Marketplace Selection
Once I had the story put together, I had to think on which marketplace I wanted to sell them on, how I should value my work, and how I should market the launch.
I did not want to use Opensea. It is the cheapest option, so I don’t blame people for selling there. They have a lazy mint function which enables the buyer to pay the gas fee to mint the NFT to the blockchain. Before purchase, the digital file is just sitting in web2 on Opensea. Note: gas is currently quite cheap, so the distinction here has diminished greatly.
My issue with Opensea is that they have followed sanctions that the U.S. puts out against other countries. Accounts that are from these countries were de-activated, with the account holder unable to access their NFTs.
Opensea has this problem because they mint on what is called a shared smart contract. The only way to access the contract is through the Opensea platform. In contrast, an independent smart contract can be accessed through Ethereum itself, without the need to rely on a third party.
Around this time, DeeZe (@deezefi) put out a thread asking for people to submit astrophotography in order to receive an @foundation invite. He said that there was a lack of astro in the space and thought that Foundation could use more.
I submitted my photos and happened to be selected by DeeZe for a Foundation invite. I was pumped! I felt so much more comfortable listing on Foundation than I did about listing on Opensea.
Unfortunately, at the time, Foundation did not accept independent smart contracts. That was a let down.
I wanted that independent control over my NFTs. Who knew what the future will bring? I was thinking 5-10 years out. In a new industry like NFT marketplaces, who knows which marketplaces will survive and which will not? I did not want to be tied to a sinking ship or a marketplace that had questionable values.
Smart Contracts
I wanted to future proof myself. Smart contracts are very adaptable. They can be dynamic and can have different extensions built into them that allow for different functionality. I did not want to be tied to the most basic of smart contracts controlled by a centralized organization. This is not the way.
The point of web3 is to be decentralized, to remove power from centralized authorities and cut out the middle people. Independent smart contracts, in my opinion, provide the best path forward to allow an individual or brand to control their NFTs.
So I began looking into independent smart contracts. I came across Manifold.xyz as one of the only options (this was before @foundation went to non-shared contracts). It was also the cheapest and looked to be the most versatile for future functionality in contracts.
As I researched independent smart contracts, I realized how confusing they can be for a new person in this space. I believed so strongly in the value of using independent smart contracts that I wanted to use my minting process as a guide to help others.
I created a series of YouTube videos outlining how I minted my contract on @manifold.xyz
However, there was a problem. At the time, @foundation did not accept manifold contracts. The only marketplaces that did were (I think) SuperRare and Opensea. I did not have access to SR and did not want to mint on Opensea. So I waited.
I spent the next 6 months waiting for @foundation to accept Manifold contracts. In the meantime, they did come out with their own independent smart contract, but I still liked the versatility of Manifold (extensions, minting html pages, claim pages, collector analytics, etc.)
Building Community
While I waited, I spent time on twitter, meeting new people, joining spaces, learning more about the NFT culture and the art world more generally. I talked with many cool people about their stories surrounding art, travel, mindfulness, and more.
The amazing people I have learned from in this space needs its own post, which I am working on (Cool People I’ve Been Inspired By, coming soon).
In hindsight, I’m glad I took the time to network and meet more people before releasing my collection. More importantly, I made friends. I felt like I was beginning to build a community of like-minded people that shared similar passions and values.
I also learned how the average successful person released a collection in a way that spoke to collectors and got sales. I saw how important the story was to the collection.
While the art could stand on its own and make a sale, the odds were greatly increased if the artist had a history and took the time to explain it. Each artist is, in a way, conveying their worldview. Taking their perspective of the world and formatting it in a way that makes sense to them.
This worldview is one that can take a while to figure out. It takes a lot of reflection and self-analysis of creative style and goals. It takes a lot of time to understand where you have come from, where you hope to be, and your plans to get there.
So, while I waited for Foundation to accept, I finessed my story. I thought about what photography and astro meant to me. I thought about the experiences I had in Africa and how they changed the path of my future. I began to plan out a much longer story, with these three pieces being just the beginning.
Finally, at the end of June, FoundationOS was released and Manifold.xyz contracts began to be auto imported. I was pumped to finally release my collection.
Minting and Marketing
It took me a few days to figure out the logistics of uploading a 4K video that was below 50 mb (the requirement to be displayed on Foundation and other marketplaces). I had to learn about compression, bitrate, resolution. I learned how to create GIFs that could play on twitter without too much resolution drop.
In other words, I learned how to launch a collection while showing people the highest quality work I was able to produce. I created twitter threads that explained more of the backstory of the collection and began releasing them with teasers of the collection.
I built up hype for a week, with a lot of excellent advice from @ellabarnes (check out her art, it’s incredible). Finally, it was time to launch. I listed the collection and put it out into the twitterverse. I also DM’d it to some friends that had been supporting me along the way.
This process is not about shilling, it is about sharing a passion for art and creation and hoping that others see the beauty in the collection enough to share it. I also sent the collection to @deezefi, apologizing for how long it took for me to bring astro to Foundation (haha) but that I hope he liked it.
@deezefi apparently didn’t mind it took me so long to create the astro collection and he retweeted it. Within 20 minutes I had my first bid from @synystergates. Looking at Synyster’s website, I saw how much he cared about bringing together mindfulness and art. The exact type of collector I was hoping for🥂.
I asked him why he resonated with the piece, and he said:
“Peace, familiarity, and uniqueness. My grandfather took me to the desert to look at Haley’s Comet when I was super young. Blew my mind. Love your unique approach to bringing life to the light. Love that this was a genesis piece too.”
A few days later I had a bid on the third piece from @worstlux and @0xelric_eth. Elric said that he had been having a panic attack and remembered seeing my art earlier that week so he went back and watched it, stopping his panic attack. @worstlux said that the fireflies brought her back to her childhood. Together, they felt they had to own the piece since it now meant so much to them.
I was so happy to hear that my art was bringing about the feelings that I hoped it would. I have chills writing this, thinking about how special it is to have others resonate with your work in the same way you intended.
What’s Next?
I am now working on my next collection. I want to bring more mindful art to the world in a way that can slow down the internet and hopefully improve the attention and mental health of others.
So, a very long story short: be intentional with your actions. Take the time to learn and self-reflect. Figure out your story, your style of art, your community. Find flow as often as you can. Make friends, share your work, grow as much as possible.
Don’t FOMO into minting. NFTs are a technology, not a fad. It’s up to each person to figure out how they can use this technology in a way that helps them build their 1000 true fans (more on this next).
NFTs are also not a get rich quick scheme. They are just another medium through which you can promote your brand as an artist. The method by which you do so is up to you, but remember that a collector/investor is looking for current and future value.
Remember that many people struggle with their mental health, you are not alone. This community can build you up and help you with imposter syndrome. Creating art can help with depression. Art can be therapy, both in the act of viewing and creation.
I will continue adding to this thread as new events occur, as I read new books or reread old ones, as I write more pieces of my story.
I want to provide a resource for people who are new to the space or who are struggling to make their first sale. I am by no means an expert, but I have researched and thought about this process a lot.
If you’re interested in reading more about the tech behind NFTs and Web3, I put together an intro and FAQ.
The first part of this story can be found here: How I got into NFTs
My minting with Manifold series is here: How I minted my own smart contract
Feel free to send me a DM on Twitter or comment below.
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