A self-proclaimed jack of all trades and grasp of none, OSF has grow to be a prolific determine within the non-fungible token world in simply over two years, buying and selling his former life at Barclay’s to focus full-time on web3, his digital artwork pursuits, his PFP challenge Rekt Man and residing the lifetime of a degen collector.
The self-deprecating 34-year-old Englishman has a Swiss military knife of abilities suited to a contemporary world of making digital objects — being a self-taught coder, understanding web tradition, with a capability to seize consideration and never take himself too severely.
Whereas he wears many hats, OSF, the artist, has been featured at Sotheby’s and has offered a number of items for six figures. He describes himself most as an artist and challenge founder.
“I discover it actually powerful to categorise myself as one factor or one other, nevertheless it’s actually a query I get requested fairly a bit. I do have durations the place I’m extra centered on sure issues like buying and selling however total, an artist and challenge founder is the best way I might describe myself,” OSF tells NFT Creator.
“I hate the concept of constraining myself to 1 factor. I feel it’s simply in all probability an issue I’ve in life. My consideration will get simply captured by something actually and as you in all probability can guess, I’ve ADD and all that sort of stuff. I do really feel that I simply get pleasure from numerous completely different facets of the [web3] house, and I sort of wish to be part of all of it.”
Whereas initially a crypto skeptic, OSF reduce his enamel in early 2021 when he purchased some Bitcoin, nevertheless it was his good good friend Mando who offered the nudge required for OSF to actually catch the NFT curiosity bug.
It wasn’t lengthy till he discovered himself making use of his previous decade of expertise as a dealer in conventional finance to this new rising asset class of NFTs. Initially minting 150 Bored Apes (0.08 ETH every) in late April 2021, OSF offered most of them a couple of week later for 5 instances the mint value however remained a big Ape holder, teaming up with Mando in September 2021 to mix their collections.
The duo made headlines in February 2023, promoting round 70 Apes at a wholesome clip of 78 ETH every into Blur bids as liquidity rushed again into NFTs after Blur Season 1’s airdrop occurred. Apes’ present flooring value sits at 26.7 ETH, with NFT costs being down for many collections since that iconic commerce.
“It’s not like we had been bearish on Apes. We weren’t even actually bearish on NFTs at this time limit. I do know it now seems to be like an incredible commerce, however I’d be mendacity if I mentioned at that time limit, I feel NFTs are going to go to the place they’re now. I didn’t actually see that; I solely assume that grew to become clear afterward,” OSF says.
“In our outdated jobs, if somebody might inform you you’ve made all this cash, however you continue to have all this threat, and you’ll clear up that threat in two trades and simply take the cash, you’d do it. You wouldn’t assume twice.”
Crypto tradition, nostalgia and XCOPY
In the same vein to the likes of Josie Bellini and Trevor Jones, OSF has leaned into crypto tradition with a ardour for nostalgia that shines by way of his work.
That is exemplified by his artwork and Rekt Man, his PFP assortment launched in Might 2022, shortly after the demise of Terra. Rekt Man, a group of roughly 8,800, was a free mint that noticed its flooring run up as most different PFPs went the alternative means. The ground nonetheless sits at 0.47 ETH.
“I actually like nostalgia and capturing moments over time. I’m the form of one that seems to be by way of my pictures from 10 years in the past simply to see what I used to be doing then. I’ve organized my music into quarterly playlists. I’ve 2008 Q1, 2008 Q2 and so forth. I’ve achieved that since 2008 Q1, so it’s been 15+ years now,” says OSF.
“After I take heed to a playlist from, say, seven years in the past, I can bear in mind what I used to be doing presently. I actually like that concept of nostalgia and capturing moments and looking out again on it. I feel artwork is a incredible means to try this.”
As a fellow Brit, OSF mentioned XCOPY’s type of artwork and his potential to seize tradition have performed a big position in his personal creation course of.
“I might say XCOPY is certainly an inspiration — clearly, the type of the artwork but in addition the ideologies I like. I like his items by way of 2020. They’re very British items that you simply wouldn’t actually get except you had been residing within the U.Ok. throughout COVID-19; possibly the Aussies would, too,” he mentioned.
“I feel that that’s what I like. That’s what artwork is. It’s like while you see one thing and simply actually join with it and get it. I feel items that may seize tradition in moments in time find yourself being those which are iconic.”
“With my artwork, I feel I simply acknowledged that, and I noticed that’s how XCOPY did it. I suppose I needed to do the identical factor, and half of it was as a result of I assumed it might be profitable. However half of it was actually only for myself.”
Pink Lite District dedication until I die
OSF likes to experiment, and for holders of his assortment, the “Pink Lite District,” it comes with a “until the day I die” dedication, with OSF promising a brand new piece of artwork each single month till his time on earth concludes.
The story behind RLD, an version of 210 NFTs turning into an airdrop ticket to free artwork, includes his brother-in-law, who actually preferred what would grow to be the primary airdropped piece: “Fuck Money Grabs.”
OSF wasn’t as bullish on the piece initially however was impressed to create it off the again of many “NFT money grabs,” equivalent to Pixelmon. His brother-in-law’s reward finally satisfied him to launch the piece, however as an alternative of promoting it, he determined to airdrop it to everybody who held an RLD.
“After a few days of the primary piece [Fuck Cash Grabs] being airdropped, I used to be like, wow, the value of this piece is sort of the identical as the value of the Pink Lite District. I assumed it might actually simply be a kind of issues that was value zero. Individuals actually valued it, and I assumed that was actually highly effective,” says OSF.
