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30 People Who Got Rich Selling NFTS For Huge Sums

Darren RydingApril 29, 2022
Sports Illustrated

29. Micah Johnson

Johnson is a unique artist because he was also an MLB star. The former White Sox player retired in 2018 after he racked up injuries. Then he turned to visual arts because he wanted to express himself differently. It’s safe to say it’s been a success because he has made millions from his NFTs.

He created Aku, an iconic character with dreams of becoming a spaceman (via Fortune). Now art experts value his collection at over $19 million. It’s an outrageous sum of money but it’s a testament to his work. Johnson also deserves credit for inspiring young black children across the world through the medium of art.

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Arty NFT

28. Erick Snowfro

This artist also made his fortune in the world of NFTs. Snowfro believes that the world of digital currency and art is creating new opportunities. His Chromie Squiggles are instantly identifiable and his trademark. The artist cites James Turrell as his greatest living inspiration because of his talent.

Snowfro spent the bulk of his career working with physical art before the move into the digital world. Now he is completely focused on NFTs because it’s lucrative and rewarding. This is a fantastic balance but not an easy one to find in any field of expertise (via Arty NFT).

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Newsbeezer

27. Kjetil Golid

Golid hails from Trondheim, Norway, where he  is one of their most popular living artists. After working for an oil company, he became interested in the world of NFTs and digital assets. Then, he began publishing what he made and it became an overnight success.

At one point he uploaded 600 photos and sold them for 1.4 million dollars in just four minutes. Artists can’t believe that NFTs offer this much reward. Many of them scrape a living when they focus on physical art but digital art gives them a greater reach (via Newsbeezer).

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Medium

26. Jose Delbo

Delbo made millions in just four days after he sold hundreds of Wonder Woman NFTs. The 87-year-old left it late to make his fortune after working for D.C. for decades. He was one of the first dedicated Wonder Woman artists and also worked on Batgirl.

Now he possesses more riches than he could ever have dreamed of. Delbo proves that digital art is more lucrative for most creators than physical pieces. Everybody wants to get their hands on an original image with a certificate of authenticity (via CBR).

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WP.com

25. Justin Blau

Blaue, AKA ‘3Lau,’ is a renowned artist and musician. Critics praised his album Ultraviolent and he made history when he tokenized it. Nobody else had done this before so he was a true trailblazer. Furthermore, he released 33 NFTs with a net worth of over $11 million.

Fans had the opportunity to buy the NFTs and exchange them for limited edition vinyl and other merchandise. It was a great idea and a fantastic way to engage with the people who followed him. Many other musicians are following in his footsteps now (via The Groove Cartel).

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Art-Net

24. Mad Dog Jones

Michah Dowbak is an Ontario native and one of the most successful NFT artists on the planet. He sold a single piece for $4.1 million in 2021. That’s an incredible sum of money, beyond the dreams of most creators before the rise of NFTS (via Business of Business).

He goes by the nickname ‘Mad Dog Jones’ and focuses on self-reflecting work. Firstly, Jones began working on Instagram where he built a following. He carried that over into the crypto world and took advantage of it. Jones proved that there are many possibilities for artists today.

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Coin Desk

23. Trevor Jones

Jones is another phenomenal success story because he didn’t even attend college until his 30s. Then the Scottish artist took multiple dead-end jobs to support his painting career. His success in the world of NFTs is a testament to his dedication and perseverance.

He sold his Bitcoin Angel for a record $3.2 million in 2021. This was also the most expensive open-edition NFT artwork ever. Another reason why he’s interesting is that he primarily uses classical methods to create art. Jones loves oil painting and uses this as his main medium (via Coin Desk).

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Medium

22. Dmitri Cherniak

At one point, Cherniak was responsible for five of the 10 most expensive NFTs ever. That was back in October 2021, when he established himself as one of the world’s premier blockchain artists. Meanwhile, he sold them for a combined $13 million.

It remains to be seen how long consumers continue to invest in NFTs. Perhaps it’s just a fad that will eventually expire. But Cherniak took advantage of his popularity and ensured the future of his family. Nobody can blame him for doing that (via Dapp Radar).

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Insider

21. Jose Fernando Rico Mercado

Mercado changed his life during the global health crisis. His earnings plummeted so he decided that he had to make a change. Then, the Mexican went on Fiverr and entered the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain assets. This was a major turning point.

He organized a team of illustrators that fulfilled orders for different collectors. Mercado’s place on this list is different because he isn’t a talented artist in his own right. Rather, he manages artists and ensures that they find a buyer for their respective creations (via J News).

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Insider

20. Amy Kilner

Kilner is one of the UK’s most successful NFT artists. Her efforts saw her collaborate with high street chains like BooHoo (NFT Evening). If anybody doubts that this will become mainstream then this deal should ease their concerns. NFTs are here to stay.

The BooHoo contract is also fascinating because they want to empower female artists. Kilner is a high-profile figure and, unsurprisingly, she is spearheading this movement. She inspires her contemporaries and shows that there are prospects for women in this male-dominated industry.

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CNBC

19. Elise Swopes

Swopes is another popular female artist who is experiencing success in the world of NFTs. She is also inspiring women of color to find their place in this rapidly growing field of creativity. She has made more than $200,000 from selling NFTs (via CNBC).

The artist creates animations of cityscapes after she photographs them. They’re popular because she’s earning thousands of dollars. Meanwhile, she has a big heart because she donates a chunk of her earnings to giraffe projects in Somalia.

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Insider

18. Sultan Gustaf Al Ghozali

Ghozali is an Indonesian who earned a fortune by selling NFTs. He took hundreds of selfies and put them on the marketplace. For some inexplicable reason, they became insanely popular.

Now the 23-year-old is a millionaire. He took a photo capturing every day of his university journey. Somehow he connected with a large audience and turned them into viable products. It just goes to show that everybody can achieve great things in the modern world (via The Indian Express).

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CNBC

17. Lana Denina

It’s undeniable that white men dominate the world of blockchain assets. Denina was aware of this when she entered the space because she wanted to change perceptions. She also wanted to be a positive influence on ‘people who look like her’ (via CNBC).

Denina believes that NFTs offer more opportunities for diversity than traditional galleries. She sees the latter as a product of a by-gone era and bemoans their lack of risk-taking. In just a few months she made hundreds of thousands of dollars after learning what NFTs are.

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Insider

16. Iris Nevins

Nevins originally planned to create an online gallery for artists to sell their work. However, she changed her plans because NFTs offered new opportunities. Then, she focused on launching an NFT studio for black artists. Now she helps artists by promoting their pieces online.

The artists give Nevins a percentage of the sale. But it’s sustainable and egalitarian, unlike many traditional art sales. Nevins says that there is a lack of diversity in the NFT space but she wants to change this. So far it appears as though her studio is having a positive impact (via Jamaicans).

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Insider

15. Thorne Melcher and Mandy Musselwhite

Melcher and Musselwhite’s entry into the world of NFTs was unique. They own a farm outside of Atlanta but fell into heavy debt and faced foreclosure. However, they came up with an amazing way to ease the burden. They began an artwork series based on the ducks they owned.

The couple had no idea that this would be so popular. In less than six hours they made $120,000. This was enough for them to save their farm as well as show them the potential of the business. Then they began a similar series based on cats and donated the proceeds to charity (via Business of Business).

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Model Mayhem

14. Cam Rackam

Many people believe that NFTs are a waste of money and don’t mean anything. However, they have changed the world for living artists. The reality is that many creators struggled to survive with physical sales. But online art opened new avenues for them to pursue.

Rackam is another artist who had unbelievable space in the world of NFTs. He made over a million dollars when he sold a collection of 10,000 pieces in half an hour. He made 660 Ethereums from the sale and shows no signs of slowing down (via The Entrepreneur).

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CNBC

13. Brittany Pierre

Pierre changed her life forever through the medium of NFTs. She went from surviving day-to-day on minimum wage in Chicago to earning hundreds of thousands of dollars. The artist taught herself photography and filmmaking and used these skills to create her pieces.

However, it wasn’t an easy road because Pierre wasn’t able to afford the fees for marketplace listing. She said that she only had $10 in her bank account before photographer Zak Krevitt stepped up and helped her. This was a game-changer and helped her take the next step (via Lifestyle Asia).

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Tech Startups

12. Benyamin Ahmed

Everybody has heard stories about young children who make millions from early business deals. Ahmed is one of the latest to earn a fortune but he did it through NFTs. At the age of 12, he sold his first collection online. This came after playing Minecraft because he used the game as inspiration.

Ahmed began programming at the age of five after watching his father working. Now he’s an expert in his own right and reaping the rewards. It’s an amazing story because of his age and his remarkable success. Most people will never see a million dollars but Ahmed is on course to make more (via Tech Start-Ups).

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Insider

11. Colin Tilley

Tilley is a successful music director and has received Grammy Award nominations. He used his platform as a gateway into the world of NFTs. He launched Kid Castle NFT and became successful from the off. Soon, he created a 10,000-piece collection and sold the lot in 20 minutes.

It’s no wonder that many musicians, actors, and sports stars have jumped on board the NFT train. They have nothing to lose by trying to maximize their earnings through the medium of blockchain assets. Tilley is one of the most accomplished in this arena (via PR News Wire).

