We are going to start this blog with some good stuff. I want to spread the love as far and wide as I can, and I think some props need to go to the foundation team and mainly directed to Lindsay, who has jumped into the discord allowing creators to suggest who goes on the home page.
This is a huge positive for people there, and it’s an exciting time on the discord. Now just because you get featured on the homepage doesn’t mean you will sell. However, it’s not always about making a sale. It’s the fact someone out there liked your art enough to suggest you in the discord.
Keep in mind the Promote your NFT section of this discord has a 1-hour slow mode, so if someone does suggest your work, they are, in essence, scarifying their chance to promote.
I have been dropping other people’s work to help them get on the page, and sometimes its work and the positive buzz of seeing someone get featured are great feelings.
Equally, this plays into the community aspect that Foundation wants and no disrespect to the other platforms. Still, I doubt any of them have someone coming into discord with 40k plus people and then spending an hour or so before their breakfast to check out a selection of work and then update the website.
If they do, please let me know, this again shows you the difference between platforms, and we need to focus on the platform you pick. Some people hate Foundation, and I have defended many hate comments as most of it are not correct. I still think it’s the best platform out there for artists trying to wet their feet and learn, and I will repeat it because of the DISCORD.
I am outright going to say it if you are an artist on Foundation and not on the discord. You are hurting yourself, period. If you are not engaged with people in there, you are hurting yourself.
For one, you are missing out on a chance to be featured on the front page every day, and although it may not lead to sales.
I cant see Superare extended the same for an artist who is unknown by their standards. Platforms are essential, and there are several things to consider.
I have now sold five pieces on Foundation, and these pieces have all been sold to other artists most on the discord. This weird obsession we are creating around collectors kind of needs to stop. This is not to discredit prominent collectors. You are doing a fantastic job, and keep doing it.
But if you are a small artist with no fanbase, no connections, and nowhere to go, the likelihood of someone like big collector buying is rare, not impossible, but rare.
This idea that we somehow need to try and get the attention of collectors all the time is misleading. Everyone always says do this for collectors. Collectors look for this, and then you hear collectors who tell you they are looking for stories, work with meaning.
Spend 5 mins in the foundation discord, and you will have 40 people who meet that criteria. I have heard some fantastic stories, and I have seen some distraught and down people. I experience it in a close way, not from hiding behind a Twitter wall of thousands or a DM that sits unopened because they are busy but somehow consistently tweet and managed to answer people they follow.
The simple, truth is the big collectors don’t have time, or they are not interested. This is not in any way a bad thing. They are doing amazing things in other ways in the space, but they cannot keep up with every artist.
Yet you are sold this dream of being an NFT star that a huge collector will swoop in and drop thousands on your work simply because you asked.
It most likely won’t happen…..now again, not to say it doesn’t, but it may not.
The simple truth is the collectors are all around you. You tweet with them. You have your down days with them. You struggle with them.
The people who will kick start your career most likely is the artist struggling alongside you. It is not in the millionaire collectors; it’s in the hard-earned few hundred dollars an artist has made selling a piece and see you in the discord struggling, sees you helping other people, sees you day after day pushing as far as you can.
They will bid on you.
They will carry you.
I have sold all my pieces to artists, and I love and respect every single one of them because I know the reality.
I know the truth.
They struggle. They don’t have Eth wallets the size of skyscrapers they don’t have endless amounts of funds. They don’t have any of it.
They gave me a bid and sacrificed whatever dream, plan, or idea they had with that money. Some need it for medical bills, yet they still bid on my stuff.
Do you have any IDEA what it takes for someone who needs money to support a family but YET bids on your piece because they want to help your dream or idea?
LET THAT SINK IN. Really think about what that means. It’s not some guy with 43 million dollars in the bank who is SIMPLY grabbing art for a rainy day.
It’s someone you have spent time learning with seeing a struggle with, and they go and do that for YOU.
Those are your collectors. Those are the people who will lift you out of this place.
I keep saying, and I WILL keep saying it if you are not engaged; if you are not in that foundation discord and post on Foundation, you miss the major first step to your career.
Your fellow artists.
That’s never to say you won’t find someone huge who will be a collector. People will, and you may.
The reality is not everyone can, and this is not about artists supporting artists. I hate anyone who explains that poor artists are supporting poor artists. How dare you stand and say that to someone who has bid on someone’s art because they love the piece and believe in the person.
They are no different than bigger collectors. The only difference is the person doesn’t have the funds. They have medical bills. jobs, families. You name it.
These are not poor artists who support poor artists. They are humans who support humans, and they are as much a collector then anyone who wants to stand tall and proclaim they are rich.
I respect every person who bids on my work as I know full well the hardship some of the gone thought to be even to place that bid.
Your career starts with support, and these people you retweet, comment on, grow with, laugh, post dumb memes to these are your collectors, and one day you may grow and grow and get the attention of a considerable collector, or you may end up being big enough that you have made it.