“That’s the place I assumed I might simply do it as a month-to-month factor for anybody that holds an RLD version. After I airdropped the second piece, “Skilled Degen 3,” which is admittedly good and was speculated to be a 1 of 1, I feel that’s the purpose the place individuals realized. They had been like, ‘Oh shit, this RLD needs to be value rather a lot’ since you’re going to get this stream of cool artwork.”
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Following the dedication of artwork ceaselessly to RLD holders in April 2022, OSF continues to get requested if he can actually hold that promise.
“I’ve zero doubt in my thoughts if I can hold it going or not. I don’t really feel like creating a brand new piece each month is a pressure on me; I actually get pleasure from it. I’ve a whole bunch of concepts written down, and it’s in all probability my favourite a part of the month. And it’s additionally my favourite approach to launch artwork as a result of [when] contrasted with a 1 of 1 or an version, there’s an expectation. For instance, what value will it promote for? Will the version promote out? Have you ever sorted your collectors and all that sort of stuff,” OSF tells NFT Creator.
“I can’t assure that once I’m 105, the standard of my artwork goes to be nearly as good as it’s now; who is aware of? Going again to the nostalgia factor, I like that in 10 years’ time, I’m going to look by way of seasons one and two of airdrops. Proper now, in season two, it’s so early, however I’m going to have the ability to look again on all this stuff, and it’ll be like a month-to-month doc of both my life or the crypto house or no matter it’s that I’ve drawn for the remainder of time.”
From an early morning fitness center session to Sotheby’s
OSF has a whole bunch of artwork concepts in notes however loves the spontaneous nature that artwork can carry out of him, just like the piece he did titled “Carnaby Road,” which ended up promoting at Sotheby’s for $75,600 in December 2022.
“The origins of “Carnaby Road” is a superb instance of how issues typically occur within the second for me. I rocked as much as a Barry’s boot camp class and turned up too early. It was about 5 am, and I used to be simply sitting outdoors Soho in London, which is often extraordinarily busy. It was useless. There was nobody there. Dawn was approaching, and there have been all these purple lights, and I bear in mind pondering, I’ve to attract this now,” says OSF.
1. As if this 12 months wasn’t already so surreal for me, I’m extremely stoked to have the ability to end it off with a 1/1 public sale at @Sothebys!
“Carnaby Road” is now open for bidding, with a $1 reserve, hyperlink under 👇 pic.twitter.com/n27S4mSfVj
— OSF (@osf_rekt) December 15, 2022
“I had about an hour to kill, so I pulled out my iPad and sat down on this bench in my operating gear, drawing this factor whereas individuals had been coming by way of accumulating the bins and stuff. That “Carnaby Road” piece solely would have labored in that setting as a result of I used to be truly simply drawing it within the second.”
“The truth is, although, events like which are few and much between. They are often magical items when it occurs, however typically there are blocks within the creative course of.”
Notable gross sales so far
Fast fireplace Q&A
Influences:
“I actually like Alpha Centauri Child. I feel the explanation why I actually like him is as a result of I feel he’s somebody who simply places out artwork based mostly on his personal private emotions or feelings or no matter he’s going by way of with out actually caring about what anybody else will assume.”
I see a chunk of his, and it simply goes deep. He does issues on his personal phrases and his personal guidelines. He’s similar to, ‘I’m simply creating stuff that I wish to create, and right here it’s on my phrases, and if you wish to purchase it, you should buy it. If not, then not.’”
“I additionally like the best way he gamifies issues and makes individuals really feel a bit uneasy typically. I feel it’s sensible. He’s positively a large inspiration. I like his stuff, however simply the best way that he goes about conducting his artwork, I feel it’s wonderful.”
Which scorching NFT artist ought to we be being attentive to?
“I feel die with probably the most likes is wonderful. I don’t know if he’s nonetheless upcoming or not as a result of he’s been on the timeline rather a lot. However that man is unbelievable. He’s a efficiency artist, and other people haven’t seen his efficiency artwork but as a result of among the stuff is in actual life. It’s simply unbelievable.”
“He’s a author as properly. He writes amazingly, and he simply captures this theme of a memetic that nobody else does. His stuff is completely different from some other artist. You possibly can say, listed below are the animated artists, listed below are all of the glitch artists, listed below are the neo-precision artists or no matter, however there’s nobody like die with probably the most likes.”
“His stuff is simply so in your face and crass; I feel it’s sensible, and actually, I actually assume he’s going to huge huge locations. He’s fairly a well known artist now, however in a 12 months’s time, I feel he might be up there with the largest individuals within the house.”
Favourite NFTs in your pockets that aren’t your personal
“I’m my very own struggling” by ACK, and “Retention pond baptism” by die with probably the most likes.
What do you take heed to when creating artwork:
“I’ve a extremely bizarre and broad style in music. It is likely to be Taylor Swift in the future. It is likely to be like Creed the opposite day. It’s simply actually random based mostly on what I really feel like listening to. It might be as random as piano covers of in style songs or reggae covers of in style songs. It’s simply probably the most random stuff. It’s in all probability a testomony to how scatty I’m basically.”
Hyperlinks:
X: https://twitter.com/osf_rekt Web site: https://www.osf.artwork/
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Greg Oakford
Greg Oakford is the co-founder of NFT Fest Australia. A former advertising and marketing and communications specialist within the sports activities world, Greg now focuses his time on operating occasions, creating content material and consulting in web3. He’s an avid NFT collector and hosts a weekly podcast protecting all issues NFTs.
