NFT for me? Probably not.

“Everydays — The First 5000 Days” is a collage of all the images that the artist known as Beeple has been posting online each day since 2007. NYT via Christies.

NFTs. In my world, that acronym means Not For Tamara. I suddenly feel like my grandmother trying to program her Beta VCR—a jumble of newness and complexity that is foreign to my need for something tangible. As hip and young at heart as I consider myself, NFTs make me feel like I’m swimming in a digitally foreign land, denying me something tactile to hold onto.

The New York Times recently explained “The Untold Story of the NFT Boom” and the bidding wars that lead to digital art garnering selling prices into the millions. As an artist and a collector, this makes my head spin with wonderment, curiosity, but mostly an inner voice looping “what the fuck?” I think one must understand and have faith in Bitcoin and cryptocurrency to literally buy into the NFT craze. In Forbes, an opinion piece raised a valid point, “NFTs are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them,” while questioning if NFTs are the Beanie Babies of the digital age.

One who is wont to avoid “I will never” statements, I’m pretty confident I will never put my money into NFT artwork. I long to see far too many physical pieces on my walls, yet this digital newbie has given me the gift of acceptance. I’m okay being older and immune to the whims of the newest trend. I’m content settling into the role of a traditional art collector. Lord knows that Agnes Gund gives me something to aspire to. And if you have not seen Aggie, add it to your watch list. Immediately.

So to the digital artists of the world – thank you for being creative. For keeping the art world exciting and evolving. I’m going to sit back with my anti-aging cream in one hand and ArtNews in the other, waiting to see how it all plays out.

cheers, trw