as everyone begins bidding artists work onchain and claiming to now be a “collector” ~ I’ve decided to be the one to say what you don’t want to hear yet it will save you in the long run. in 2021 and 2022 I was big into minting on manifold and supporting artists, but within months often those artists were gone or radio silent. so I built a strategy to ensure what I collect is not only amazing art but also is by an amazing artist who’s going to keep creating. the most simple trick you can do is check the artists name on instagram. this and this alone exposes whether they are here to expand their already established career or if they are here to extract value from the crypto space and later leave to never be spoken of again. so the rule ~ + check artists mutual friends on X (most will have 300 or more these days) + check artists website + most importantly ~ check their instagram if an artist has built a following on instagram for years on end and has established themselves in a space that’s not as financially driven aka instagram ~ then it’s very likely they are coming to web3 to expand their already established career. now I’m not saying don’t support small artists, I’m just saying be aware what you bid today may be worth $0 in a month if you don’t find a way to figure out who’s real and who’s riding the latest @osseneth fuelled auction meta. either way, enjoy yourself ~ don’t over extend yourselves as you collect and have fun onchain. good luck. some of my favourite well established artists below 👇 10 years of building or more for most. @SamSpratt @ArchanNair @DirtyRobotWorks @uyo66_