Every day, millions of artists enter their studio and instead of picking up a brush, a pencil, or a can of spray paint, they power on their computers, tablets, and cameras. They are digital-native artists who, at the end of their creative process, have created a digital file. Does that digital file have value?

Sentimental value? Yes. Visual value? Yes. Monetary value? No. Digital files can’t retain monetary value. That is, until the year 2008 when the blockchain was created. The blockchain presented an opportunity whereby digital files (such as a digital artwork) could have a cryptographic signature that made it a unique asset. An asset that couldn’t be copied and pasted, for then the cryptographic signature, and its authentic identity, would be lost.