OneArt Survey Overview: Artists on NFTs, Pain Points & Crypto Profiles
The total sales value of the NFT art and collectibles market globally has already surpassed $11.16 billion, making more and more creators pursue this type of art. Some of them, like Beeple, are famed and successful artists now making all the buzz (and money). Others are just starting out in the NFT art world, like Miguel del Rey Vergara, a bronze figurative sculptor, who is sure non-fungible tokens “open up a whole new world of utility for the art.”
OneArt has done research to find out who NFT artists are, what they like about the new technology and emerging trends, what they lack, and what features and options would grant them true creative freedom. It took us about a month to survey over 50 NFT artists, and each received a reward of 1000 1ART.
And here we are! (Unfortunately, many artists have opted to remain anonymous, but we can name a few and cite them.)
Who are NFT artists?
The answer can’t be reduced to a common denominator, as NFT creators live all over the world, are from different backgrounds, and use different social media to reach their audience.
- 🌎 Countries
NFT artists live all over the world, including Argentina, Brazil, China, Spain, Thailand, Ukraine, the UAE, the UK, and the U.S.
The main point aligns with the NiftyTable’s analysis of the NFT space based on the web traffic location. The market is “skewed towards the U.S.” According to this research, the United States accounts for 34% of traffic to NiftyGateway, 20.8% to MakersPlace, 19.7% to Foundation, 18.2% to Rarible, and 16.9% to OpenSea. However, we should keep in mind that OneArt survey respondents choose only a few platforms from the NiftyTable’s list (see below).
- 📆 Age
Seems we may debunk the popular myth that top new technologies are adopted mostly by Gen Z. At least it applies to the artists we interviewed: about 50% are 30–35 years old.
- 🖌 Profession & crypto experience
One of the NFT space pros is that you don’t have to be a crypto native to tap into the market. You can find a bunch of stories of photographers, drivers, and even kids making money on NFTs.
Some of our respondents are artists, coders, teachers of 3D design, and sculptors, others are entrepreneurs, some identify themselves as visionaries with a wide range of interests.
I am a public speaker, scientist, and biologist currently living in Ukraine. My interests range from arts to education. I am also interested in neuroscience, human behavior, ethnobotany, and entrepreneurship.
Den Krup @Junglesymbol
Over 30% see themselves as crypto enthusiasts, while others have started their NFT “career” due to monetization and distribution options.
“The cryptocurrency itself is not as interesting as a new art market creation and its existence in the blockchain. But platforms for artists and designers couldn’t have appeared without crypto, so this technology should be given credit.”
Why choose NFTs?
The answer to the question was unanimous: because it’s a promising technology with extensive utility that goes beyond art, kickstarts the development of new technologies for creative media, and provides new options for social activities and world improvement in general.
Den Krup calls NFT “the industry’s gold standard.” While @touchsoundart points to:
- Ownership rights
- Community support for the artists
- The impetus to create new types of works, search for new aesthetics, and develop independently of the traditional principles of the art world
- Liberalization of concepts regarding different styles and tastes in the art that are not dictated by traditional institutions of the XX century.
Audience and community growth
The audience size varies a lot: from 350–400 up to 12,000. Artists try to communicate with their followers every day via posts, comments, and Twitter Spaces. The most common social media plan includes community growth and interaction with other artists, influencers, collectors, and interesting tech projects.
To expand their reach and grow community, artists prefer airdrops, Twitter Spaces, and… lectures. They also mention communication skills and the ability to engage the audience among the top for building a strong community.
Social media
Twitter, Telegram, and Instagram are the top three social media artists use to reach their audience. Others mentioned are ArtStation, Pinterest, and Facebook. Some artists, like Den Krup, also use Behance.
Twitter tops the chart in terms of popularity since it’s a common social media for NFT hangouts. However, it lags behind Telegram in terms of usability. But artists mention among Twitter’s pros an option to interact with the audience as a community. Also, they appreciate Twitter Spaces: they’re a “panacea for development,” as per Albert, NFT artist and entrepreneur.
What’s wrong with Web2 social networks, as per NFT artists?
- Poor algorithms
- Bots
- Poor reach
- As for Twitter, @touchsoundart mentions some issues with Spaces. 1) There’s no option to see users in real time. 2) You can’t easily search Spaces by topics and hashtags.
Target customers & marketplaces
As per the survey, other artists and collectors buy NFTs ➡ ️ the technology is still far from mass adoption.
Unexpectedly, the artists haven’t mentioned OpenSea or Rarible when talking about the marketplaces they use. The latter include:
- MakersPlace
- objkt
- Foundation.
Some artists, such as @touchsoundart, enjoy collaborating with Tezos due to its energy efficiency and eco-friendliness. It’s also great for NFT due to its low gas fees, high-quality art at affordable prices (plenty of pieces under $10), and dedicated community. objkt and Foundation offer WebGL and AR support, while many platforms don’t have this option at all.
Den Krup prefers to leverage the features of five blockchains and 17 marketplaces(!), including KnownOrigin, Zora, Foundation, ShowTime, NFT Button, and AirNFTs.
Main pain points and needed options
The key challenges NFT artists face are expanding reach, enhancing community growth, and the need to switch between multiple marketplaces.
What do NFT artists lack to succeed and boost their reach and sales? They’d love to:
- Showcase all artworks from various marketplaces on their profile and sell them on the profile
- Take part in exhibitions launched by marketplaces
- Have more marketing support
- Add translation options to Spaces
- Have more options for the delayed posting
- Create groups based on interests
- Have enhanced 3D support
- Display high-quality videos
- Have an opportunity to engage the audience even when they can’t be online all the time.
Could an all-in-one crypto profile change things for the better?
As per touchsoundart, “anything that makes it easier for the audience to view the artwork will help with sales in general.” She means it would be great if creators could add pieces from multiple marketplaces and an “in-profile” purchase option to their profile.
Albert is sure an all-around crypto profile is an excellent idea, especially if it has a well-thought UI. While Den thinks he needs a true digital twin to manage all the stuff while he’s asleep.
To recap
Our own NFT artists survey showed that creators face not only technical issues when dealing with Web3. Social media in their current state, with their algorithms and centralized nature, create even more problems. Artists lack options to communicate effectively, maintain interest, and sell and promote their pieces with ease.
SocialFi could help solve these issues. Decentralized networks with enhanced user control, privacy, security, and a token-driven economy are aimed to cater to the best interests of users and creators. They’re still in their infancy, while universal crypto profiles are only at the idea stage.
But we believe these two concepts will change the way we communicate and interact, just like Facebook changed it. Imagine you could find a like-minded community based on tokens you hold, log in to various Web3 platforms with a single profile, copy trade your favorite influencers, and mint social tokens to manage your tokenomics.
Sounds like a dream? Well, dreams are closer than they appear. Keep in touch for more insights!
