How I Sold My First NFT
My adventure navigating the wild west of the crypto art world!
NFTs!? Cryptocurrency!? Blockchain!? Months ago none of this made any sense to me. Fast forward to last night, and now I can proudly call myself a #cryptoartist. Here’s the story of my adventure and experiences navigating the wild west of the NFT world!
I’ve laughed, and I’ve cried… Let’s begin my NFT rollercoaster ride:
The Phone Call
It all started when my brother called me up and told me all about this hot & culture-shifting new thing called “NFTs.” He thought I should seriously look into it and get involved ASAP with my art & film work. He eloquently explained everything to me for an hour or so… and by the end of the conversation, I was very confused.
Why would anyone want to buy a “collectible” digital version of my art that was already available for anyone to see?
After the call, I jumped onto Google to do a bit of sleuthing…
What Are NFTs?
In case you don’t already know, here’s a quick summary of what NFTs are:
(If you do already know the basics, skip to the next section to start the adventure!)
NFT stands for “Non-Fungible Token.” You know what, I’m just going to quote Mitchell Clark in his article “NFTs explained.” I can’t explain it any better than him:
“Non-fungible” more or less means that it’s unique and can’t be replaced with something else. For example, a bitcoin is fungible — trade one for another bitcoin, and you’ll have exactly the same thing. A one-of-a-kind trading card, however, is non-fungible. If you traded it for a different card, you’d have something completely different.”
Anything can be turned into an NFT… visual art, music, photography, etc. Artists can “mint” their work (this is the process of getting your work onto the blockchain) and then set their terms.
All transactions are stored in perpetuity on the blockchain. Here’s how Euromoney explains it:
“Blockchain is a system of recording information in a way that makes it difficult or impossible to change, hack, or cheat the system. A blockchain is essentially a digital ledger of transactions that is duplicated and distributed across the entire network of computer systems on the blockchain.”
One of the exciting aspects of this NFT world is that artists can set a royalty rate. If and when a collector resells the NFT on the secondary market, the artist will receive royalties every time the NFT sells again!
That’s my attempt at quickly explaining NFTs! If you want to dig deeper, I recommend reading Mitchell’s article on The Verge.
One of the exciting aspects of this NFT world is that artists can set a royalty rate. If and when a collector resells the NFT on the secondary market, the artist will receive royalties every time the NFT sells again!
While researching I saw platforms like Nifty Gateway featuring the eye-catching and snazzy work of mind-blowing (and already established) artists. Honestly, though, the feeling that I got was: If you want to be a crypto artist, you have to already be somewhat famous. At first glance, the NFT world seemed inaccessible to someone like me.
Perhaps this whole “NFT craze” was a momentary fad that would disappear in a few weeks?
A month goes by and BAM! Bam, bada bing, bada boooom! The world of NFTs has not faded away… it has exploded! The newsfeed on my phone was overflowing with articles about NFTs. Some were selling for millions ($69 million to be exact)?! On top of all of this, I also had real-life friends (wow, real friends! yay!) who were diving into this mysterious crypto ocean. I was officially very, very intrigued.
The world of NFTs has not faded away… it has exploded!
Minting My First NFT
For a few weeks, the NFT world was brewing in my subconscious. One day my mind-blowing fine art photographer friend Ivana (check her out on Twitter!) invited me to collab with her on an NFT. Going through this process with her sparked my hunger to mint my own work even more…
Would I be successful if I attempted this? I had absolutely no clue. But something inside of me knew that at the least I should try. Regardless of making money, I wanted to be a part of the new, barely explored, uncharted, reality-shifting crypto waters.
There are many different platforms out there that you can mint your work on. Here’s a list of some options. Some platforms are invite-only. I was super fortunate, and Ivana hooked me up with an invite to Foundation. So last week I minted my first piece there!
NFTs can be purchased with a form of cryptocurrency like Ethereum or Tezos. The full process of minting my work cost me around $80 (or about .03 Ethereum at the time). The cost fluctuates throughout the day and week. All things considered, $80 seemed pretty good. I have friends who have paid $200+ to mint one piece.
I chose to start with my black and white drawing entitled “Hide and Seek.” It took me 30+ hours to draw this piece and I felt the most energy and passion behind it… I created it during the pandemic and had decided to challenge myself to be fully present in every moment of the process… The process truly became a meditation.
