My first NFT
I chose the site Rarible.com to create and host my first NFT. There are a few hurdles you have to jump before you can create an NFT, which took some time for me to research and stumble through before I could actually display artwork on my pages.
I had to start up a Rarible account, create a profile image, and link an ethereum wallet to the account. The Rarible documentation wants you to use any of several phone apps that give you a wallet; not only was it difficult to choose between them, as each has its own features and requirements, but I generally resist simply adding yet another app to my phone, which has too many already. Eventually I decided on adding Coinbase wallet to my phone, and tying that to my Coinbase account. Only later did I discover you can also use a browser-based wallet like Metamask.
I am already familiar with Coinbase, and already had a small amount of ethereum sitting there doing nothing, so I transferred my ethereum from Coinbase to my phone wallet, which took about 15 seconds. Almost every transaction you perform on Coinbase costs a fee, but at least it got me going.
I selected an image I had made in 2018, and started the creation process on Rarible. Their form is reasonably simple, but be aware that once you create your NFT, it is locked, and most of the details of it cannot be changed. I specified multiple copies, picked a price I was willing to sell the art for, filled in the description, and submitted the form… Rarible sends requests to your phone wallet, which you have to accept, and two acceptances later, the NFT was accepted for creation. Now I just had to wait a few minutes for Rarible to ‘mint’ the number of copies I specified, and list the art on my page.
The first time you create an NFT, Rarible charges you a fee (maybe $15? I forget). After that, because your NFT will be written permanently to the ethereum blockchain, you pay a ‘gas fee’ for that as well as a fee to Rarible to create your NFT. More copies means a higher cost. You can cancel your creation through your wallet if the fees are too hefty for you, up until you give the final approval.
Finally, it was on my Rarible page! Then what? Well, you soon figure out that you are creating NFTs in a whole sea of other creators, and you’ve got to be proactive to bring attention to your work. More on that in another post… for now, here is my first: