Proof of work: Bitcoin artists on minting NFTs and OpenSea

Hitting a non-fungible piece of art seems like a no-brainer for an artist: Cointelegraph spoke to those who took the leap.

Interview

“Art is not a thing, it is a means,” said American writer Elbert Hubbard. For Bitcoin (BTC) artists, the path draws inspiration from Bitcoin, its code, philosophy, and imagery. In some cases, it's even inspired by memes. Bitcoin has become a “lifestyle” for some Bitcoin artists, inspiring the way they do business, accept payments, and interact with customers.

Cointelegraph asked Bitcoin artists what inspired them about 13-year-old Satoshi Nakamoto's invention and whether minting a non-fungible token (NFT) would complement their "way" of making art . After all, an NFT is a unique digital receipt to prove ownership of a purchase that lives on a blockchain. Surely artists would like to prove they own the art they've worked hard on?

Lena poses with one of his works of art. Source: justlenasart

Bitcoin artist Lena, who recently moved from Germany to crypto-friendly Dubai, has started creating, painting, and printing artwork. bitcoin art after diving down the bitcoin rabbit hole in 2018. She says that as she started her crypto career as a crypto-agnostic, bitcoin changed her approach and eventually took over. It now operates a “maxi-style” bitcoin wallet:

"My mindset changed and I started working on myself, wondering what to do with my life because of Bitcoin. Bitcoin has become like a lifestyle, so I should put all my savings in bitcoin."

When speaking with members of the crypto community, she explains that she is a bitcoin artist, to which crypto enthusiasts ask, "oh, so you do NFTs?" She told Cointelegraph that she replied, “No! Physical art!"

"OpenSea is full of art that doesn't look like art - I mean, art always depends on the person, but that was too much for me."

However, countless artists