NFT, or Non-Fungible Tokens are not a kind of mushroom that grows wildly in the forest, but a one-of-a-kind digital asset that can be bought and sold through the cryptocurrency blockchain.  These days, NFTs seem to be infiltrating every market from the art world to real estate and beyond, but now unsurprisingly it is also getting under our skin!

Just as traditional art can be bought and sold as NFTs, now crypto savvy tattoo artists and tattoo enthusiasts are jumping on to the blockchain as well with tattoo NFTs.

The tattoo world has had quite a journey behind it. While there was a negative stigma for a brief time; associating tattooed individuals with gangs, criminals and the navy; before and after, tattoos were seen as art, decorating bodies as far back as 3300 BCE and representing religious  and cultural beliefs, spiritual and meaningful experiences, and today a variety of interests, likes, and stories.

As with any art form, the value lies in who created the art, and who owns the art.

Tattoos are highly coveted by those who seek them out, as are specific artists. There are celebrities of the ink world – and just like a canvas or a sculpture, a tattoo is also a permanent advertisement for each artist. Angelina Jolie’s shoulder, Post Malone’s face, Dave Navarro’s…body? But this art is never going to be up for sale at an auction. Though I could see Dave Navarro selling a part of his body, It would be much easier (and less painful!) to sell it as an NFT.

So how does the new world of NFTs coexist in the world of tattoos?

Just like famous painters, these famous tattooists are in high demand, making their time incredibly valuable. However, no matter how famous the tattoo artist is, or the body they are tattooing on, they are typically paid hourly, meaning that no matter how intricate and amazing their art is, it will never sell in the millions like the work of a painter for instance. That is why new NFT niche platforms like All Our Best are popping up. All Our Best is a tattoo marketplace where customers are able to purchase the exclusive rights to the design of a tattoo, sold as an NFT, instead of being paid for the time put into it. As a perk, you get a surefire appointment with a famous tattoo artist (most are usually booked months if not years out)!

Also as with any other style of art, tattooists on All Our Best, and on other NFT platforms, would be able to sell their original artwork or trade other artwork through the blockchain which would mint ownership of original pieces. This could cut down on the issue of tattoo artists stealing other tattooist’s work (which is an incredibly prevalent problem in the tattoo community.)

Another cool thing about tattoo NFTs is what happens when an NFT trades ownership. NFTs can have embeddable contracts so for instance, All Our Best includes a contract attached to the NFT that gives an automatic 10% royalty to the original artist every time the artwork is sold. This happens immediately when the sale takes place through the blockchain keeping all transactions honest and transparent, allowing the original artists the ability to keep earning the money they deserve for the work they created.

Perhaps the best part for tattoo enthusiasts is that unlike a traditional tattoo, an NFT is something you can pass down from generation to generation for them to remember you by. It will not disappear when you do or fade with time as a tattoo will.

So there it is in a nutshell, how the new craze of NFT’s are getting under the skin of the people. The tattoo world has had many ups and downs due to societal views, but this may be a bit of technological advancement that raises the tattoo world away from the negative stigma in society and legitimizes it in the art world. We will be following the world of NFTs to find out! Join the conversation with MoneyHippo on Facebook.