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CNBC

10. Eva Beylin

Beylin didn’t consider herself a real creator. The American describes herself as a hobby artist so it was a major shock when it became her main source of income. Her life changed when Elon Musk retweeted one of her memes (via Design Taxi).

Love in the Time of Web3 is a piece that shows a couple in an intimate embrace. Meanwhile, they’re looking at the prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum. This tickled MUsk’s fancy and raised the value of the work. Beylin turned it into an NFT and sold it for over $20,000.

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Squarespace

9. Amrit Pal Singh

India is a hotbed of blockchain activity. Singh is one of their most successful NFT creators. He rose to prominence after he sold two pieces of art for almost $25,000. This immediately raised eyebrows because Singh was an unknown before this.

He drew inspiration from Daft Punk as he created so-called ‘toy face’ images of the music duo. Collectors went wild for these artworks and paid a premium for them. Singh described the sale as different from anything that anybody had ever seen (via Money Control).

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CNBC

8. Blake Jamieson

Jamieson is an artist with a lot of powerful friends. He creates physical paintings of elite athletes before creating perfect digital replicas and selling them online. These NFTs are extremely valuable and earned him six figures in just a few weeks.

Furthermore, they brought him into direct contact with a host of NFL and MLB stars. Now he counts several sports stars as his friends. Many of them became clients first because they wanted to buy his depictions of them. Then, he connected with them on an emotional level (via coinspeaker).

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NFT Now

7. Justin Aversano

Many people think that NFT creators aren’t real artists. But this simply isn’t true as Aversano proves. He is an avid photographer and a brilliant creator. One of his projects saw him compile images of 100 pairs of twins. Entitled ‘Twin Flames,’ it was an amazing concept.

Now, these portraits sell for tens of thousands of dollars. Aversano proved that there is room for originality and genuine imagination in the world of NFTs. It’s not just about making a weird squiggle and tricking people into spending their money on it (via NFT Now).

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Rolling Stone

6. All-Seeing Seneca

Seneca is one of the most enigmatic figures in the world of NFTs. But her Bored Ape Yacht Club is also one of the most famous projects in the world. The Chinese-American was responsible for bringing these artworks to life. She’s not the only artist involved but she’s the most famous.

Now she counts Steph Curry among her legions of fans. Despite her success, she maintains a low profile. Seneca regularly wears a mask so most of her followers don’t even know what she fully looks like. But that’s the way she likes it (via Rolling Stone).

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NBC News

5. Victor Langlois

Langlois is a transgender artist who also goes by the moniker, ‘FEWOCiOUS.’ He transitioned at the age of 14 and used this as a source of inspiration for his art. Langlois created physical paintings that showed his state of mind and captured his emotional journey.

However, he never imagined their success. His NFTs went under the knife at Christie’s and sold for $2.16 million. This life-changing sum of money represents the possibilities for modern artists. It also shows why so many of them are moving into this sector (via NBC News).

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PR Wire India

4. Monica Rizzoli

Brazil’s Rizzoli has made over five million dollars in NFT sales. The generative artist creates images such as the one above and has achieved great popularity. Generative art sees creators write code in a specific style. Then it randomly produces images that can never be made again.

As NFTs spread in popularity, this subgenre also saw a lot of movement. Rizzoli is one of the main beneficiaries because she is earning hundreds of thousands of dollars per piece. She didn’t expect to reach this level of success so it’s fantastic for her (via The Block Crypto).

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Front End Masters

3. Matt DesLauriers

Another generative artist, DesLauriers is one of the most high-profile figures in this artistic industry. The Toronto-based creator develops digital installations amongst other projects. He’s also earned tens of thousands of dollars from his work.

Artists like DesLauriers continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. They’re creating a new future for upcoming creators because they show that there are many avenues available. NFTs enable designers and developers to promote themselves like never before (via NFT Evening).

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Squarespace

2. Tyler Hobbs

When people think of NFT artists, Hobbs is one of the first names that springs to mind. His Ethereum-based art collection fetched millions of dollars. The Fidenza Line is one of his most lucrative creations and many wealthy investors desire it (via India Times).

Some people don’t understand why NFTs receive such interest but the same can be said of all art. The reality is that they’re going nowhere and that they’re the future. Hobbs is one of the wealthiest NFT sellers in the world because of his outstanding success.

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The Sun

1. Mike Winkelmann

Better known by his moniker ‘Beeple,’ Winkelmann is the definition of NFT success. Christie’s Auction House considers him one of the three greatest living artists on the planet. That came after they sold an NFT of his work for $69 million (via The Verge).

Beeple has a massive fanbase that helped him to make his fortune. Meanwhile, Christie’s is one of the most famous auction houses on the planet so they validated his work and the industry. It was a game-changing moment because nothing like this had happened before.

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