TL; DR:
These are the main findings gathered from interviews with six NFT artists, whose goal was to help us at Artivist identify their needs and expectations as we build our dApp. We believe these findings can help other teams build and improve web3 platforms for blockchain-based art.
- Community engagement is more relevant to artists than any new technology. NEAR forums, Discord, and Telegram channels, as well as other social media, are valuable because they allow for community building;
- Clear, concise, and easy to find information about the platform is fundamental;
- Collaborations, exhibitions, competitions, and campaigns are great because these efforts generate social media “buzz” and thus attract attention;
- Curators and writers were seen as important or extremely important to most artists, but a few others might see curatorial work as gatekeep-y;
- Where are the buyers? Attracting collectors is the main challenge.
This research is ongoing; we will continue publishing the results we obtain in the future.
Long Report
This report collects the main findings of interviews that I did with six artists to help us at Artivist identify their needs and expectations as we build the Artivist Dapp. The interviews lasted from thirty minutes to a little over one hour and were loosely structured. Four artists responded to a bounty call and two were invited to participate. Besides their own perspective on the NFT market, the artists also told me about the perspectives of other artists they know. The interviewees’ experiences with the blockchain ecosystem were varied, ranging from an artist who has never minted any NFT (but collects it) to artists who have been minting, selling, and buying NFTs in Near and other cryptocurrencies for years. The interviewees’ career profiles also varied: although all worked in the visual arts, some were established artists while others were just starting their artistic trajectories. Despite these differences, there were some unifying aspects in their views of the NFT ecosystem.
First, and unsurprisingly, they utilize a few chains, minting, selling, and buying in different cryptos. Therefore, like most people who use crypto, they want easy and safe ways to bridge the currencies. They also don’t want to feel tied to one only chain. This challenge is of course well-known and not an issue that any Dapp can tackle alone. At Artivist, we will seek to offer flexibility to the artists by allowing them to contribute with NFTs minted in any blockchain. Another response that confirmed our assumptions is that all but one artist, who had just recently joined the blockchain world, started their journey in Ethereum and drifted away from it due to the high gas fees. Ethereum’s eco-unfriendly reputation also comes into play, especially because most of the artists I interviewed (four out of six) explicitly mentioned their concern with the environment. One of the reasons why they were attracted to NEAR was its reputation as being more environmentally conscious. Still, one artist mentioned that she was not entirely convinced about the crypto’s purported sustainability and stated that more research is needed to prove it.
The second unifying theme was the importance of the community that gathers around the blockchain. Artists appreciate the possibility to collaborate with others in forums, Discord, Telegram, and other discussion channels. These communal spaces and practices were considered more important than the blockchain technology itself. The community was also mentioned as the best way to spot plagiarism which, according to them, is still a common problem in the NFT market. This emphasis on the community signals the importance of investing in services such as community moderators, dedicated social media professionals, and robust social media strategies.
The central role of social media was the third topic that appeared in all interviews. All artists acknowledged that engaging with social channels is extremely relevant but consider that it takes too much time from their art-making processes and therefore would rather have professional support in that area. Moreover, they think it’s important not only to maintain engagement in social but also to generate “buzz” through campaigns, collaborations, competitions, and exhibitions to expand the reach of their work. The marketplace Paras was mentioned as a good example when it comes to organizing events and collaborations.
The next finding from the interviews relates to usability and user experience (UX). Different to what I expected, most artists didn’t find minting or using the crypto wallets particularly difficult. The NEAR wallet was considered easier to use compared to others, and Mintbase, another NFT marketplace, was also seen as user-friendly. Having said that, one artist mentioned that she has never minted any work, preferring to rely on a friend to do it, because she was not interested in learning that process. Two artists mentioned that they had offered to mint works for artist friends who are still not in the NFT market, even setting up shops, and still, the friends were not interested. These were people who didn’t have any explicit resistance against blockchains in general. This raises one question about the penetration of the blockchain for the wider public: the barrier to adoption might be more related to the natural resistance of some people to learn new technologies rather than usability issues, and those who find the platforms easy to use might be early adopters, naturally more inclined to learn new technologies. Again, this is not a concern specific to Artivist, but should be taken into consideration by any team building applications.
The need for reliable information was another unifying aspect mentioned by the interviewees. The perceived lack of information (or difficulty to access it) was not limited to themes such as explaining the functionality of NFTs and the blockchain. Rather, interviewees wish for more nuanced interpretations of blockchain-based art that expand beyond phenomena like the Bored Ape Yacht Club, something that puts off many artists due to its speculative and unsustainable nature. Professional artists worry about the longevity of their careers.
In terms of usability, artists called attention to the fact that a great number of NFT platforms don’t clearly state what they do. All eb3 applications should pay attention to this need and try to explain their goals as clearly and concisely as possible, rather than trying to be intuitive. Another negative usability factor identified was the lack of indexation or categorization of works in marketplaces with large collections of NFTs. Artists suggested including tags or labels like “glitch” or “video” to help collectors find what they are looking for (Paras and Mintbase offer that option).
The final point that came up in all interviews was the role of curators and writers. Four out of the six artists considered the contribution of these professionals extremely valuable. To them, having someone knowledgeable writing about artworks was considered meaningful, and curatorial work was seen as extremely necessary, especially for more experienced professionals. One artist even mentioned that they avoid selling NFTs in spaces without curatorial work. However, one experienced artist did see the presence of curators as potentially gatekeep-y. Another topic that came up was the relationship with collectors. As in the traditional art market, most artists don’t want to have to deal directly with buyers and would rather have someone to do that.
Establishing relationships with collectors, inviting curators and writers, engaging with the community, and organizing events are the job of gallerists in the traditional art world. The identification of these needs by blockchain-based artists reveals that more structured art spaces might be on the horizon of the digital art market.
I hope these findings will help other people involved in the creation and trade of NFTs. For us at Artivist, the interviews confirmed some impressions and raised unforeseen needs but will try to address them. More research is still needed to further our comprehension of this new artistic context, especially when it comes to understanding the other end of the market, that is, the expectations and needs of collectors.
