The first thing you need to do before you mint an NFT is to set up your crypto wallet.
For this guide we’ll be focusing on the Ethereum blockchain as it’s the most popular for NFT art.
This is part of the Becoming an NFT artist: How to sell your art as an NFT series where I cover the basics of how to get started as an NFT artist.
Note: The most secure method to get started is by using a hardware wallet. An online wallet will always have some risk and it can get expensive if you need to migrate your NFTs to a more secure wallet.
Here’s how to set up your hardware wallet.
1. Download your crypto wallet
A wallet is where you store your cryptocurrency and make transactions like selling, buying, burning. Metamask is a popular wallet to use.
Go to the MetaMask website (https://metamask.io/) and download the MetaMask extension to your browser.
Always bookmark official sites to avoid clicking on phishing sites
2. Remember your password
If you’re creating a new wallet, you’ll be asked to create a secure password.
Make sure to remember this password, as you will need it to access your wallet in the future.
3. Keep your seedphrase safe.
Once your wallet is set up, you’ll be given a seedphrase, also known as a recovery phrase, which is a unique set of words that can be used to recover your wallet if you ever lose access to it.
Never give out your seedphrase. It’s important to store this seed phrase in a safe place, as anyone with access to it will be able to access your wallet.
Do not store your seed phrase on your computer or phone as it can be accessed easily if you ever get hacked. Write it on paper with a few copies and keep it somewhere safe.
4. Get familiar with it
After you have successfully set up your wallet, you will be able to see your wallet address on the MetaMask extension. You’ll need this address to receive crypto.
Read the Metamask FAQs for more information.
https://metamask.io/faqs/
5. Sending and receiving crypto
To send or receive cryptocurrency, you can click on the MetaMask extension, then click the “Send” or “Receive” button after inputting the wallet address you want to send to.
You will need to have some ETH in your wallet to pay for transaction fees on the Ethereum network. You can easily purchase it on an exchange that supports Ethereum.
Double triple check that you copy pasted the right address. You won’t get your crypto back if you send it to the wrong address!
Send a small amount first to get the hang of it.
6. Congrats! You can head straight to the next step: Mint your art on a NFT marketplace.
Before you go, a reminder to get yourself a hardware wallet to protect your crypto from getting stolen. If you get hacked, the wallet will need to be abandoned with all your art on it, which affects the provenance (the history and record of ownership).
New artists are an easy target for scammers, don’t wait too long to get one!