It will be off the backs of artists, and all I ask is you never forget that. Don’t look at art as just an investment. Don’t look at an artist who lists something at 0.15 as cheap shit. Don’t stare down at an artist whose collection is tiny, thinking they are poor and can’t afford to play with the big boys.
Never forget.
If you are one of the lucky ones who can get thousands of dollars bids off the starting gate, congratulations, and I am happy. If you are a person who got retweets and tons of support and help from your fellow artists, which in the end got you in the hands of a big collector, then maybe don’t forget the ones you left behind.
You may not always have a big collector. You may not always have someone who can get your work, and you may well need the support of the artists you left in the dust.
This space is about community, and a lot of you in the next five years will be the next big stars in this space. One of you may be bigger than Pak or considered the next Beeple. It all starts here.
Another thing I think artists should consider is having two markets and finding a 2nd market that you can maybe sell something smaller to help support you between more significant pieces or while you wait to sell.
But pick carefully. I use two platforms. I sell my big pieces on Foundation and my voxel slime collection on HIC. I wanted to offer a smaller option to people who may like my work but can’t afford the crazy 500 dollar plus prices.
If you are an artist, look at your work the same. Even Gucci has options for people who don’t have 20k to drop. Is there something you could do to have two markets?
I made the slimes because I wanted something anyone could collect and raise in price for them over time. I sell the standard slimes for 5 dollars, and I want to see a rise in price for people so you can sell them on making some coin and help yourself out.
I want this for anyone who collects any of my art. I don’t mind you selling it heck if it helps your life go right ahead. I want as many people to access my work as possible.
I don’t believe in this idea that everything needs to be expensive. If you are an artist breaking out and struggling to sell pieces at 400 dollars or more, is there something small, fun, and excellent you could make to sell in numbers?
This doesn’t mean not taking care or putting passion into the project; the worst thing you can do is sell low-grade work, and there are plenty of artists who do that and try and sell it for a high cost.
Also, be authentic in what you create, and someone somewhere will buy into it. This still takes time which brings me to burning.
I have seen people burn artwork simply because it didn’t sell, which I don’t understand. If you spent weeks or months of passion creating that, why burn it?
I hear some people say, well, collectors don’t like seeing unsold art. My response to that would be fuck them.
If anyone wont buy your art because they have 2 unsold pieces then I would rather you didnt collect art.
Now, this doesn’t mean mint 40 pieces. I think you need to strike a balance. You want to appear like you are limited in what you sell and are selling and rare.
I am currently sold out on Foundation and will be for a while. I know this may look bad. I don’t have anything to sell; however, it means people may keep checking and waiting for my next piece.
I would say maybe only ever have two unsold pieces up and wait. It would help if you had some work up there to give people a taste of what you are creating.
But please don’t burn art because you are convinced you look better not having art. If you planned it all along like you are making a quick sketch, it’s only up for the weekend. Whatever doest sell you will burn, that is ok its at least built into the concept but don’t spend weeks making a piece and then have someone convince you it’s best to burn it.
Because of some balance or collector shit.
The best example I can give you not to burn art is this one. Van Gogh only sold a few of his paintings during his lifetime. The number is unknown. However, we all know he was not a famous artist during his life.
Could you imagine if someone had convinced van Gogh, he would look better if he burnt all his unsold artwork?
Equally to my point above, did you know what van Gogh did? he often traded his work with fellow artists who would give him food and art supplies.
Did you READ THAT? FELLOW artists helped Van Gogh in any way they could by taking his sketches and art and paying with the little they could to help him SOUND FAMILIAR right. It’s just poor artists supporting poor artists, right?
Don’t feel discouraged because you have unsold art. You need to find out the reason why it most likely is not because your art is shit.
Which brings us to pricing. On Foundation, I see a lot of art selling between the 0.15 to 0.30 range for new artists, and now I know people think this is shitty art, but a lot of it is fantastic. I equally see art that is probably a bit too expensive.
If you are new to space, I think you may have been sold the dream of people dropping 10k on your work. Sadly it won’t happen for 99 percent.
Instead, if you are new, I think on Foundation, aim for 0.15 to 0.30 and see if you get a bid.
The 2nd hand market is coming soon to Foundation, giving people a better idea of where the prices are.
If you usually sell for 0.15, but you see 2nd hand sales of your work go for 0.35, you may want to raise your prices.
This will help you grow, so don’t get discouraged thinking you will never sell anything for a high price the 2nd hand market on Foundation will help.
If you are on other markets that do 2nd hand, keep a close eye on selling and adjusting your prices.
Anyway, I have said enough :) hopefully, this is helpful, and seriously anyone on Foundation and not on the discord get on it; it’s not dead like all the other discords for platforms, sorry peeps, but they are not great.
Maybe I will see you around there.
Much love Indra