So here I am with my freshly minted genesis NFT… Excitement and curiosity (and confusion) filled my spirit. I couldn’t wait to tell the world, but who would I tell? Most of my fanbase is not familiar (yet) with NFTs (hey, maybe this article will change that!?) It was time for me to be brave! It was time for me to adventure into the world of Twitter. Queue dramatic dun dun dun sound!
So here I am with my freshly minted genesis NFT… Excitement and curiosity (and confusion) filled my spirit. I couldn’t wait to tell the world, but who would I tell?
Falling in Love with Twitter
Although intrigued, the word on the digital street was that if you wanted to get into NFTs, you had to be on Twitter. You’ve got to understand… I already have a love-hate relationship with Instagram and Facebook. Both platforms can be quite inspiring and useful, but they can also be anxiety-producing (it’s easy for me to get sucked in).
…the word on the digital street was that if you wanted to get into NFTs, you had to be on Twitter.
Truth be told, I’ve always actually secretly thought Twitter was the worst platform out there. Whenever I poked around on there I was confused why anyone would ever choose to spend any amount of time on there. (Really this was because I was completely lost and had no clue how Twitter worked… silly little me). So knowing that Twitter was an intrinsic part of this NFT world felt like a major barrier.
Let me just tell you though, Twitter 100% is the place to be!
So I dropped my NFT on Twitter…
Within the first day of dipping my toes into the Twitter ocean, the strangest, most unexpected thing occurred… I fell in love with Twitter! Never in a million years did I think I would say this, but I’m honestly vibing with Twitter more than Instagram and Facebook!
Within just a few days I met tons of insanely talented and kind-hearted artists from all around the globe (shout out to my new best friend from Brazil!) I experienced a sense of online community like never before. I felt like I was a part of something special. #NFTCommunity (See how I dropped a hashtag in there?! Are you proud of me?!) is a space that is genuinely caring, supportive, and inspiring.
Within just a few days I met tons of insanely talented and kind-hearted artists from all around the globe! I experienced a sense of online community like never before. I felt like I was a part of something special.
There are some incredible souls who are making the space safe & supportive for different groups. Ana is one of those amazing individuals. She is the founder @NFTGoddesses, “a community dedicated to women artists in the NFT space.” Definitely check out this awesome community if you are a woman artist!
Before I knew it, my Twitter following went from 300 to 900 in just a few days. My NFT was shared over 70 times. I was honestly shocked and heart-warmed by the support.
I was not just promoting my own NFT… I was also connecting with fellow artists, sharing their work, and celebrating their successes! I found many NFTs that I immediately became obsessed with. If and when I become a collector, I already have my eyes on a few pieces. In fact, I may make my first NFT purchase later this week… which brings me to the next part of the adventure:
A New Platform: Hic Et Nunc
Fast forward a few days into my new virtual life on Twitter, and I’m seeing a trend: there’s a platform that I had not heard of before called “Hic Et Nunc” (HeN)… and EVERYONE is tweeting about it!
First off, it’s more environmentally friendly and it’s in a different cryptocurrency (Tezos instead of Ethereum). Secondly, the pricing there for the most part is much cheaper than on other platforms. You can literally mint a piece for pennies…
The HeN culture is super driven by artists supporting fellow artists. Many artists have become collectors!
Many artists are selling pieces for just a few dollars worth of Tezos (at the time of writing this 1 Tezos = about $3).
I am no crypto art expert, but if you are brand new to the NFT scene as an artist or collector, I would HIGHLY recommend checking out HeN! You will be immediately taken in and welcomed by this warm community.
If you’re looking for guidance on how to begin, check out this epic Hic Et Nunc guide by my new NFT Twitter friend Octomint! I used this guide and it helped me incredibly.
Should I Mint a Film?
I had been wondering if I should mint any of my short films. I just wasn’t sure, because most of what I was seeing out there in the NFT world was visual art.
So I made a Tweet asking the community if I should mint a film. The magnitude of encouragement I received triggered a very spontaneous and experimental part of my soul: I decided to take the plunge and mint one of my films… and I decided to do it that very night!
So I made a Tweet asking the community if I should mint a film. The magnitude of encouragement I received triggered a very spontaneous and experimental part of my soul: I decided to take the plunge and mint one of my films… and I decided to do it that very night!
Well, what I actually did was break up my film “Lessons From My Nightmares” (you can watch the full film here and read about my machine learning process here) into a collection of ten scenes. I started by minting the first five scenes and made 10 editions available of each scene, priced at 8 Tezos per NFT.
Eventually, I will mint the entire film as a 1/1… but I am waiting for the right time. For now, the collection of scenes is available on HeN. My main curiosity is if there will be a collector who chooses to buy one of each scene and own the full collection… that would be pretty darn cool if I can say so myself!
Overly Tired and Filled with Self-Doubt
In a flow of writing honestly: one morning, there I was, crying… I couldn’t hide these feelings from myself anymore. My partner was there to support me… he knows me well enough to know that when I become passionate about something, I go hard… I go a little too hard.
My mind had been obsessed with Twitter for about a week straight. I was definitely out of balance. Part of me felt like I was failing… I saw all of these artists making sales… My sleep-deprived mind felt lost and disheartened.
I got in the car for an hour and a half drive to visit my parents. This would be a perfect (and much needed) opportunity to decompress…
My mind had been obsessed with Twitter for about a week straight. I was definitely out of balance. Part of me felt like I was failing… I saw all of these artists making sales… My sleep-deprived mind felt lost and disheartened.
First Sale
I’m eating Thai food with my mom… the food is delicious… it’s been a few hours since I had my mini burnt-out cry fest… I’ve been decompressing… I’ve also been telling my mom all about the crazy world of crypto art…
…So I go to my phone to show something to my mom… and that’s when I find out:
I’VE SOLD MY FIRST NFT!?!
Hours after crying, here I am, celebrating my first sale!? Reflecting on this whole emotional roller coaster made me laugh. The things we put ourselves through… the ways we beat ourselves up over nothing… If anything, this whole experience was a lesson in being kind to myself, staying present, and being patient with the process!
So I sold one edition of “Lessons From My Nightmares 03.” WAHOOOOO!
The things we put ourselves through… the ways we beat ourselves up over nothing… If anything, this whole experience was a lesson in being kind to myself, staying present, and being patient with the process!
At the exact same moment, I got a message from my new NFT friend Neil Burnell (check him out on Twitter here… he’s a legendary photographer). He has informed me of some wild news… He has just received bids on FIVE of his pieces… totaling over 16 Ethereum! What incredibly MIND-BLOWING news!
DOUBLE CELEBRATION! It felt like a deeply poignant moment to be virtually celebrating with a new friend from across the globe on our triumphs!
It felt like a deeply poignant moment to be virtually celebrating with a new friend from across the globe on our triumphs!
A Note About Mental Health
I’m going to be honest here, even though all of this has been super fun, it has also been hard on my mental health.
The world of Twitter is alive and active nonstop. There are people from all over the globe, so the community literally never sleeps. It can easily feel like if you’re not online you’re going to miss something important. As a fresh face in this crypto world, I felt pretty lost. This nagging part of my subconscious was pushing me to stay on longer, figure it out, connect with more people, promote my work, make things happen!
My insomnia and anxiety were totally triggered.
The world of Twitter is alive and active nonstop. There are people from all over the globe, so the community literally never sleeps. It can easily feel like if you’re not online you’re going to miss something important.
Although the NFT Community is super supportive, I’ve been reminded of my own responsibility to take care of myself while navigating such an exciting, fast-paced, 24/7 landscape. Every day I’m learning how to better love myself and stay balanced.
To quote a new NFT friend,
“If you know that you need to unplug but are nervous to “miss” anything, please unplug. The NFT community will be here. There will always be “new” changes in the community and we can always learn how to adapt after we have given ourselves time.”
This quote is from Drey (aka @striclyspoken on Twitter).
Drey and a group of heart-centered NFT artists host weekly Mental Health & NFTs talks. I attended one of them and I am beyond grateful that I did. I felt so much less alone in my anxiety… and I was also comforted by reminders of how to stay balanced and in touch with what works for me and my soul. Interested in tuning in? Follow Drey on Twitter for updates.
I’ve been reminded of my own responsibility to take care of myself while navigating such an exciting, fast-paced, 24/7 landscape. Every day I’m learning how to better love myself and stay balanced.
Time To Relax
Well friends, I’ve been working on this article for a few days now… It’s time I wrap this up and relax in the real world.
I probably need to get some fresh air and sunlight!
The beginning of my NFT journey has been such a fascinating ride of emotions!
I am so excited, so grateful and so curious to see what the future holds. Thank you to all of the lovely souls I’ve connected with on this journey so far. I have so much appreciation for the support and love I’ve felt from you all.
To stay in the loop on my NFT adventures, follow me on Twitter: @allaroundartsy
Sending out creative magic and love, always~
Kira Bursky is a filmmaker, multidisciplinary artist, and seeker of magic. Her films have 14 million+ views on YouTube and have screened across the globe.
