Disclaimer: I always wanted to be a baseball player, thus idiotically sacrificing my education along the way. If Grammarly occasionally misses a grammar mistake, but you still understand the point, keep it moving.
Many of you may have witnessed my recent tweets announcing digital art releases on SuperRare, and you probably thought about unfollowing me. I strongly advise you to make that decision after you read this.
Cryptoart is mostly digitized art. Artists range from people like me who animate or digitize their physical artworks to artists who create works using rocket science. Don’t believe me? Check out this work from the Twitter sensation @pak going for thousands of USD on SuperRare.
(Make sure you click the ball)
"Ok, but what is Cryptoart? Can I hang it on the wall?”
Technically, there are ways to display your art on specialized art screens with the ability to view your art through tv hookups on its way. However, there has yet to be mass adoption of art specific screens. This lack of physical displays is beneficial to current collectors because it is a primary pain point keeping troves of people acquiring artworks from artists who will be taught about in art history classes centuries from now. Soon, sleek and elegant screens will adorn the walls of homes displaying collections of art valued at millions of USD, free of any risk of damage or theft.
One area that is EXPLODING in the Cryptoart collecting world is Cryptovexels and Decentraland. These are virtual worlds that allow people to buy land, build buildings, and create virtual galleries and museums. Just like the real world, you can purchase property and build upon that land, with some batches of parcels selling for the price of a small ranch home. The significant flex is to have your virtual gallery with some of the most sought after digital artwork, just like real-world, minus the fact that you don’t have to interact with stuffy gallery owners.
“What’s the difference between buying a digital artwork on Shutterstock versus a site like SuperRare.”
I’m going to keep this simple and sweet. The main difference is that when you purchase a digital artwork, you run the risk of people copying and pasting or screenshotting the image, with no way of proving its authenticity. With Cryptoart, the digital art you purchase lives on the blockchain, which, once uploaded, can’t be edited and is given a specific ID that can be looked up by anyone at any time. Sure, anyone can go on SuperRare and download the images they see. However, it’s worthless since it doesn’t have the tokenized ID associated with it. This system allows photographers and digital artists the ability to earn money without having to worry about the parasites that steal their photos because they’re too cheap to pay $.99.
“Is there value in Cryptoart?
Duh. Like acrylic or charcoal, digital art is another medium to express oneself. The value in Cryptoart lies in the fact that it is a relatively new art form within a relative niche community. The current average resale value on a Crypto artwork is 856%. Once the ability to display works becomes more readily available, and there becomes a better overall understanding of the blockchain, the demand for current artworks will inevitably increase the value of works.
The beauty of Cryptoart is you can acquire valuable works starting at a fraction of physical works. Only the top 1% of people can afford a Warhol work, but you can still purchase works from top artists like @alotta_money at a reasonable price.
"But how do I start collecting?”
Wallet- Download Metamask. Metamask is a Chrome/Safari extension that acts as the secure wallet that allows you to deposit and withdraw Ethereum using a Credit Card (the currency you use to buy art on SuperRare). Think PayPal or Venmo.
Sign up- SuperRare makes buying art from the top Cryptoartists simple. It instantly connects your wallet and allows you to place bids on artwork easily.
Discover artists and follow the whales- If you want to buy art based on personal preference, browsing SR is super simple.
If you’re looking for which artist to invest in, follow the top collector’s list. A whale is a term given to individuals who own a large amount of cryptocurrency. They have been amassing art for a while and often will lead you to the top artists.
That’s it. You’re officially an art collector.
Cryptoartists are just like any artist creating works on canvas and finally deserve the recognition. Take your time exploring SuperRare, and if you have any questions, hit me up!
Twitter: @micah_johnson3
Email: micahjohnsonart@gmail.com