NFT | Zikoko!

Creator Spotlight is a weekly series celebrating young Nigerians in the creative industry doing unique things. Everyone has a story, and Zikoko wants to tell it.

Alexandra classifies herself as a multidisciplinary artist. She is a self-taught artist, who’s into photography, makeup, styling and creative direction. She’s also a content creator and influencer on Instagram. She loves everything about beauty, fashion and lifestyle. She champions conversations around respecting plus-size women and queer people. Fun fact: she can’t stand honey.

Which art form caught your interest first?

My interest in the creative industry began in 2016. I had just entered university, and my mum made me learn a skill — makeup. Even though I felt lazy about it at the time, I’m grateful for that now. I ended up loving it and it became a side hustle for me in school from 2016 to 2018. I started doing collaborations and working with other creatives, and I used to call myself the collaboration queen. I did that until I graduated in 2019. At the height of COVID, I started taking pictures and editing them with my phone at home till 2021 when my parents gifted me a camera. Then I started calling myself a photographer. Since I’d had a year’s practice, I felt like I knew what I was doing, but now, I realise I was doing rubbish. But A for effort.

Alexandra taking pictures.

How did you convince your parents to get you a camera?

My little brother, Zim, is a model. He became a meme when he was three, and it got him a lot of attention on Instagram in 2020. My ex used to take his pictures, but then, we fell out and having no one to do it pushed me to take photography seriously. Because of this, my parents didn’t mind getting me my first camera from the money we had made from Zim’s modelling.

Is he easy to work with?

He’s tough to work with because he’s a child. If you didn’t give him what he wanted, he’d throw tantrums, and when he agreed to take pictures, he’d be so angry that he made faces. Fortunately, his frowning face was his selling point. But he’s getting better as he grows. Hopefully, next year, I’ll focus more on him.

How did you get gigs when you started?

Even after my makeup classes in school, I kept practising until I got good and could confidently charge people like ₦1000 – 1,500 for it. People got to know me through word of mouth. My makeup was always colourful. In many ways, my identity has always influenced my art, even before I knew I was queer. I always do things differently, I would do editorial-style makeup and use graphic liners before it got popular, and that attracted people to work with me.

Make-up done by Alexandra.

What was your first project?

In 2021, I worked on my first project as a photographer to celebrate and document Nigerian queer and non-binary people. With that project, I wanted to create representation on social and mainstream media. My thought was simple; if I had seen someone doing what I did when i thought I was straight in 2018-2019, maybe I’d have realised sooner that I was queer. I wanted younger people who were struggling with their sexuality to relate to my art. I wanted them to see themselves through it.

How come you hadn’t met any queer person before then?

I have a lot of ambition, which blinds me to life’s romantic side. I was too busy focusing on my dreams and goals to think of a relationship, so I didn’t realize I was queer until 2019. I’d never met a queer person until I met my ex-girlfriend during a photo shoot, and it was like something clicked in my head. I also take my time photographing fat people because of fatphobia and body shaming, which I’d been a victim of all my life.

Should this be a “love life” conversation?

Oh, please, that relationship didn’t last. It was less about the person and more about me coming to a realisation.

How did you meet queer people to work with?

My partner introduced me to her friends, who introduced me to their friends, and that’s how my circle widened. Social media is a big game changer too. My art also draws people. It resonates with many queer people, so that’s how I got to meet them, even though it’s hard to photograph them because of the fear of homophobia. The project eventually had to pause because of that, and I’ve taken the time to apply for grants to travel around and photograph more queer people. I haven’t received any yet.

Has anyone ever asked for their pictures to be taken down?

Of course. I get their consent beforehand, but I’ve had issues with people getting in trouble with their parents, and when they ask me to take it down, I do. It’s okay because I understand the struggle. As annoying as it can be to work on something and hide it, I know it’s not their fault, and there’s not much I can do about it. But I always tell them I’ll leave it as part of my portfolio, and they usually agree. Photography has changed my life and how I look at things.

How?

I’ve achieved so much in such a short time. I wanted to get a MacBook, a new phone and a camera, and I have. And it’s all because I took photography and NFT seriously. I’m always ready to work hard and explore as much as possible when it comes to my passion, so I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Did you get a lot of money from creating NFTs?

Not a lot of money. About 600-700$. It was a lot of money to me when it came in earlier this year, but I’ve made more since, so it’s not a lot anymore. The collection was one of my first queer shoots called “Colours of Love”. It’s so dear to my heart, and the pictures still stun me. It was so timely. After all, I was broke, anxious and depressed because I was almost done with NYSC and didn’t have anything to do. That sale was like a catalyst for two other deals I got, and it was just amazing.

Your art was displayed in Times Square New York. How did that feel?

Oh yes! It wasn’t even something from the queer series. It was from a collection I titled “Tribe”; a lot of my art is inspired by my culture. It was a picture of three guys. They had face paint and were wearing these wrappers.

What’s been your favourite project?

I believe “Celebrating Queers “ will always be my number one because it’s for my community and tribe. Right now, I’m working on a project called “Black Men Journal”, a series to celebrate black and African men. I’m also hoping to start a new project next year. I don’t know what I’ll call it yet, but it’ll be something along the lines of “the relationship between a mother and a child”.

Do you compensate your models?

Most of my creative shorts are collaborations, so I just end up paying for transportation and maybe outfits, if I can. Sometimes, we don’t even have time to buy food, but there’s always water or drinks, and it’s just because by the time we’re done, everyone’s tired and just wants to go home. So like ₦15-20k, depending on the shoot location.

Where does the money come from?

I do social media management on the side, but I quit my last one last month because it wasn’t for me. My art funds my art most times. I’m not where I want to be, but this year has been good, and I’m grateful. My dream is to live off my art one day.

What are your biggest struggles as an artist?

Being a queer person in Nigeria is struggle enough. There’s always some homophobe in every space. You might be the best, and people would still undermine your work because of where you come from. And Nigerians don’t value or support talent, so that’s a struggle. I just love what I do; my passion is my inspiration to show up every day. I’m way past homophobia and all that.

Who’s the biggest influence on your work?

It’s less of who and more of what. The answer is my lifestyle, sexuality and culture; those are my biggest inspirations, and you can see those clearly in my art form.

What should we expect from you in the next couple of years?

Hopefully, my creative studio. Not just for photography, but also makeup content creation and other things. I’m really interested in film, and I’ll get to it as soon as I settle down to learn properly.

Would you like to share any words of wisdom with fellow creatives?

Do your thing as differently as possible. It’ll be hard sometimes, but if you’re really passionate about it, go for it with all your heart. Always put yourself first, especially when it comes to your art form, because nobody has the power to tell you what art should be. Only artists can choose what their art should be.

RELATED: Creator Spotlight: Healthy Living Is Cheap and Possible in Nigeria; Just Ask Fareedah

Malakai Bassey

November 14, 2022

Creators, Inside Life

creators, Inside life, NFT, photography
With the growing use of blockchain technology, African artists are harnessing its benefits to create communities of sellers and boost their creations in a global marketplace.

By Patrick Nelle, bird Story Agency

It’s an ordinary day on the web for a diverse group of African creatives; or at least, as ordinary a day as it has been since they found a new and exciting way to advance their careers.

“Ordinary” now involves a daily gathering on Twitter Space for a long chat. The creatives mostly come from Nigeria (Lagos, Enugu, Lekki, Port-Harcourt, and other cities), but they rarely, if ever, see one another. Photographers, painters, animators… just six months ago they didn’t even know of each other’s existence. Yet, today, they have a strong community, working together to build names and sell their art on NFT marketplaces, like OpenSea, Tezos, Foundation, and others.

NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. It’s a digital asset based on blockchain technology (the same that is used for cryptocurrencies), that includes the name of the owner of the asset, in the blockchain. This allows the platform on which the NFT was created to keep track of who is holding it or trading it – a viable solution for artists who lack a marketplace to create financial value from the artwork they produce.

“It helps artists to secure their work and control their revenue. He has access to the international market from where he is – in a country like Cameroon, for example. He will be able to get his royalty paid to him in perpetuity. Anytime the piece of art is resold, the artist will have an opportunity to earn a royalty”, explained Frisco D’Anconia a.k.a Kofi Akosah, the president of Africa Blockchain University, an organisation which promotes blockchain technology adoption across Africa.

To leverage NFT opportunities, African artists are building communities to provide mutual support and promote each other. An example is the Art Support System, which came about when 24-year-old Nigerian photographer “1Jubril” saw an opportunity to promote African artists and artwork on NFT marketplaces.

“Art support system is a community of artists-turned-friends, built out of genuine vibes and love to give artists the support within the blockchain ecosystem,” he said.

RELATED: Why’re You Into NFTs? — We Asked 5 Black Artists

“The recipe is quite simple, it consists in engaging each other with art posts on social media by sharing, liking and commenting. It also consists in experience-sharing, he further explained. The ultimate vision is to promote genuine African art and to champion African values on the road to becoming a force on the global stage, making it together without leaving anyone out,” 1Jubril explained.

1Jubril joined the NFT space on February 1.

“Like anyone, I didn’t know anybody”, he recalled.

He followed a few people and joined spaces hosted by other artists. While he never got to meet them in person, he was inspired to create a group focusing on the opportunities for NFT art. From conversation to conversation, the space and the number of participants started to grow.

“There’s been massive support. We’ve been expanding our reach. On Twitter, you can only have 75 people in the group. I periodically remove inactive people. So the group today is not the initial 75,” he said via Twitter messaging.

The community attracted many young artists and has already been transformative for their careers. Temi OG, a pencil artist based in Nigeria, is among the group of emerging artists.

“I got into the NFT community in February this year, through a friend on Instagram. I thought that NFT was only for digital artists, not for traditional artists like myself”, she recalled.

She had tried it before but didn’t really understand anything about it, she confessed. After being introduced to the NFT Twitter community, she started to connect with people and quickly learned how to navigate the NFT universe.

“It actually took me two months to make my first sale, which was an amazing feeling,” she remembered.

The NFT appeal is also striking a chord in people who initially don’t have an artistic background. Based in Port Harcourt, Stanley Ebonine designates himself an “entrepreneur who sees problems as an opportunity to provide solutions”.

Known on Twitter as Odogwu Stanley, Ebonine initiated the CruzMetaNft project. His goal is to demystify NFTs in Africa and help to boost African arts and culture, both physically and digitally – including in the Metaverse.

“I am neither an artist nor a photographer”, said the 29-year-old who as of 2019 was still running the maritime business company founded by his father in Port-Harcourt.

“My vision is to create a next-generation service through an NFT Blockchain to give our community and the rest of the world an equal chance to see African culture like never before. We sincerely believe that our project can create a globally-accepted service in promoting African culture, and collaborate with talented African artist creators, innovators, blockchain and smart contract experts,” he further detailed.

The Art Support System community has been very supportive of the project, Ebonine said. Since starting his NFT journey, he has produced 15 NFT art pieces, himself. He is also a collector and has so far acquired 6 NFT artworks from African artists.

According to 1Jubril, Art Support System now has over 250 members. As Twitter allows only 75 people per group, he is turning to other apps to scale the community. That is important as there is growing interest from Ghana and South Africa, as well as from the rest of the continent.

READ ALSO: He Donated $500K+ Worth of ETH to Support an Art and Dance Academy. How Did He Do It and Why?

Cover image by Uzunov Rostislav on Pexels

Partner

September 10, 2022

Creators, Hustle, Money

Bird Story Agency, NFT
After speaking with Owo Anietie on his journey from selling his first art for ₦10 to donating $500k to a dance academy in Ikorodu, we decided to ask five other black NFT artists what their journey has been like so far.

Let’s start with a quick explainer

The rad term for the cool kids these days is “minting.”

When people say they’re “minting NFTs”, it means they’re converting digital files or assets like art or music into crypto collections called non-fungible tokens (NFTs). When an artwork or music file is “minted”, it can be traded to earn a cryptocurrency called Ethereum (ETH), which can then be converted into dollars (USD). So, NFTs are a type of cryptocurrency for digital media.

RELATED: Into the Unreal World of NFTs

In 2020, NFTs became popular in Africa and are now the digital hot cake for visual artists. The question is, how are African artists earning with NFTs?

Basically, rather than trading cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin in exchange for Ethereum or US dollars, artists are now trading NFTs (digital assets in the real world).

Now, let’s get into the gist.

“NFTs contributed to my financial growth, but as an African artist, accessing the money can be difficult”

— Lethabo Huma, 23, South African

I joined the NFT space in 2020 and my first piece sold for $1000. It’s the most I had asked for my art, so it was great making the sale.

After that, I had to connect with more buyers. There weren’t a lot of Africans buying art on the platforms, so I had to extend to a larger audience. To connect with more buyers, I had to join Twitter spaces, but the time difference made it hectic.

When I got the hang of it, all my major jobs came in from the connections I made online. Between 2021-2022 my collections have sold from $10,000 to $15,000. One of my favourite so far has been Bloom — a series on my life as a South African woman. In terms of the transition financially, NFTs went a long way personally and for my craft. I went from thinking about how to pay my uni tuition with my mum to funding it myself. I can afford better tech gadgets for my work, and the best part was finally being able to afford a puppy.

On the other hand, accessing my money as an African artist can be difficult. Converting from Rands to USD and then Ethereum is a stressful process. That’s been a huge issue for African artists doing NFTs.

“NFTs are about collaboration and community”.

— Nygilia, 29, African-American

I’ve been an artist my whole life, but I didn’t pursue a career in it until I turned 24. My work is focused on capturing afro-futurism and mixed-media styles.

When I got my first job, I didn’t anticipate the mental stress. I missed the autonomy outside mainstream capitalism and wanted to get out of it. Eventually, I started to explore the possibilities and NFTs seemed like a good option I joined the space in March 2021. The most confusing part was figuring out crypto and the wallets to store my money, so I joined Clubhouse rooms and watched Youtube videos to get a hang of the NFT community. After that, I had to get to work.

In 2021, my first drop, VividRunway, sold for 0.25 Ethereum ($600) within the first month. After that, I kept creating and building her portfolio. The success of that first piece led me to create my VR-styled collection, Astro Dreams, in 2022. The blend of art with virtual reality made it difficult, but at the same time, valuable.

Each piece is [now] selling from 0.1 – 1 ETH, so a few hundred dollars to a couple of thousands. The tough part is marketing each piece. Most of the artists and buyers on NFTs are on Twitter and Discord, so organically growing a profile is the only way to sell.

My only regret with NFTs is not investing in NFTs sooner. The money aspect is great, but the best part is working with other African artists. NFTs are really about community and collaboration. For Astro Dreams, the collections were done in collaboration with a Haitian artist.

RELATED: I Had to Bet on Myself and Make It Work — Man Like Anthony Azekwoh

“NFTs were a way to get my art out there”

— Lolu ix, 23, Nigerian

I express myself through different mediums — oil paint, ink and digital painting. Like every other medium in art, NFT was a way to get my art out there and make money. Personally, I hadn’t been doing marketing because I kept telling myself it wasn’t there yet. When I started, I already understood crypto and read a lot about NFTs. The challenge was the gas fee and getting my work listed on the NFT platform. When I got into the space in February 2022, I made my first collection, Echoes from the other side. It’s a collection about self-growth and the emotions we go through to be better versions of ourselves. My favourite piece from the collection is Hazy dreams.

A few weeks after, I sold my first piece and it’s been my only sale for now. Hopefully, I’ll sell more pieces with time. I’m currently creating my next collection for 2022, so we’ll see how it goes. Twitter spaces are the best place to talk about a new collection or piece.

“My art piece sold out within 12 hours”

— Oshomah, Nigerian

I’ve been an artist all my life, but there were intermittent breaks in between. My motivation to join NFTs was a graphics designer from the USA. He shared his journey with NFTs and talked a lot about creating digital art until he died. I took it as a cue to test the market out in 2021.

When I attempted to join, the gas fees. How was a struggling artist meant to pay his bills and manage the fees? It didn’t make sense, but I wanted to try. My first piece was a homage to the old Nigerian culture. I called it the forgotten history and it sold for 0.5 ETH ($1000) within 12 hours. That was my sign to keep going. Since my first piece in 2021, I’ve made an estimate of $15k from my art and the investments I’ve made in the NFT market. As I’ve grown, my money habits have stayed the same. The most I do is use my earnings to buy NFTs and trade on the platform. Re-investing in the crypto market has been high-risk though. I’ve lost about $1200 in a week, but I learnt that the money always comes back.

“Selling a fusion of Japanese manga and African characters took a bit of time”

— Phil, 25, Nigerian

My art is inspired by Japanese manga, but I try to infuse some African characters and scenes. Joining NFTs was based on feedback from other artists. I was interested because the platforms provided control for the artist.

Right now, I’ll say I’ve made money selling my art as NFTs, more than I’ve made doing commissions. When I joined in 2021, I dropped my first collection which had ten pieces and I called it The Dibia And The Masquerade. My art style was slightly different so it made it harder to market. The collection has been up for five months and I’ve focused on interacting and meeting people in the NFT space. So far, I’ve had 20 collectors buy my editions (limited supply of identical NFTs) that sold at 0.05 ETH ($115) and a unique piece (1/1) that sold for 0.2 ETH ($500).

The Dibia And The Masquerade
Ijele: King of Masquerades

ALSO READ: He Donated $500K+ Worth of ETH to Support an Art and Dance Academy. How Did He Do It and Why?

Ortega

May 5, 2022

Money

African artists, Black artists, money, NFT
If you’ve been online recently, you’ve probably noticed all the tech bros talking about things like Web3, NFTs, etc. With buzzwords like these, it’s easy for us non-tech humans to get confused. But one thing is evident in the midst of all the white noise: something about the internet seems to be shifting.

In this article, we’ll explore the exciting (and often overwhelming) world of Web 3.0, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, IoT, blockchain, metaverse and all the other buzzwords taking over social media.

So, what is Web3?

