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Free Mints have become the new normal across emerging NFT platforms like Remx and Rodeo. Free or darn near close.
- On Rodeo the cost is .000111 E, averaging around 29 cents with current fluctuation of ETH.
- On Remx, it’s more complicated. You can collect Free or tip someone if you want. Later, they added a feature to verified humans to set a price. Honestly, I’m not sure how that will play out once the president of Free has been set.
Now, I’m not here to tell anyone what to do. You can do whatever you want.
Hell, I’m not even sure what I’m going to do. I like experimenting too (see featured image)!
Consider this me just thinking through it.
Following, is just my opinion based on my experience and observations.
Everyone is going to have a different experience. Success and what that entails looks different to everyone.
For example, the experience for someone who sells 1000 plus editions every time they drop a new piece is going to be vastly different than that of someone who struggles to sell 10.
With that out of the way, let’s get into it:
Are free NFT mints hurting the market for paid art?
I would say, yes, for most of us.
Let me explain.
Free has a way of devaluing things and shifts the psychology around collecting.
When there is no cost, there is no perceived worth.
Perceived worth is built on things like scarcity, demand, and the willingness of a collector to meet the artist at the price a piece is listed it for.
Meeting at zero over and over again will condition collectors to expect art for little or nothing.
Instead of carefully curating and taking the time to research the artist and art before collecting, they may just grab anything that is free, with the hope of flipping it later.
Are these the types of collector’s artists are seeking? People who don’t genuinely appreciate the art.
When people don’t feel invested, they are less likely to engage, support or even hold the work.
They just want the flip. 5x, 10x, 20x, maybe 100x
I mean, who can blame them though?
But, this shift makes it harder for artist trying to price their work because buyers start to question the market and whether they should be paying when so much is available for free.
The Counter Argument: Exposure
Now the counter argument is that it can be great exposure. I would love to know how this is actually translating and if you have some concrete examples. I would love to hear about them in the comments.
For example, maybe you started a collection on Rodeo. People loved it and then you continued or finished it on another market with priced editions, maybe a 1/1 thrown in.
This is just one example. Probably something more creative is in order and I want to know what you’re doing.
Maybe you just gained a few more followers. I think I did gain a few followers from my experience on Rodeo.
No money though. It’s almost impossible to not just collect yourself back to 0 profit as every 24 hours there is more and more to collect.
Rushed Chaos and the 24-Hour Cycle
Speaking of 24 Hours. This brings a new dynamic to the conversation which is rushed chaos.
What do I mean by rushed chaos?
You see, one strength of photography is its ability to tell stories through collections.
Before, many photographers would take the time to curate a collection of their work.
A collection of old cars, a collection of street photos, etc.
Here, I have a blind drop of 35 unique 1/1 Photos from under Piers. This collection is still minting if you want to check that out: Dimensions Under the Pier. Reveal is instant.
Collections are meant to bring together a body of work under a cohesive theme.
Now, instead of carefully curated collections, we have rushed chaos.
Rushed, because many of us are scrambling to keep up with the relentless 24-hour cycle.
Chaos because, in the rush, it’s become: Here’s a photo of me at Disney. Here’s a landscape. Here’s another random photo.
I feel the rush too.
I have to sell something just to afford a fraction of what I wanted to collect from others today.
Because let’s be real. This space isn’t filled with artists AND collectors.
It’s mostly just artist-collectors.
And if all the artist-collectors playing a zero-sum game disappeared, what would be left?
Maybe 100 people?
A handful of artists and a few collectors with deep pockets?
But we are here. Here looking for a serious marketplace to share our work.
A Serious Art Marketplace
Look, some of these markets were not meant to be the gallery to showcase your art.
They were meant to be the flyer before the gallery.
They were meant to be the WIP, BTS or Before and After.
They were meant to be the slideshow or summary.
They were meant to be social media posts. Rodeo even calls them that —posts!
You’re creating and collecting posts.
So yeah, maybe “Here is a Photo of me at Disney” was not only the right play all along. It was the expected play.
But some people are minting and selling the same quality of work as they normally would?
There’s no discernible difference.
I know, you think people can tell.
This obviously is my shit work that I didn’t invest much time in, and this is the good stuff.
But how often have you shared a quick, low-effort photo that got tons of praise, while something you poured real effort into barely got noticed?
A lot of people do not understand the difference.
Sure, this is my iPhone, and this is my “real camera” but beyond the technical things to consider, they don’t understand the journey.
In one photo, you took a photo of a monkey at the zoo and posted it. Looks great, can’t even tell the monkey is in any enclosure.
In another photo you deem some of your best work, you backpacked into the tropical rainforests for weeks to catch some amazing photos of Gorillas.
But trust me, most will not take the time to discern any difference, and they will never understand the journey.
They will not take the time to try and know you any better to find out about the journey either, because it’s basically FREE.
It’s Collect and NEXT.
The Cost of Playing the Game
Now here is the worst part.
If most of your support comes from a small group of artist-collectors, and now you’re asking them to collect your throwaways, your rejects, the work you never intended to mint, you end up losing.
You’re essentially pulling from the same pockets of those who genuinely want to support you by collecting your best art.
And if that’s the case, what happens when they run out of liquidity? When they get burned out from collecting just any random thing you can mint, just to keep the cycle going?
Because yes, they do want to support you. That’s part of the relationship we build with each other.
But we’re all caught in this loop.
Minting, collecting, selling, just to keep playing the game.
But what’s the end goal?
For some, maybe it’s just about engagement and visibility.
For others, it’s about making a living.
But if we keep diluting the pool with free mints that aren’t meaningful, that aren’t intentional, that don’t push us forward as artists… we start eroding the very foundation we’re trying to build.
What Are We Actually Building?
At some point, you have to ask: What are we actually building here?
Is it a thriving ecosystem where art has value?
Is it a place where artists can sustain themselves through personal projects they hold close to their heart vs client projects?
Is it a place where collectors feel connected to the work they acquire?
Or is it just a revolving door of meaningless transactions? A game of who can mint and collect the most before the whole thing collapses under its own weight?
Are we collecting art or are we collecting the journey now?
Again, let’s ask ourselves: What are we actually building here?
Because if we don’t, we might wake up one day and realize the space didn’t disappear.
It just became noise.
Kindred Frames
Showcasing photography and artwork from other artists in the community that have the word “FREE” in the title. Support independent creators and expand your collection. Discover and Collect Below
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