A self-proclaimed jack of all trades and grasp of none, OSF has turn into a prolific determine within the non-fungible token world in simply over two years, trading his former life at Barclay’s to focus full-time on web3, his digital artwork pursuits, his PFP undertaking Rekt Man and residing the lifetime of a degen collector.
The self-deprecating 34-year-old Englishman has a Swiss military knife of expertise fitted 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 critically.
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 undertaking founder.
“I discover it actually robust to categorise myself as one factor or one other, nevertheless it’s actually a query I get requested fairly a bit. I do have intervals the place I’m extra targeted on sure issues like trading however total, an artist and undertaking founder is the best way I might describe myself,” OSF tells NFT Creator.
“I hate the thought of constraining myself to at least one 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 form of stuff. I do really feel that I simply take pleasure in a lot of completely different facets of the [web3] house, and I form of need to be part of all of it.”
“Dinner” by OSF. (SuperRare)
Whereas initially a crypto skeptic, OSF minimize his tooth in early 2021 when he purchased some Bitcoin, nevertheless it was his good buddy 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 few week later for 5 occasions the mint worth 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 worth 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 level in time. I do know it now appears like an awesome commerce, however I’d be mendacity if I mentioned at that time in time, I feel NFTs are going to go to the place they’re now. I didn’t actually see that; I solely assume that turned clear afterward,” OSF says.
“In our previous jobs, if somebody may inform you you’ve made all this cash, however you continue to have all this danger, and you may clear up that danger in two trades and simply take the cash, you’d do it. You wouldn’t assume twice.”
Crypto tradition, nostalgia and XCOPY
In an identical vein to the likes of Josie Bellini and Trevor Jones, OSF has leaned into crypto tradition with a ardour for nostalgia that shines by means of his work.
That is exemplified by his artwork and Rekt Man, his PFP assortment launched in Could 2022, shortly after the demise of Terra. Rekt Man, a set of roughly 8,800, was a free mint that noticed its flooring run up as most different PFPs went the alternative method. The ground nonetheless sits at 0.47 ETH.
“I actually like nostalgia and capturing moments over time. I’m the type of one who appears by means 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 performed that since 2008 Q1, so it’s been 15+ years now,” says OSF.
“After I hearken to a playlist from, say, seven years in the past, I can bear in mind what I used to be doing at this time. I actually like that concept of nostalgia and capturing moments and searching again on it. I feel artwork is a incredible method to try this.”
“Rekt Man 4214” by OSF. (OpenSea)
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 additionally the ideologies I really like. I really like taking a look at his items by means of 2020. They’re very British items that you simply wouldn’t actually get except you had been residing within the U.Okay. throughout COVID-19; possibly the Aussies would, too,” he mentioned.
“I feel that that’s what I really like. That’s what artwork is. It’s like once 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 might be iconic.”
“With my artwork, I feel I simply acknowledged that, and I noticed that’s how XCOPY did it. I assume I wished to do the identical factor, and half of it was as a result of I assumed it may very well be profitable. However half of it was actually only for myself.”
Purple Lite District dedication until I die
OSF likes to experiment, and for holders of his assortment, the “Purple 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, entails his brother-in-law, who actually preferred what would turn into 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,” similar 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.
“Purple Lite District” by OSF. Supply: OpenSea
“After a few days of the primary piece [Fuck Cash Grabs] being airdropped, I used to be like, wow, the worth of this piece is sort of the identical as the worth of the Purple Lite District. I assumed it will actually simply be a kind of issues that was price 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 imagined to be a 1 of 1, I feel that’s the purpose the place folks realized. They had been like, ‘Oh shit, this RLD ought to be price quite a bit’ since you’re going to get this stream of cool artwork.”
Learn additionally
Options
Crypto critics: Can FUD ever be helpful?
Options
Loopy outcomes when present legal guidelines utilized to NFTs and the metaverse
Following the dedication of artwork perpetually 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 take pleasure in it. I’ve lots of 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 worth will it sell for? Will the version sell out? Have you ever sorted your collectors and all that form of stuff,” OSF tells NFT Creator.
“I can’t assure that after 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 really like that in 10 years’ time, I’m going to look by means 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 these items, 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 lots of of artwork concepts in notes however loves the spontaneous nature that artwork can convey 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 yr 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 beneath 👇 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 folks had been coming by means of amassing the bins and stuff. That “Carnaby Road” piece solely would have labored in that setting as a result of I used to be really simply drawing it within the second.”
“The truth is, although, events like which might be few and much between. They are often magical items when it occurs, however typically there are blocks within the inventive course of.”
Notable gross sales up to now
“Lova Park” offered for 82.888 ETH ($267,800 equal on the date of sale) on April 10, 2022. (SuperRare)
“Skilled degen 4” offered for 62 ETH ($113,000 equal on the date of sale) on Could 27, 2023. (SuperRare)
“Morning commute” offered for 35 ETH ($133,900 equal on the date of sale) on April 10, 2022. (SuperRare)
Speedy hearth Q&A
Influences:
“I actually like Alpha Centauri Child. I feel the rationale 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 means 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 need 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 folks really feel a bit uneasy generally. I feel it’s good. He’s undoubtedly an enormous inspiration. I really like his stuff, however simply the best way that he goes about conducting his artwork, I feel it’s superb.”
Which sizzling NFT artist ought to we be listening to?
“I feel die with probably the most likes is superb. I don’t know if he’s nonetheless upcoming or not as a result of he’s been on the timeline quite a bit. However that man is unbelievable. He’s a efficiency artist, and other people haven’t seen his efficiency artwork but as a result of a few of the stuff is in actual life. It’s simply unbelievable.”
“He’s a author as nicely. He writes amazingly, and he simply captures this theme of a memetic that nobody else does. His stuff is completely different from every other artist. You would 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 good, and truthfully, I actually assume he’s going to large large locations. He’s fairly a well known artist now, however in a yr’s time, I feel he may very well be up there with the most important folks 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.
“I’m my very own struggling” by ACK. (OpenSea)
What do you hearken to when creating artwork:
“I’ve a very bizarre and broad style in music. It could be Taylor Swift one day. It could be like Creed the opposite day. It’s simply actually random based mostly on what I really feel like listening to. It may very well be as random as piano covers of standard songs or reggae covers of standard songs. It’s simply probably the most random stuff. It’s in all probability a testomony to how scatty I’m typically.”
Hyperlinks:
X: https://twitter.com/osf_rekt
Web site: https://www.osf.artwork/
Subscribe
Probably the most participating reads in blockchain. Delivered as soon as a
week.
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 masking all issues NFTs.
Comply with the creator @GregOakford