notoriety or audience, the task is a bit easier. There are absolutely people out there selling NFTs for stupid amounts of money. But is that a new concept? A banana duct tapped to a wall once sold for 120K.
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I'm frustrated by those who scoff at the idea of money + art. Should digital artists not be paid? Does not being compensated make you more passionate than someone who is? If anything, NFTs are a step towards democratizing art and reclaiming some power back from galleries and other gatekeeping institutions.
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I won’t ignore the elephant in the room. NFTs minted on the Etherium blockchain are shit for the environment. But, there are alternatives. The Tezos blockchain uses an annual consumption of 0.00006Twh, while Etherium uses 26TWh. Tezos also doesn’t come with the same transaction fees that Etherium does. This makes it accessible for artists with little money to use it.
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What about the flipping, scamming, clout-chasing side of NFTs? Yep, it exists. But, there are actual artists out there making and selling digital art. There’s also a dark side to the physical art world too. Should we all stop making art in fear of being lumped in with that crowd? I hope not.
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I’d love to hear what you all think. As always, I’m down for civil discourse.
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Lastly, the first Tezos NFT I’ve minted is available on Objkt. Edition of 31 for 1 Tz.