[Feature] Move Over Adults! Cause the Youth Are Taking Over NFTs!

The world of NFT art is unlimited, endless, and brimming with possibilities; but even though the NFT scene is teeming with adults, we cannot neglect the youth! I am talking about the kids, the tweens, and the teens! One might brush them aside simply because of their adolescence, however, do not underestimate the emergence of youth in the art scene, specifically NFTs. Young artists are making waves with NFTs, many raking in money in NFT sales and amassing large and loyal followings at a tender age while we were enjoying playtime when we were their age. That is not to say these extraordinary youngsters had everything handed to them on a golden platter; they had to work for it, sometimes facing monumental obstacles that most of us have only heard of but never experienced.

To know more about NFTs from a beginner’s perspective, you can give https://www.coinlive.com/news/detail/?id=7833 a read where NFTs are explained and simplified with various examples.

The First Artist to Crash Christie’s Auction House’s Site

The 19-year-old rising star of the art world’s first foray into digital art began as a refuge and escape for the young transgender artist. He started creating art at 13 and began minting NFTs at 17, then crashed Christie’s website on 23 June 2021 when his pieces went live to bidders

Victor Langlois or better known as FEWOCiOUS, is one of the young established digital artists of the NFT art world. Originally known as Victoria, FEWOCiOUS has raised plenty of awareness for the transgender community. Between abuse, constantly questioning his own identity, numerous court dates and custody battles (his strict Christian grandparents won), and living with virtually no privacy, he found a way of expression: through his art. The turning point for him was when he found an online transgender community and realised he was not alone. FEWOCiOUS’s shared his inspiring and uplifting story through his collection “Hello, i’m Victor and This Is My Life” that was featured at Christie’s auction during pride month.

The collection comprised five lots depicting his life story from 14 to 18 years old. The pieces consisted of physical art as well as an NFT. There was a turnover of $2.16m and he broke Christie’s record for youngest solo artist and first artist to crash the site.

At a budding age of 19, he has already accomplished what many of us dreamt of. His talent and the demand for his work make him arguably one of the more influential artists of this generation with his work often being resold in the secondary market for higher prices. Moreover, his empowering story coupled with his strong understanding of NFTs and the crypto space, are essential in adding more value to his work.

He paired up with RTFKT Studios to create NFTs with a physical redeemable aspect: NFT owners were only able to redeem the NFT for the physical sneakers if they had owned the token for six weeks after the drop. In the open edition sale, the sneakers saw a turnover of more than $3.1m in just seven minutes.

13-Year-Old Multi-Millionaire Slash Dinosaur Lover

At just 13, Nyla Hayes already has an extensive list of impressive accolades: from being a 2021 Future 50 award winner to becoming Time magazine’s first artist in residence for TIMEPieces. Her signature collection, Long Neckie Ladies, generated more than $4m in sales thus far

What were you up to when you were 12? At that point, Nyla Hayes had already created the first female-led, all-women generative art collection called Long Neckie Ladies, which features diverse women with elongated necks inspired by her favourite dinosaur, the Brontosaurus.

Her Long Neckie Ladies collection as seen on OpenSea with a floor price of 0.14 ETH at the time of writing

How did she get started in NFT creation? At nine, her parents got her a smartphone to practice creating digital art and March 2021 rolled in, her uncle introduced her and her mother to NFTs. Both researched through YouTube videos to learn what NFTs are and how to create and sell them online. Well, the rest was history. Despite her career as an influential artist being in its infancy, Nyla is truly inspiring as she leads the way for young African American people in technology. And being only on the cusp of entering high school, this accomplishment is outstanding.

A Precocious 13-Year-Old talent with Two Successful NFT Collections under Her Belt

Talented beyond her years, Yasmeen Suleiman is probably the youngest NFT artist and entrepreneur in the UAE who launched her debut project last May

A pioneer of a growing international list of teenagers who have enjoyed success in the NFT-verse, Yasmeen launched her debut project, NFTeacups, in May 2021, and gained widespread recognition among digital creators.

Her NFTeacups collection on OpenSea has a floor price of 0.15 ETH at the time of writing

She has some noteworthy collaborations, including live art sessions with Doodles to raise money for Make A Wish foundation, and Gary Vaynerchuck (also known as Gary Vee, a Belarusian-American entrepreneur, author, speaker, and internet personality) purchasing some of her art from her debut project as well as speaking about her on his YouTube show.

Her second collection, ELVEN, composed of 6,000 randomly generated elven girls with her hand-drawn traits, and described the project roadmap as a journey whereby buyers can participate in upon purchasing one of the elven creations. This collection has a floor price of a little under 0.01 ETH at the time of writing

After the abandonment of her father a couple of years ago, Yasmeen’s mother has been the proverbial rock in her life. Despite this, the bubbly teenager did not let it affect her because she has her mother’s love as well as her love for art. She has expressed, “It has been amazing to be part of the NFT community and see people from all over the world enjoy my art. The fact that my art helped me earn a three-year scholarship at Hartland International School was incredible and I feel blessed and lucky… I’ve been able to participate in lots of new projects in school team and creating a dress design for Junk Kouture, which will be held in Abu Dhabi this year.”

With a bright future ahead and exuding maturity not befitting her tender age, Yasmeen is certainly set to be one of the young and brilliant NFT artists to continue making waves.

Mummy and Me: 8-Year-Old Hong Kong NFT Artist and His Mum

Arthus Ng only started experimenting with NFT art last year and they were put up not to make money but to try and help him access the art world utilising different platforms. His 23 snakes, with two copies per snake, has collectors around the world.

His Snake Overload collection as featured at K11 MUSEA, a global cultural retail destination in Hong Kong

For an 8-year-old though, the minting part might be too complex for him, like gas fees and cryptocurrency, as well as the huge sums of money involved; this is where his mum steps in. She is fully supportive of his spirit of wanting to learn more and further improve his art as permitting him to explore the NFT world is a great, beneficial way for him to learn about it.

When asked about his Snake Overload NFT collection, Arthus, being born in the Year of the Snake coincidentally, explained that he has always been fascinated by snakes because he finds the biology of snakes interesting. His unique snakes have different superpowers as well as different occupations like Chef Snake, Santa Snake, Pirate Snake, etc. The floor price of his collection is 0.15 ETH at the time of writing

Dare to Dream, Dare to Create

These are just a handful of the numerous young NFT artists worldwide with diverse backgrounds, upbringing, and experiences. No matter their stories, where they are now and what they have achieved (and will continue to achieve) is truly inspirational. As more young creators emerge, it will open more doors and create more opportunities for like-minded artists to step out. Let us inspire the next generation, and let them inspire those after them.

Written by: [Coinlive] Catherine