You know how apps have version numbers? Well, imagine if the internet (the world wide web) were an app. Simply put, Web3 is the next version of the internet. And to properly explore Web 3, we have to first explain Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. Think of each version of the web as the internet’s life span through a period in modern history.

Web 1.0 – The read-only web

In computer science classes back in primary school, we were introduced to the concept of read-only memory (ROM). Data stored on a ROM could not be modified — this is what the internet was like back then. People consumed content on the internet without any form of active engagement, and only a few people were able to create and broadcast content on the internet. Web 1.0 lasted from the end of the 80s till around 2004.

Web 2.0 – The read-write web

Around the mid-2000s, the internet shifted from web 1.0 to Web 2.0. Social media became a thing, and service-based applications like Uber and Netflix streamlined human communication. The world grew smaller, and the internet shifted from the old broadcast-style medium to a more creator-led system. Think of Web 2.0 as the interactive version of the internet we now use, where everyone can create and interact with content — every like, comment, share, retweet, etc., counts.

While the internet now permits creation, interaction, and collaboration, this gift has not come without a curse. We have to give up our data to the big tech overlords who monopolise and profit from it to enjoy the internet.

Web 3.0 – Read-write-own web

Web 3.0 (also Web3) will distribute the power held by the corporate internet behemoths to everyone on the internet. It is the version of the internet that works for everyone without having to rely on any entity.

In Web3, the internet has its own native economy. You don’t need to yield data to companies to gain value on the internet. You have full ownership of your content and can use internet-native currencies (such as cryptocurrencies) to trade with other content creators.

Think of Web3 as the internet of democracy, where no single company determines what happens to user data or content. The blockchain is free and accessible to anyone and can only be changed if an overwhelming majority of people decide to change it.

Let’s define some popular buzzwords in Web3
- First, what is the blockchain?
The blockchain is a public database that maintains a list of public records called blocks arranged in a chain (get it?). The records include money transactions and other forms of information that change their state over time. The interesting thing about blockchains is that older entries are not altered or manipulated, and everyone can see the history of the information as they change over time.

TLDR? Here’s an explainer video:

Why is the blockchain so important?

It’s simple: you don’t need any central authority to confirm the validity of any recorded information on the blockchain. For example, you don’t need a bank to send a debit alert to prove that money has successfully transferred to your friend; you can see it happen in real-time.
- Cryptocurrencies
Right now, we rely on middlemen payment processing companies like Paypal or banking apps to transfer money. The processes involved in wealth transfer are slow and expensive. In Web3, you don’t need no other body. Cryptocurrencies, which are based on the blockchain, cut out the middlemen.
- NFTs
NFT (non-fungible tokens) is defined as “a unit of data stored in a smart contract on a blockchain.” But that’s a lot of geek-speak.

Simply put, NFTs are a type of cryptocurrency that cannot be changed or replaced by something identical. That said, NFTs are a sort of certificate indicating the uniqueness of a digital item. With Web3, creators have intellectual property (IP) attached to every piece of digital content they produce. What an NFT does is that it marks this IP and stores it on the blockchain. Today, NFTs are popular because they can make digital files content unique, allowing creators to sell them as scarce & tradeable assets. TechCabal has a simple explainer article diving deep into the unreal world of NFTs. Check it out!
- Internet of Things (IoT) and the metaverse
The Internet of Things (IoT) promises that everyday objects will have the ability to send and receive data through the Internet. Common examples of IoT devices today are smart home security systems, wearables and shipping container tracking systems. In a world where everything is going digital, the metaverse is a purely online world where people can interact, bringing us into a fully simulated virtual reality. IoT and the metaverse are pretty much digital twins.

In conclusion: Web3 and the internet of the future

The idea behind Web3 is to build an internet that benefits everyone. Web3 is powered by peer-to-peer networks, user-controlled data and monetisation. Advancements in blockchain technology, machine learning, the metaverse and IoT, all have vital roles in bringing Web3 to life.

Machine learning algorithms are already changing the way we live today through data and predicting decisions close to what a human being would make. Combined with the exciting possibilities of blockchain technology, Web3’s goal to create a more democratic, more connected internet is on the horizon.

With that being said, the evolution of the internet from web 2.0 to Web3 will probably take decades, as much of the founding blocks of Web3 are still currently being built. You don’t have to feel left out or sink into the despair of cluelessness when you see tech and crypto bros pontificating on Twitter — there’s still a lot of trial and error to be made. However, we do hope that this article gives you an entry-level perspective into the internet of the future.
Ama Udofa

December 1, 2021

Money

Crypto, cryptocurrency, metaverse, NFT, Web3