NFTs Unplugged

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None of this is not obvious. If you’re still caught up in the NFT frenzy, that's cool, enjoy. Inside this bubble, owning a sweet Moonbirds (lol) NFT might still feel like you’ve found yourself at the cool kids' bar where Sydney Sweeney is grinding on your leg because it’s her birthday. But let’s hit pause and step outside for a moment.

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Take a clear-eyed look at NFTs for what they are. They’re not the art itself; they’re digital signposts pointing toward creations that exist with or without them. The image, the music, the digital piece—that’s the art. Again, none of this is not obvious. The NFT serves as a unique connection to the artist, a handshake that can’t be replicated. Ideally, it’s a bridge between creator and collector, built on mutual appreciation rather than just the exchange of currency. This does not exist in the traditional art world.

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Meanwhile, museums scramble to catch up, their curators in full fomo, hanging up NFTs on physical walls cluelessly. They’ve missed the essence entirely - that the NFT puts agency back in the hands of artists and enables direct connection between artist and collector, unmediated by traditional gatekeepers. Artists often miss this however, as well, misunderstanding the tool in their hand.