If I were massively wealthy, my NFT art collection would be complete by now.
I’d have at least one Fidenza. Some Ringers. Maybe an Eternal Pump or two. A handful of Archetypes.
Yes, I have a thing for early Art Blocks.
But that wouldn’t stop me from buying half a dozen Cryptopunks, some Autoglyphs, and a Bored Ape just for the fun of it.
With a ton of eth in my wallet, I could buy all those pieces in a single day. Probably not, though. I’d likely take some time to search out the pieces I want the most.
Let’s say it would take a week or two to build my collection.
But then what?
I guess I could show off my amazing gallery. Go into flex mode. Give into my imperfect self, and bask in the envy of other collectors.
I have a long way to go, and plan on enjoying the journey.
It turns out I’m not massively wealthy.
I can’t build my dream collection in just a few weeks. It will take me years.
I’ll have to save up. Put money aside. Do a little trading. Gamble on a pfp or two in the hope of being able to sell high and use the eth to buy my first Archetype.
Maybe even find a way to use some of my real-life work skills to earn some eth.
And that’s OK. I’m already enjoying the journey.
Constraints add a creative edge to pretty much any enterprise.
Some people think constraints are a bad thing. They want absolute freedom.
It turns out that constraints can actually increase your ability to create marvelous things.
If you don’t believe me, try writing a sonnet or two.
Forget your free-flowing narrative poetry style. Follow the rules.
- 14 lines.
- Exactly 10 syllables per line.
- Written in iambic pentameter.
- Three quatrains, followed by a rhyming couplet.
- And don’t forget the “volta”, or sudden twist or turn, in which the rhyme scheme and the subject of the poem suddenly change.
Crazy constraints. And yet we are blessing with thousands of beautiful sonnets to read and enjoy.
For me, as a collector of NFT art, my one true constraint is money.
But that constraint will give me the gift of time.
The pleasure isn’t in having a complete collection. The pleasure is in building it, over the course of several years.
At least, that’s how I see it.
I already have a modest collection, which I love.
Now I have to spend time adding to it. But with limited funds, I’ll have to wait a while between each new purchase.
That gives me time to immerse myself more deeply into the world of NFT art.
It gives me time to join communities, meet more artists, discover new art, become better informed.
And because I’ll have to work hard for each new piece, the moment of purchase will be all the sweeter.
I’ll have invested blood, sweat and tears into every new addition to my collection.
To me, this is the real pleasure of collecting.
It’s the journey, the exploration, and the challenge that make it so rewarding.
If I woke up to find a thousand eth in my wallet, I could complete my collection in just a few days.
But think of everything I would miss by denying myself the longer journey.
Already, when I take a virtual walk around my gallery, it’s not just the art on the walls I’m enjoying. It’s also the story that art tells… the story of the hundreds of hours it took to collect and curate those pieces over the last twelve months.
And that story is just beginning.