Things from the future
Cryptoart and non-fungible tokens
This image is an nft in my OpenSea account.
What is an nft? [Take a moment to skim through that link and then come back here.]
Now you know that an nft has a unique code, and that code can be owned by you. This also means that there is only one true version of this file, this image, this item — like the Mona Lisa painting. There is only one version of it. This has to do with blockchain and you can read more about that in the link above.
If you decide to acquire an nft (non fungible token), then you can keep it forever in a collection or you can gift it or sell it to someone else. Why would you want an nft? For various reasons. The main important thing is that an nft is non-fungible. There can be only one. For collectors and artists this is a powerful tool. Explore OpenSea, the marketplace I use, and take a look. You will notice that you can see the transaction history, including cost, for each item on the market.
Curious as I am about all things that lead toward the future, I created a few nfts and put them on the market. If nothing else it’s a fun experiment. If you’re on Twitter go take a look — that’s where all the nft artists are plugging their nft art and the collectors are looking for work samples and the marketplaces are plugging their markets. Look for the #nft and #nftcollector and #nftartist and see what’s going on.
Currently you’ll see lots of images of astronauts and pixelated creatures and amazing (and less amazing) art. And lots and lots of artists and collectors and scammers mingling and flocking — all hoping to make a sale or an investment. The reality is that it’s much more likely to make a sale if you’re famous, rich or both. But it’s still a relatively new arena and according to those in the know we haven’t quite yet reached mainstream. So it’s fun to explore and see what happens.
It feels a bit like 1996, when internet was new. Exploring the nft scene feels like we’re all galloping toward the horizon, like in a Western movie about pioneers and settlers rushing out to claim a spot of land. Who knows what’s out there on the horizon and what will stick in the long run?
Here’s my nft collection if you would like to see — and if you really love it enough to buy it I would be very very happy!
Did you check the links? What do you think about cryptoart and nfts?