A struggling Chicago-based professional photographer reportedly made over $109,000 last year from selling non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

According to a profile by CNBC’s “Make it”, 36-year-old photographer Brittany Pierre was struggling to pay rent on her apartment and afford groceries before turning to NFTs as a way to sell her work. Pierre told CNBC that her financial situation was “touch and go,” and that she was “pretty depressed,” being forced to live paycheck to paycheck. 

Pierre first learned about NFTs in March 2021, after her friend and fellow artist Elise Swopes sold an NFT of one her works for around $17,600. This inspired Pierre to do a “deep dive” on Google and YouTube, learning everything she could about NFTs. One month later, she was able to sell her first NFT, which led to a stream of sales of her other pieces (for hundreds of dollars each). Apparently, these early sales happened after a well-known NFT collector saw her works on Twitter.

Pierre said:

It was real hard to do $50 photoshoots, trying to peddle $30 prints. I’d have bookings here and there, but it wasn’t sustainable… That first couple of $200, $300 [NFT] sales was a lot for me. That’s exactly what I needed to pay rent.

In addition to selling her own art, Pierre began purchasing and flipping other artist’s NFTs for a profit. 

She told CNBC:

Last year has been the first year that I could live completely abundantly, more with my heart, than I ever have been able to… I’ve never had a job over $15 an hour, and last year, I was able to make a little over $100,000.” 

Disclaimer

The views and opinions expressed by the author, or any people mentioned in this article, are for informational purposes only, and they do not constitute financial, investment, or other advice. Investing in or trading cryptoassets comes with a risk of financial loss.

Image Credit

Photo by user Chetraruc via Pixabay.com