Welcome Artist!
We are currently entering a new era of digital art, and it couldn’t be more exciting to be a creator!
In this Step-By-Step guide, I’ll share the basics needed to join the Web3 community and launch your first NFT project.
Steps
Step One: WTF Is An NFT?
Step Two: Setting up a wallet & buying crypto
Step Three: Joining the Twitter Web3 community
Step Four: Marketplace comparison
Step Five: Minting & Marketing
Step One: WTF Is An NFT (TL:DR version)
The most important thing to understand about NFTs is that they are not just artwork. NFTs are smart contracts, basically a permanent record of ownership. NFTs can be linked to art, to titles of homes…cars…job positions… really anything that needs a proof of transaction history / ownership. The possibilities with NFTs are limitless, art was really just the first thing that caught on and made sense to the masses.
Step Two: Setting Up A Wallet & Buying Crypto
A Wallet is where you can hold, send, and receive crypto safely! Crypto Wallets can be both digital (chrome extension, mobile app, website) and physical (hardware wallet like a USB flash drive). These wallets allow you to mint (create) & purchase NFTs with crypto at online marketplaces.
Each blockchain (Ethereum, Solana, Tezos…) has a unique wallet that holds certain crypto.
Currently marketplaces operate off of one primary blockchain (changing soon), thus multiple wallets may be needed for buying, creating, or trading on different marketplaces.
METAMASK
Click To Download
Metamask is a crypto wallet for the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain. It’s one of the most used wallets online today! For Solana ($SOL) check out Phantom, for Tezos ($XTZ) check out Temple
To Buy Crypto, you can do this two different ways. If you’re using Metamask, you can purchase directly on their chrome extension / mobile app. Otherwise I recommend using Coinbase (crypto wallet & trading platform) to purchase your crypto then transfer to your wallet. Check out how to do that here… be warned it takes ~5 days from purchase to be able to transfer from Coinbase to your wallet.
Step Three: Joining the Twitter Web3 community
Twitter & Discord are the two main social platforms that Web3, Crypto, and NFT chats live. The best way to get involved in this community is to jump right in and start having conversations!
I refreshed my old Twitter account from high school, cleaned out my following, and started fresh. After just a week of chatting I’ve grown my account by 200+ followers and was able to earn an invite to Foundation… more on that later.
Twitter spaces (live chat rooms) are a great place to start if you’re new. Listen in, Google often, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. If someone brings up an interesting point, follow them! The best way to get involved with the community is to be apart of the community!
From my experience, everyone is super friendly and helpful with on-boarding! Retweeting and commenting consistently is a great way to grow digital friendships, and it costs nothing to do.
Jump on in and join the conversation, we’re glad you made it.
My DM’s are always open for questions (@gunnar_nft)
Step Four: Marketplaces!
When it comes to NFT,s this space is still extremely new and changing quickly, so be prepared to stay on your toes and adapt along the way!
First and foremost, when looking for a marketplace, you need to determine which blockchain you want to buy, sell, or trade on. The three big ones for NFTs at the time of writing this are Ethereum ($ETH), Solana ($SOL), and Tezos ($XTZ)
Marketplace Comparison
Name: Foundation
Base Currency: $ETH
Gas Fees: Ranging but pricey (https://etherscan.io/gastracker)
Wallets: Metamask
Description: One of the most prominent marketplaces in NFTs. Most equipped interface and search / filter functionality. Very high gas prices for minting. All work is 1/1 here. Membership is invite only and comes from artists who have sold work on Foundation.
Name: Open Sea
Base Currency: $ETH
Gas Fees: ranging but pricey (https://etherscan.io/gastracker)
Wallets: MetaMask
Description: One of the first and largest open NFT marketplaces. Good search / filter functionality. Site seems to crash when huge projects drop. Overall one of the best marketplaces for ETH focused sellers, buyers, and collectors.
Name: Rarible
Base Currency: $ETH, $XTZ $FLOW
Gas Fees: Depends on Blockchain
Wallets: Depends on Blockchain
Description: Good user experience for collecting and creating! Really good search / filter functionality!
Name: Objkt
Base Currency: $XTZ (Tezos)
Gas Fees: minimal
Wallets: Temple, Spire, Galleon
Description: OBJKT is good for auctions, Dutch auctions, and primary/secondary market sales. Focused primarily on #CleanNFTs. Not a ton of search functionality or filters to find types of NFTs easily.
Name: Solanart
Base Currency: $SOL (Solana)
Gas Fees: Minimal
Wallets: Soflare, Phantom, Clover
Description: 500,000 total sales so far, ~1500 daily sales. Clean interface but limited search functionality. Easy to connect and set up collections.
Name: Metaplex
Base Currency: $SOL (Solana)
Gas Fees: Minimal
Wallets: Phantom??
Description: Create your own storefront to sell NFTS! Still in very early stages. If you like programming, this might be for you.
Name: Hic Et Nunc
Base Currency: $XTZ (Tezos)
Gas Fees: Minimal
Wallets: Temple, Spire, Galleon
Description: HEN is an open marketplace to buy, sell, and mint NFTs. Pretty limited interface and search / filter functionality. Some small filters but not much control. One of the most popular marketplaces for Tezos
Name: One Of
Base Currency: $XTZ (Tezos)
Gas Fees: minimal
Wallets: Temple, Spire, Galleon
Description: Primarily for musicians.
Step Five: Mint & Market
Once you’ve determined your ideal marketplace, it’s time to pull together your collection and mint!
Minting fees vary between sites, for example Foundation charges per mint before sale, whereas Opensea charges two account activation fees, then only charges a mint fee once the item is sold.
Marketplaces vary so continue to do your research! The learning never ends in Web3.
Once you have your collection it’s time to get active on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn… anywhere you are able to post!
Marketing in the NFT space is called “Shilling”. Be careful where you shill, as not all people online are who they claim they are.
Pro Tip: The Twitter accounts that claim to buy your NFT or promote it or… whatever … they are fake. They are just trying to grow their own following. Do not spend your time using those threads. Instead, retweet other artists, create engaging posts about your series and use hashtags. Think of this as community focused as possible, not a competitive market. Community always wins here!
Finally… Have Fun With It!
There is no better time than now to invest in your community, support your friends, and engage in this new era of digital technology. This is just the start! Be flexible, be curious, and be engaged, it’s worth it.
