The NFT conversation is one I keep having and I want to write my actual nuanced take rather than the hot take version.

I sold two pieces as NFTs in late 2021. The money was real and I don't regret it. I also think the market was substantially driven by speculation rather than genuine appreciation of art, and the collapse reflected that. I know artists who built their finances around ongoing NFT income who are now in difficult situations.

The environmental criticism was valid for proof-of-work chains and is substantially less valid for proof-of-stake. But the shift in rhetoric from 'this is about supporting artists' to 'this is about financial instruments' was telling. A lot of the loudest NFT advocates turned out to be primarily interested in the financial mechanics.

Where I land: there are legitimate use cases for digital ownership verification. The implementation was often predatory and the community often hostile to skepticism. I evaluate new projects on their own merits rather than endorsing or rejecting the whole space.