With the influx of unique and limited digital art on non-fungible token (NFT) markets around the world, there are virtually no barriers to minting your own artwork and potentially selling it as a source of income. CryptoPunks — one of the oldest NFT art collections on the decentralized market — made its biggest sale to date in 2022 for roughly $24 million USD, while global brands like Adidas Originals use NFTs to offer access to exclusive physical products. If you’re new to non-fungible tokens, we’re walking you through our step-by-step process on creating your own NFTs, from converting and minting to choosing a market best suited for your art.

The first step in creating your own token is, naturally, the simplest: choose which artwork of yours that you want to offer as an NFT. Any file stored online can be converted into a non-fungible token, but the most common artworks are those in digital photo formats like GIFs, JPEGs and PNGs. You can create your own artwork on any program you choose, or you can mint someone else’s artwork — just keep in mind that you’ll need permission from the artist first, and you’ll have to pay the original artist royalties on each sale you make.

The next step to creating your own NFT artwork is to choose a suitable blockchain for your work. There are tons of platforms available, but Ethereum, Flow and Tezos are most commonly used. Blockchains can differ in speed and size, which will affect the fees you pay to mint your token. Certain blockchains are also better suited for certain types of tokens, so do your research to find which one is right for you.

After creating your digital art and choosing a blockchain to mint it on, you’ll need to buy Ethereum cryptocurrency with a digital wallet to pay your hosting dues and select a marketplace to sell your art. The crypto you buy will be stored in a digital wallet suitable for the blockchain you’ve selected. You’ll need to connect your wallet to a marketplace that suits your project, so do your research before selecting the marketplace that’s right for you.

Each of your tokens, representing pieces of art, are unique and non-interchangeable; think of them like serial numbers that represent a collectable item. Non-fungible tokens are a great way to promote your own creativity and art, all while creating a new stream of income for yourself. Anyone can enter the NFT world, so use this handy guide to get started!