Nifty Gateway has been curating artists and helping them succeed for over 2.5 years. Throughout that process, we have learned many do’s and don'ts of being a curator and helping artists succeed.
At its core, curation is about building a relationship of trust with a distinct group of collectors and artists, then using your reputation with collectors to help get more traction with artists and vice versa. We call this the Curation Flywheel.
Collectors will come to trust your judgment about what art is good. Because they trust you, they will buy the NFTs that you curate.
Because you have a group of collectors that trust your judgment, and are willing to buy the art that you curate, artists will want to work with you. You will allow them to make sales that they would not otherwise make, and to reach collectors that they will not otherwise be able to reach.
The artists that trust you and the collectors that trust you become a powerful flywheel that builds on itself over time. The trust you have built with artists will allow you to attract a larger group of collectors, and the trust you have built with collectors will allow you to attract a more prominent roster of artists.
As you progress on this flywheel, your curation brand will grow and grow.
However, you must be very careful. Trust is built over years but it can be lost in a day. Even a few bad decisions about who you choose to work with can do significant damage to your curation brand.
The collectors that you put your artists in front of, and the credibility that you provide for your artists, is the main way that you as a curator can help them.
But you can also serve a very important role as an educator and guide for your artists.
Many artists, especially ones who are just starting their careers, will not understand how the art market works, and they will not understand incredibly important things like pricing, supply, and marketing.
A successful curator will help their artists with everything that they need to succeed and build a career.