There are many ways to buy an NFT. In this blog post, we walk through the steps to get a Solana Monkey NFT. We’ll show you the process from start to finish. From obtaining a Solana Cryptocurrency Wallet, all the way though to connecting that Solana wallet to the Awk Monk NFT website. By the end, you’ll have your own Solana Wallet and your own Awkward Monkey NFT. Let’s goooooooooo!
NFTs and Cryptocurrency
Ethereum is one of the original cryptocurrencies. It is a powerful cryptocurrency. Not quite Superman powers, but it’s close. Ethereum allows developers to add characteristics and other attributes to digitalized tokens. These tokens became NFTs. And rest is NFT history. Well, more or less. While Ethereum has lots of amazing abilities, it has some drawbacks. For example, Ethereum NFTs are expensive to mint and to transfer. Indeed, as the world’s second largest cryptocurrency, Ethereum is expensive to work with both as a creator and a consumer.
The Powers of Solana
In 2020, the world was introduced to another cryptocurrency that has the ability to build NFTs: Solana. Like Ethereum, Solana has its own blockchain and also has the ability to create non-fungible tokens. Solana is a cheaper and faster cryptocurrency than Ethereum. Even though Solana has only been on the crypto market for a few years, it has been adopted quickly by developers, gamers, and NFT creators. As a result of its track record, the team here at Awk Monks chose Solana for our NFT project.
Buying Solana
As we have discussed, Solana is a powerful cryptocurrency. Solana has its own blockchain, just like Ethereum. Solana allows for developers to create “smart contracts”, just like Ethereum. This enables Solana owners to create and to maintain non-fungible tokens. To purchase Solana, you may go to the numerous decentralized and centralized cryptocurrency exchanges. However, the easiest way to purchase Solana is on Coinbase. Once the Solana is purchased, you can send the Solana from your Coinbase account to your Solana Cryptocurrency Wallet.
Getting a Phantom Wallet for Your Solana
After you have purchased Solana and are ready to send the Solana from your Coinbase to your cryptocurrency wallet, you will need to obtain a Solana Cryptocurrency Wallet. The best and most commonly used Solana cryptocurrency wallet is the Phantom Wallet. If you do not currently have a Phantom Wallet, you may download the Phantom Wallet at their website at the Phantom Wallet website.
While at the Phantom Wallet website you will notice a purple download button in the top-right corner. This “Download” button allows you to download the Phantom Wallet right from your desktop. Below is a screenshot with the Phantom Wallet’s main page with an arrow pointing to the “Download” button. Please make certain that when you go to download the Phantom Wallet that your internet browser has its pop-up blocker disabled, as this may block you from downloading the Phantom Wallet.
Here is a screenshot of the main page of the Phantom Wallet
Minting an Awk Monk with Your Solana
After downloading the Phantom Wallet, you can now add the Phantom Extension to your internet browser. Now that the Phantom Wallet has been added as an extension to your Internet Browser, it should appear as an extension on the browser itself, wherein you can access and manage your Phantom Wallet right from your desktop browser.
As you can see from the screenshot above, the Phantom Extension is to the right of your address bar. If you click on the extension, your Phantom Wallet will pop-up. Enter the address you created when you set-up your Phantom Wallet on the desktop computer you are currently using.
After entering your Phantom Wallet, you will then have the ability to click the “Mint Now.” You can see from the screenshot below the Mint Button is located at a few different places on our homepage.
Once you press the “Mint Now” button your NFT will appear within seconds in your Phantom Wallet. To see the Awk Monk NFT you minted, simply look in the “Your Collectibles” section of your Phantom Wallet.
Here is a screenshot of the “Your Collectibles” section in a Phantom Wallet.
Welcome to the Family!
Now that you have your own Awkward Monkey NFT, check out and discover all of the special attributes and cool characteristics that make your Awkward Monkey a unique, one-of-kind piece of art. A piece of art with utility, with function, and with pizzazz. If you’re interested in learning more about NFT Monkeys, don’t forget to check out our NFT Monkey Guide found here: The Ultimate NFT Monkey Guide.
