After speaking with Owo Anietie on his journey from selling his first art for ₦10 to donating $500k to a dance academy in Ikorodu, we decided to ask five other black NFT artists what their journey has been like so far. Let’s start with a quick explainer
The rad term for the cool kids these days is “ minting .”
When people say they’re “minting NFTs”, it means they’re converting digital files or assets like art or music into crypto collections called non-fungible tokens (NFTs). When an artwork or music file is “minted”, it can be traded to earn a cryptocurrency called Ethereum (ETH), which can then be converted into dollars (USD). So, NFTs are a type of cryptocurrency for digital media.
In 2020 , NFTs became popular in Africa and are now the digital hot cake for visual artists. The question is, how are African artists earning with NFTs?
Basically, rather than trading cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in exchange for Ethereum or US dollars, artists are now trading NFTs (digital assets in the real world).
Now, let’s get into the gist. “NFTs contributed to my financial growth, but as an African artist, accessing the money can be difficult”
— Lethabo Huma , 23, South African
I joined the NFT space in 2020 and my first piece sold for $1000. It’s the most I had asked for my art, so it was great making the sale.
After that, I had to connect with more buyers. There weren’t a lot of Africans buying art on the platforms, so I had to extend to a larger audience. To connect with more buyers, I had to join Twitter spaces, but the time difference made it hectic.
When I got the hang of it, all my major jobs came in from the connections I made online. Between 2021-2022 my collections have sold from $10,000 to $15,000. One of my favourite so far has been Bloom — a series on my life as a South African woman. In terms of the transition financially, NFTs went a long way personally and for my craft. I went from thinking about how to pay my uni tuition with my mum to funding it myself. I can afford better tech gadgets for my work, and the best part was finally being able to afford a puppy.
On the other hand, accessing my money as an African artist can be difficult. Converting from Rands to USD and then Ethereum is a stressful process. That’s been a huge issue for African artists doing NFTs. “NFTs are about collaboration and community”.
— Nygilia, 29, African-American
I’ve been an artist my whole life, but I didn’t pursue a career in it until I turned 24. My work is focused on capturing afro-futurism and mixed-media styles.
When I got my first job, I didn’t anticipate the mental stress. I missed the autonomy outside mainstream capitalism and wanted to get out of it. Eventually, I started to explore the possibilities and NFTs seemed like a good option I joined the space in March 2021. The most confusing part was figuring out crypto and the wallets to store my money, so I joined Clubhouse rooms and watched Youtube videos to get a hang of the NFT community. After that, I had to get to work.
In 2021, my first drop, VividRunway , sold for 0.25 Ethereum ($600) within the first month. After that, I kept creating and building her portfolio. The success of that first piece led me to create my VR-styled collection, Astro Dreams , in 2022. The blend of art with virtual reality made it difficult, but at the same time, valuable.
Each piece is [now] selling from 0.1 – 1 ETH, so a few hundred dollars to a couple of thousands. The tough part is marketing each piece. Most of the artists and buyers on NFTs are on Twitter and Discord, so organically growing a profile is the only way to sell.
My only regret with NFTs is not investing in NFTs sooner. The money aspect is great, but the best part is working with other African artists. NFTs are really about community and collaboration. For Astro Dreams, the collections were done in collaboration with a Haitian artist. RELATED: I Had to Bet on Myself and Make It Work — Man Like Anthony Azekwoh “NFTs were a way to get my art out there”
— Lolu ix, 23, Nigerian
I express myself through different mediums — oil paint, ink and digital painting. Like every other medium in art, NFT was a way to […]
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