Hey folks, it’s your old friend, The Holy Fool, back again. I’ve been watching tons of old horror movies lately (50’s, 60’s, and 70’s, mostly), and it’s put me in a lovely mood, so I’m feeling like doing a bit of reflection... 

Witches and ghosts and parapsychologists are all hunting for the same thing: knowledge. (Witches = knowledge for power; Ghosts = knowledge for peace; Parapsychologists = knowledge for a syndicated t.v. show and a slug of cash.)

As an artist and a writer, I’m seeking knowledge myself. Knowledge for immortality. Margaret Atwood has argued, (in her fantastic book, *Negotiating with the Dead*), this very fact. 

WE CREATE TO LIVE ON AFTER DEATH THRU OUR WORKS.

Maybe this is too heady, too deep, too blunt for most folks, (especially those who look at my bunnies and snakes and silly monsters and say, “THIS is how you want to be remembered?” Yes. These are exactly how I want to be remembered!) I think it’s important for people to realize how DEADLY SERIOUS I take my PLAY.

I’ve mentioned this a hundred times, but one of the things I find most intriguing about NFTs and tokenizing works on the blockchain is the potential for ARCHIVING. Sure there are sales and neat stuff like that to consider, but how many people really consider the immutability aspect of tokenization. A blockchain (especially when the images are backed up by IPFS or some other method) becomes a gallery, a portfolio, that never closes. A place where folks can read my silly little stories and see my cartoons and art experiments through electronic ASTRAL PROJECTION! They can come to the works from anywhere in the world! 

With these factors---immutability and universal audience---in mind, and not necessarily JUST sales, I want to talk about my three favorite NFT sites…

(1). [NFT Showroom](https://nftshowroom.com/) (on the Hive blockchain, of course.)

I’ve been on Hive since it began, and before that I was a Steemster, so I’ve been building crypto through blogging (sharing stories and art) for nearly three years. When NFT Showroom, which runs on Hive, was introduced, I was lucky enough to be one of the folks who were tasked with testing the system out; (I’m no programmer, but I am a “typical grandpa” who can comment on how the experience feels to somebody who remembers the days not just before blockchain, but before INTERNET!)

The processes of minting and transferring NFTs through Showroom are straightforward and cheap, especially for somebody who already has a Hive wallet. In addition, the crew who run the site are easy to contact (especially thru the Discord) and super friendly. I’ve also sold a shit-ton of work through this site! I don’t know exactly how many---I’ve minted several hundred pieces through NFT Showroom, and as a portfolio option this site is great! Because Hive is still a bit under the radar in the larger NFT world, the prices here are lower, but I still love it.

(2). [Hic et Nunc](https://www.hicetnunc.xyz/) (on the Tezos blockchain.)

Tezos also has lower transaction fee costs, although it’s a bit buggy. You have to have patience (and know a few tricks) to get your pieces up on HEN, but it’s definitely gaining in popularity amongst the NFT trading community. Some projects posted through the site have started to skyrocket in price, which is great (for those folks.) It’s slower and rougher, but the payoffs are starting to be worth the effort.

I have quite a few pieces minted through Hic et Nunc, and I’ve sold quite a few as well (not as many as thru NFT Showroom, but I’ve been using the Showroom for longer!) Costs are low, minting isn’t too strenuous, and the potential for payoffs are good, PLUS you can mint a huge number of pieces (500 or 1,000 or however many) just to give them away! (It’s fun!)

(3). [OpenSea](https://opensea.io/) (on Ethereum and/or Polygon)

OpenSea is huge. Like MASSIVELY huge. The potential for sky high prices by using OpenSea exists, but you are also swimming in the ocean with all the big fish. Plus, there’s that whole Ethereum gas fee situation to deal with, as well. (The reason I don’t go through MakersPlace or Rarible anymore is the gas fees. Lately, it can cost upwards of $150.00 to $200.00 (USD) or more to tokenize a single piece!!!) 

With OpenSea, however, creators can utilize “Lazy Minting,” in which the costs for minting are held off until a piece sells! In addition, there is the possibility of using the Polygon / Matic chain for operations, which have lower gas fees. I’m not sure how popular the Matic solution is, yet, but it is an option. I have sold just a few pieces through OpenSea, but it’s where the action is! I have a couple dozen pieces there, for flavor (don’t carry all of your eggs in one basket, right!?), but it’s been my least successful experiment, so far, but if you can start to make waves in the big bad sea, the potential for finding treasure it enormous!

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Now here’s where things get weird. You have your artwork (or whatever you’ve decided to tokenize), and you’ve figured out where to mint it, and now you have this gallery of work OUT THERE… And suddenly, you’re RICH and FAMOUS, right?

Sure…

Actually, no. No, no, no, no, no…. Now, you get to START the conversation. I use Hive blog (usually through [Peakd](https://peakd.com/@richardfyates) to make posts about my artwork (and the little stories that usually go along with the monsters and weird creatures.) I share my sketches and stuff on Twitter. I listen in on Twitter Spaces when there are talks about art and NFTs. I post links to my works on Ello and sometimes WordPress, Instagram, Tumblr. I’ve joined several Discord groups. I’m a believer in THE HUSTLE, and the point isn’t just SALES. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts and at the beginning of this piece, the point is EYES. I want people to look at my stuff and have a laugh. I HOPE I’m making the world a more entertaining place to live. Providing a little light in a dark environment---or, actually, a little cotton-candy gloom in a dull, all-too-serious, sterile world.

And, as always, “Fuck ‘em if they can’t take a joke!”

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Putting theory into practice, let's take a look at some of my recently tokenized bits and bobs!

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"Unruly Conversation" by RFY (HF) & FEH

![unruly conversation (peg).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/richardfyates/23yTxJpzU5Xi4XEJkRrgFZExx8CxgUdJemSpj7Td9nS3UdmsNMt6Vzbjn2htTKEJQzezD.jpg)


[Oil pastel on paper with digital embellishments and color.] My granddaughter (a true master of chaos and free-form-nonsense) and I had a little conversation on a large piece of paper with a box of ten-year-old oil pastels. (These crayons have seen some SHIT!) I felt as though the colors and forms HAD to come out, so I let them. Felicity, however, just thrashed around the page having herself a jolly old time. I'm pretty happy with the finished piece!

---Richard F. Yates (Holy Fool) & Felicity Echo Hanson (Toddler Terror)

This one has already SOLD!

Tags: art, toddlerart, collaborations, abstractart, freeformart, oilpastelonpaper, handdrawn, automaticdrawing, humor, weird, nfts, cryptoart

https://www.hicetnunc.xyz/objkt/419596

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"Cartoon Ghost"

![cartoon ghost (peg).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/richardfyates/23vsd8FGXXXLKULvcGM5vsEL1UEH8A8qxk81Du9y2s9a6BddPmdUtMc6xZ46NSj9HbFbz.jpg)


[Felt pen on construction paper with digital embellishments and color.]

Ooooooooooooo.... Spooooooooky.... (Or not.) Haunted. He's a haunted kinda guy. And, to be honest, that bugs him a bit. Just wanted a chance to RELAX, but nooooo... No him! He's gotta work, even in the afterlife! (Bummer.)

https://nftshowroom.com/richardfyates/gallery/richardfyates_new-genesis_cartoon-ghost-by-richard-f-yates-hf

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"Head"

![head.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/richardfyates/23x1BdNsmzGeUnQQeMga7cATDXNqRCQReBUGHNvByK99xbFhhhrYuKKb9G9uHZ5PTwc3u.png)


[Ink on notebook page with digital embellishments and color.]

