On many marketplaces artists can mint and sell their NFT without having to be approved. On Superrare however you have to go through an application process before you can start selling on the platform. The site has its own philosophy that they want to protect by limiting the people they approve. One of the main reasons is to maintain the scarcity and ensure quality of the artworks on their marketplace. So there are a few things you should do even before you start your application process on Superrare to increase your chances of becoming an approved artist.
Start by creating pieces of artwork
If you don’t have at least a small collection of your art you should start here. In general the types of art that are sold on Superrare are only digital and in one of the following categories:
Still image
GIF
3D artwork
Video
Tip #1: Find your style
Keep in mind to maintain an original and consistent style. Of course many artists have many different interests. Maybe you like to do abstract 3D art as much as you like to paint realistic portraits. But try to see it from Superrares point of view: If you focus on one consistent style and Superrare likes it, they know what new content you will bring to their platform which makes it easier for them to assess you as a candidate. If you release art in a lot of different styles Superrare doesn't really know what they are getting into.
Pro Tip: You can still diversify your style after being approved on Superrare ;)
Another point is originality. Try to stand out from the masses and not copy what's already there. Not only will copying devalue your own art against the original but Superrare is looking to get a diverse portfolio of artists instead of flooding their market with similar artworks. After all, a potential buyer is more likely to find an NFT they like from three completely different options than from three options that are all in the same style.
Also keep in mind to not violate any copyright. Especially if you are creating collages or include other people's assets for your 3D scene, make sure to inform yourself about the licencing. If you are planning on selling this art later look for assets that have a commercial licence. Another way could be to manipulate the external assets in a way that the original can not be identified in your final piece. However this is still a risky practice and I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners.
Tip #2: Build a portfolio
This is the most important step you have to take before applying. In the art world portfolios are everything and can decide over a job in the creative industry or whether you are approved to an art university.
Superrare even goes one step further and requires you to not only have a website/portfolio but also an instagram and twitter account where you actively promote your art. If you have never had a website before, there are many website building tools where you can easily portrait your work. Most of them have a free plan to start out so you don’t even have to pay anything. I am personally using wix.com, but wordpress.com is another great option. They also offer many templates to get you started even quicker.
Next you have to promote your art over social media. For Superrare you should have at least instagram and twitter, but more art oriented websites like pinterest or deviantart can also be a great option to reach interested people. Being active on social media shows Supperrare two important things:
They gain better proof of your identity. Meaning by making your social media consistent with your artist name and for example having a coherent imprint on your website you can build more trust. Superrare doesn’t ask for a definite proof of identity such as an ID, so building a level of trust is a good way to increase your chances of getting approved.
By having more followers and actively promoting your art, Superrare sees that there are already potential customers out there that you can bring to their site. And more customers means more money, so if you already build a decent social media following that will help you tremendously!
When building your portfolio many artists start by creating many quick pieces to fill the emptiness of a new website or instagram account. However this is not what Superrare is looking for. The artwork they want to see follows the famous quality not quantity principle. Instead of creating two mediocre art pieces, rather create one of high quality. One of the reasons the Superrare marketplace is locked up is because they don’t want to be flooded with low quality art where the artist is just trying to make some quick bucks.
Keep in mind that you cannot list any art piece on a different NFT marketplace if you are planning to sell it on Superrare! They only accept art that is not tokenized and cannot be bought elsewhere on the internet. Afterall their website is called super rare and that is what the artworks should be.
Tip #3: Engage in the community
This is the final step you can take to be fully prepared for your application process. Be active in the community! You can do this in multiple ways:
By doing this you can not only show them your motivation for NFT's and their platform, but you also meet other artists from the community. According to Superrare it can help your application process massively if you find an already approved artist that will give you a reference.
The application process
Now that you have built your portfolio with unique art, you are promoting on social media and you are active in the Superrare community it is time to fill out the application. Apart from standard stuff like your name, email and the portfolio website we created in the last step, Superrare requires you to:
film a 1 min video about yourself and your art
put together a collection of 3-5 of your best pieces
The video
As stated on the application the video should be uploaded to a file sharing platform or a video hosting service like youtube (you can put the clip on private so only people with the link can see it).
You don’t have to show your face in the video, however it is always more sympathetic and trust building if you do so. Think of tutorials on youtube - people that use a face cam while explaining are seen as more trustworthy that people that don’t have one.
A middle way could be to blur your face, as Superrare suggests and at least they want to hear you talking.
Just like any application you want to talk about yourself (and your work) with the focus on the topic. If you have a degree in art or visited an art school that might be important information. If you have a degree in engineering, that is probably less important. Focus on what makes you unique in the context of being an artist. Maybe you took some special inspiration for one of your artworks?
The collection
Next up you need to put together a selection of 3-5 artworks.
This should be easy if you already have built a decent portfolio. Focus on the tips from earlier:
submit your best pieces
submit pieces that follow one consistent style
As you have to tell the background story of the pieces in the next step, it is also a good idea to choose pieces that you had some interesting inspiration for. You can be emotional but don’t go over the top or lie.
The application is in process...
If you followed all these steps you already increased your chances of getting accepted by a lot.
Still the next step is waiting for an answer. Superrare writes that the application process can take 3-5 weeks due to the high number of artists applying. If you don’t get an answer back in that timeframe, you should assume that you have not been approved.
However Superrare mentions that many of the greatest artists on their site have not been accepted the first time, so keep your head up!
If you have been approved - congratulations! You are now one of the official selling artists on Superrare!
If you found this article helpful, please consider sharing it with other people that want to apply. Happy selling!