How to Make It as an NFT Artist

A survival guide for the morally flexible

Do people really believe it’s difficult to “make it” as an artist in the NFT space, especially when most buyers know nothing about art?

Honestly, it’s like stealing candy from a blind toddler.

1. Build a “brand”

This means doing the same piece over and over again. Not a series in the traditional sense — not conceptually linked works or thematic variations — but literally the same composition. One subject, same pose, same color palette, same model, same vibe. The vast majority of NFT collectors are art outsiders with short attention spans and a preference for easy recognition. AI is a godsend here because it lets you churn out “new” art quickly while you focus on the important part: self-promotion.

2. Cultivate “rapport” with collectors

Translation: stalk them. Lurk on their Twitter feeds, attend the same Spaces, and “organically” develop the same interests after some careful Googling. Do not open with your art. That’s awkward and likely to get you ignored. Instead, connect over something else — their favorite PFP project, someone else’s art, meme culture. Anything that makes it about them.

3. Become a crypto zealot

Tweet daily, enthusiastically and unironically, about how crypto is going to change the world. Claim that NFTs are the most important cultural movement since the printing press, and that CryptoPunks and BAYC are sacred relics of digital civilization. Worship Beeple, XCOPY, Pak, and the Lost Robbies. Everything they touch is a masterpiece. You may have opinions on other artists, but check the top collectors’ takes first. Then pick the one most likely to earn favor.

4. Your style is revolutionary

No matter what it is. You are the sole visionary of a groundbreaking new movement. Say it loud. Say it often. You are not just ahead of the curve. You are the curve.

5. Artists are currency

Other artists exist primarily as retweet sources and social scaffolding. Leverage them to boost your reach and get closer to collectors. Don’t get too close. This is business. And remember, sincerity is optional. Lie freely to appear genuine. AI can even help craft your online persona if thinking is too time-consuming.

6. Join group chats

Artist and collector chats are the perfect space to humblebrag, network, and subtly self-promote. Be endlessly polite, supportive, and positive in public. DM collectors privately to badmouth every artist in the group. It’s not malicious. It’s strategy.

7. After your first sale, simulate friendship

Once someone buys your work, get into their DMs. Pretend to be friends. Talk regularly. Share personal struggles — not so much that you seem needy, just enough to evoke sympathy. Stoic suffering works well. If you don’t have issues, invent some. This is what we call “networking.” Always stay anonymous. Lying is harder when you're doxxed.

8. Create a collector cult

If you secure four or five buyers, start a Discord or group chat. This is your base. Talk to them daily. Topics: NFT drama, crypto fluctuations, luxury consumption, and anything else they like — wine, horses, boutique psychedelics, failed marriages. Mirror their world.

9. Declare your success constantly

Once the ball is rolling, never shut up about it. Tweet that you’re thriving, that you can’t understand the hate, and that you only want to support others. Buy a couple of works from artist “friends” for credibility. Then do lazy “shill” threads. Artists are desperate, they’ll follow. Collectors will notice. Momentum becomes your content.

10. Manage your scarcity

Release one piece every few weeks. Tease constantly. Say you’re building something big, working on something revolutionary, planning huge things ahead. You’ll execute maybe one percent of it, but it doesn’t matter. Mystery sells.

11. Grovel to Sotheby’s

Do everything you can to get into Christie’s or Sotheby’s NFT auctions. If it happens, tweet about it daily. Say you never imagined this could happen to you. Repeat until you believe it.

12. Pre-sell everything

Once established, never mint publicly. First, offer each piece privately to your collector friends. Ask them to bid or commit before minting. Nothing is left to chance. This is not about art. It’s about controlled scarcity and perceived value.

13. Raise your floor

List your work with a high reserve. Ask a trusted contact to place a large but under-reserve bid. Don’t accept it. Just leave it there as bait in the open sea.

14. Control the secondary market

Coordinate private resales or buy your own work back under different wallets to simulate demand. Appear collected. Appear valuable. Appear inevitable.