246 | NFTs for Artists with Jason Matias, Jason Matias Photography
Are you curious about NFTs, the blockchain and opportunities that Web 3.0 provides for creatives? Jason Matias joins us to break down how the NFT market and blockchain works, his experience in selling several hundred NFT artworks, along with mistakes and misconceptions you should avoid if you’re just getting started!
Disclaimer: One topic we did not get to discuss in this episode is the environmental concerns that are related to NFTs. As with all content that we produce at Proof to Product, we aim to educate and empower you to make the best decisions possible for your business. That means bringing you unconventional conversations and opening your eyes to new perspectives and the same is true for this episode. We encourage you to listen, but then do your own research to ensure if NFTs align with your business and values.
Getting Started in NFTs as an Artist
If you’ve been curious about the NFT market and adding your own artwork to the NFT market as a stream of revenue, there are a few things you should consider before you get started. Jason Matias was a skeptic when this new venture and revenue generator first came out, but he decided to test it out anyway to see if his skepticism was valid.
Jason’s Experience in the NFT Market
Come to find out, millions and millions of dollars are being exchanged on the NFT market. As of 2022, Jason has over 1,000 NFTs on the market and in the hands of collectors.
What Jason has learned is that the buyers on this market aren’t necessarily traditional buyers. The things that are selling on the NFT market include digital art that consists of fantasy art. This opened the doors for Jason to work on projects he’d always wanted to try out, but felt like they didn’t fit the style he was known for.
That’s when he introduced his guardian angel series, some of which sold for nearly $10,000.
What is Blockchain & What Does NFT Stand For?
Before we dive too far into NFTs, it’s important to understand what blockchain is. A blockchain is a decentralized ledger or record of events. This type of recordkeeping is trustless—meaning if two people do a transaction, you have to trust each other, yet on blockchain you don’t have to have that trust because it’s all public information, managed and verified by hundreds of computers. This means no one can hack the transaction and take it from you.
An NFT is a non-fungible token, which when put onto blockchain, receives a unique identifier making it unique all on its own. Then it’s proof of creation and characteristics are available on blockchain forever. Putting a piece of art up as an NFT, it’s essentially creating a certificate of authenticity.
When that NFT changes hands, it’s record of transfer is recorded forever, making it a tradable asset (along with all of its history).
A common misconception is that NFTs are just art, but they can also be property, access tickets, etc.
Three Things to Consider Before Entering the NFT Market
While there are a number of lessons to learn through your own experience in selling artwork on the NFT market, Jason shares a few key tips you should consider before jumping in.
Remove the Get Rich Quick Mindset
If you’re considering investing time and energy into NFTs as an artist, you need to remove the idea that this is a “Get Rich Quick” scheme. Jason entered the space with this mindset because he felt like the career he’d built and the credentials he’d earned would secure his success—he was wrong.
Since then, he’s worked NFTs into his existing business by building processes around the art he’s creating for the NFT market, how he’s marketing the art to his audience, etc.
Ensuring Original Ownership of Your NFTs
If you’re now curious about creating your own NFTs, make sure you take this advice to heart—whoever uploads the NFT receives sole ownership of the NFT. As it’s uploaded, it’s minted, which creates a unique identifier for the owner/uploader. Don’t get duped by a rep or an NFT gallery who offers to upload it on your behalf, because then you won’t be the original owner.
While it’s important to highlight that, you should still consider what having an art rep could do for your business. They have the connection to buyers who are looking for work that you may be creating, which is a really useful asset.
Additionally, selling an NFT doesn’t hand over the original copyright or intellectual property of the artwork, unless stated in the smart contract!
Create Smart Contracts
A smart contract is the activator between two parties. With it being on blockchain, it’s trustless, so you can see everything in the smart contract, the money is exchanged immediately, and it includes the history.
This is where the importance of minting also comes in, because if it is minted by the art rep and you can’t see the smart contract, you don’t know how much you’re earning—because you have the opportunity to continue to earn money with every trade or transaction of your artwork. You don’t want to hand over that control to someone else.
Stealing & Copying on the NFT Market
Now, there are so many scenarios in the art world where people can copy another’s work or even steal it, and it’s not much different in the NFT Market. As easy as it is to right click and save digital artwork, it’s just as easy for someone to be the first to mint your work, so if getting into the NFT space is something you want to do, make sure you’re minting your work first.
Essentially, minting your work on blockchain is creating an artist proof via blockchain identity solutions, even if selling isn’t a high priority for you.
Creating Unique NFT Artwork
As you’re creating artwork, you know that your physical products have a value all on their own, but if you try selling an NFT for the same price and including a physical copy, you’re underselling yourself. Each piece has value all on their own.
If you plan to connect them, then you need to price that value in the final NFT price. There are a lot of buyers who aren’t art collectors and don’t want the physical product. They’re simply looking to invest in trading materials.
If today’s conversation about NFTs and selling your artwork on the NFT market intrigued you, make sure you check out Jason’s work and educational programs at https://www.jasonmatias.com.
Today’s episode is brought to you by our free resources library, where you can find the tools to start, streamline, and scale your product business. From determining if wholesale is right for you, to designing a tradeshow booth that won’t break the back, to deciding what to delegate in three simple steps, we have the resources for you!
Download These Quotables to Save and Share
MEET JASON:
Jason Matias is an author and contemporary photographer who lives and works in the Greater Seattle Area. A New York native, his photographs of nature include locations around the globe. More recently in his career, his creative focus expanded work with models. No matter the subject, Jason’s work focuses on the ideas of isolation and introspection.
CONNECT WITH JASON
WEBSITE: jasonmatias.com | TWITTER: @realjasonmatias
FACEBOOK: @JasonMatiasPhotography
Connect with Katie Hunt
Katie Hunt is a business strategist, podcaster, mentor and mama to four. She helps product based businesses build profitable, sustainable companies through her conferences, courses and coaching programs.
Website: prooftoproduct.com | Instagram: @prooftoproduct
you might also like:
