NFT FAQ

How do I buy your illustrations?

1. Set up a crypto wallet (Metamask is a good choice) - this is free, takes less than 10 minutes, and can be set up through your desktop browser or on your phone

IMPORTANT: keep your multi-word secret phrase completely private; do not save or photograph it on your phone/computer/online

2. Buy Ethereum to fund the wallet - buy on an exchange such as Coinbase (if you do, send the Ethereum to your Metamask wallet's public address (it will look like 0x28..., around 40 digits) or buy directly through Metamask (no transfer required)

You will need to purchase enough Ethereum to cover the illustration's price and around $150 for Ethereum fees

3. View my collection/illustrations on Opensea, and connect your wallet to the site; it will ask you to sign/confirm each transaction

4. Congrats! You now own an Ahn Michael original artwork - and are also part of the rich artistic and cultural transformation taking place within the crypto/NFT movements!

What is an NFT - and why would I want one?

NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are digital assets registered on a blockchain. They can be anything: a JPEG, a music video, a proof of attendance for a special event, a pass into a community.. or in the case of the somnoscapes collection, animated GIFs.

Along with the value of holding a captivating work of art and supporting a marginalised artist, there are numerous benefits to holding an NFT. They are assets whose ownership can always be publicly verified; you cannot fake owning an NFT. Right-click-saving will not grant someone ownership, the ability to sell the asset, royalties, or even the social value of owning the art.

Additionally, while these assets can appreciate in value, the crypto they are registered on is also appreciating; it is almost guaranteed that the price of the artwork will increase steadily over time as you hold it!

Why do I need extra Ethereum, beyond the cost of the art itself?

When you buy my artwork (when you submit/sign a transaction), you are also registering your ownership on the public blockchain. Doing so validates that you are the true owner of the artwork, which is publicly verifiable. The computing power required to validate the transaction is what costs extra money. How much extra it costs depends on how many other people are also submitting transactions at that time.

For this reason, I recommend checking Etherscan before submitting your purchase, to avoid paying unnecessary fees. Ideally, wait until the gas is less than 80 Gwei (at night is often ideal); above 100 Gwei will be unnecessarily expensive.

Do I receive any physical item - do you sell any physical art?

When you buy one of my digital works, there is typically no physical item attached. However, I do sell my artwork in a merch store and am available for commissions; write me by e-mail (michaelinwords@gmail.com) to talk about a custom illustration project for you, a loved one, or an organisation.

What does it mean to own an NFT: can I sell it? Use it in my own derivative works?

For as long as you own the NFT, you are free to do as you please with the artwork, including selling it later! If you intend to make a derivative work, I would love to hear about it - but you are not required to notify me or get permission.

Aren't NFTs terrible for the environment? For artists?

Some of the first crypto technologies are immensely wasteful of resources and harmful to the earth's wellness - especially when those technologies, such as Bitcoin, have been built without eco- or other social-consciousness in mind. However, this is a product of technologies built under capitalism, without mindfully undoing such violent systems; immense waste and environmental harm are not inherent properties of crypto as a whole. Systems like proof-of-work require huge computational energy, but many alternatives are being developed and used already. Many crypto technologies are founded in an intention to care for the earth and its people, and as those technologies become more available for use in NFTs, you can rest assured I will be using and supporting them!

Additionally, NFTs are giving unprecedented access and financial mobility to marginalised artists. Many social initiatives exist, including collectives which fund new Black, Indigenous, femme, queer, disabled, and financially struggling artists, helping them get established in the crypto art space. As a Black, queer person coming from poverty, NFTs have given me an opportunity to claim much more financial and creative agency as an artist - an opportunity I could never access within traditional art markets. I am committed to marginalised liberation by helping our people discover paths out of oppressive systems, and NFTs are one of the most direct reworkings of current power structures I have found.