It can be hard being an artist in general. There are so many wonderful artists, and they’re all trying to make a living, meaning there is a lot of competition out there. It can be very difficult to stand out.
This difficulty is only amplified by the niche space of the NFT marketplace, although there is still less competition here than traditional digital art (for now). Clancey Braxton Yohman is an NFT and marketing expert and has worked with countless artists to build their brands and launch their NFT careers.
I talked with Clancey Braxton Yohman to find out which mistakes he sees the most in NFT artists and how new artists can avoid these mistakes. Here’s what he said.
Copying Trends
The first thing that Clancey Braxton Yohman pointed out is that artists should never just copy trends at face value. There will be so many people doing the same thing, and you’re likely to get lost in the weeds unless you’re lucky or have a marketing machine behind you.
You need to have an identity as an artist that will speak to people, and if that identity is “carbon copy,” then people are not going to purchase your art because they can get the same art from anyone else.
Ignoring Trends
Here is where Clancey’s expertise comes into play. While you shouldn’t copy trends, you also shouldn’t ignore them. If a trend aligns with your interests or style, or it just seems fun, feel free to create something with it! But remember to keep it in your style.
Add your own little spin on the trend; make it your own. This is actually an incredible way to get noticed and one of the most effective artistic skills you can learn.
Forgetting Yourself
People don’t just buy art; they buy backstories. It’s important to put time and effort into your art, but remember to let people know who you are. Clancey Braxton Yohman offered some advice on this as well on his TheTaskLab.com feature. Have public Bios that explain who you are, why you make art, etc.
These Bios will likely be on social media. Even if you think your life is boring, it’s not! Most people have boring lives, which means most people will relate to you! You just have to know how to pinpoint the interesting aspects of your life that will bring people in.
Subpar Marketing
Amazing art doesn’t always speak for itself, unfortunately. There are just way too many skilled artists out there, and new NFT artists are being born every day. In order to be noticed, you have to put some effort into being noticed.
There are way too many ways to market for us to go into too much detail about this, but the important thing to note is that marketing is at least half the battle. Clancey Braxton Yohman has seen many fantastic artists burn out and stop making NFT because they weren’t making the sales they’d hoped for.
However, he says they weren’t making the sales because they were pumping out art without advertising what they already had!
Going Lone Wolf
The NFT community is rather a niche and very tight nit. When you’re in, they love you! However, you have to prove that you’re in the community and not just looking for a cash grab.
Clancey Braxton Yohman says that you can do this by interacting with the community on social media, collaborating with other artists, and just diving headfirst into the world of NFTs!