Thom spent a lot of times in the woods looking for a "hairy wild man." He heard noises, screams and knockings, and brought cameras and recording equipment---but he left the woods without the proof he sought. But the creatures saw HIM, and came to him in his dreams, and that was good enough for him...

https://opensea.io/assets/matic/0x2953399124f0cbb46d2cbacd8a89cf0599974963/22311739436505595434493663744085459545703187285632327993260547990654485004289/

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"Hazy Maizy"

![hazy maizy (peg).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/richardfyates/23xAii2VQBygW3e5PYG5SAnMh1K5aZHab68b68Z3dwMXKXYej91eddXHWrSGeGEG2Prji.jpg)


[Paint pen and mixed media collage on found cardboard with digital embellishments and color.] Maizy is a sun creature, and she's feeling a bit depressed this year. She spent the summer coughing and sputtering because of the forest fires, never truly getting to SHINE, and now that the rains have come back to the Pacific Northwest, it's also the season when the sun sets earlier and earlier each night. (Good for us evil, NIGHT PEOPLE, but not ideal for sun folk...) Poor Maizy. Better luck next year!

Tags: art, paintpenoncardboard, foundmaterials, mixedmedia, digitalcolor, weird, cartoons, creatures, nfts, cryptoart

https://www.hicetnunc.xyz/objkt/419934

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"Peeking"

![peeking.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/richardfyates/23qrbJazMy6y3u6FkkbTzuCMFSH1mdUeP43mooHpEPUKiLRxHfMuQDHFRi1i4FPjBQVwN.png)


[Sharpie on reclaimed cardboard with digital embellishments and color.]

Looking over the edge...at something horrific!

https://nftshowroom.com/richardfyates/gallery/richardfyates_new-genesis_peeking-by-richard-f-yates-holy-fool

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"A Familiar Feline"

![a familiar feline.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/richardfyates/AJpnQvpTDyaZoVCfLfcfb8BFf7dgaxWRTRF58S3yBnNS8Moo37jGZ2HbVg3nwh9.png)


[Ink on notebook page with digital embellishments and color.] Some friends of mine have very strong relationships with their cats. They claim the cats help them out around their house and give them advice. (My cats, to quote a meme I saw once, are just a bunch of "asshole ninjas" thrashing around and knocking shit over...) That's just the way it goes, I suppose!

Tags: art, cats, familiars, humor, cartoons, weird, inkonpaper, digitalcolor, nonsense, primitivism, nfts, cryptoart

https://www.hicetnunc.xyz/objkt/424293

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"Strange Look"

![strange look.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/richardfyates/AK7yy2XV43NpC69NHyZ7jCCGxiy5FbkJvHz8zwNtN2ybiUjxT39vXspHz8Ayiau.png)


[Digital drawing.] Personally, I wouldn't trust this guy. Not sure why... Just something nasty about that smile...

https://opensea.io/assets/matic/0x2953399124f0cbb46d2cbacd8a89cf0599974963/22311739436505595434493663744085459545703187285632327993260547991753996632065/

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"Perpetrators"

![perpetrators (peg).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/richardfyates/23tc3WKuCBnvW2zeo6WUBMMGJxLwhvYxgA48mRYdSfg4bqogrtzUHZS1nL6MwaorGmowL.jpg)


[Crayon and ballpoint pen on cardstock with digital embellishments and color.]

Inspired by my toddler granddaughter, I drew this while she was here for a visit. (I wanted her to laugh... I don't remember if she did----HOWEVER, I DID, and sometimes that's good enough.) There's lots of different monsters in this one who probably all need proper backstories. (I'll have to interview them, someday, and see what they've been up to!)

https://nftshowroom.com/richardfyates/gallery/richardfyates_new-genesis_perpetrators-by-richard-f-yates-hf

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AND! Don't forget to check out my Halloween Podcast! It's an hour and 13 minutes of chilling tunes, terrifying techno, and garage rock hauntings! Listen to it (for free) [HERE](https://peakd.com/hive-181335/@richardfyates/yctopnbx)!


![ep. 43 cover (peg).jpg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/richardfyates/23xAsEXuagW7AWVPtpBqVKLd1uo1nzyNww3hRvHkm9JJfNBpNvXQ8qNWwitqStMqDW7CK.jpg)


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---Richard F. Yates
(Primitive Thoughtician and Holy Fool)

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