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A self-proclaimed jack of all trades and grasp of none, OSF has change into 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 dwelling 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 severely.
Whereas he wears many hats, OSF, the artist, has been featured at Sotheby’s and has bought 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, but it surely’s actually a query I get requested fairly a bit. I do have intervals the place I’m extra targeted on sure issues like buying and selling however total, an artist and challenge founder is the way in which I might describe myself,” OSF tells NFT Creator.
“I hate the concept of constraining myself to 1 factor. I feel it’s simply most likely an issue I’ve in life. My consideration will get simply captured by something actually and as you most likely can guess, I’ve ADD and all that sort of stuff. I do really feel that I simply get pleasure from numerous totally 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, but it surely 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 bought 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 ground value sits at 26.7 ETH, with NFT costs being down for many collections since that iconic commerce.
“It’s not like we have been bearish on Apes. We weren’t even actually bearish on NFTs at this time limit. I do know it now appears like an amazing 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 suppose that turned 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 may clear up that threat in two trades and simply take the cash, you’d do it. You wouldn’t suppose twice.”
Crypto tradition, nostalgia and XCOPY
In an analogous vein to the likes of Josie Bellini and Trevor Jones, OSF has leaned into crypto tradition with a ardour for nostalgia that shines by his work.
That is exemplified by his artwork and Rekt Guy, his PFP assortment launched in Could 2022, shortly after the demise of Terra. Rekt Man, a group of roughly 8,800, was a free mint that noticed its ground 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 kind of one that appears by 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 keep in mind what I used to be doing at the moment. 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.”
As a fellow Brit, OSF mentioned XCOPY’s model of artwork and his potential to seize tradition have performed a big position in his personal creation course of.
“I might say XCOPY is unquestionably an inspiration — clearly, the model of the artwork but in addition the ideologies I like. I like taking a look at his items by 2020. They’re very British items that you simply wouldn’t actually get except you have been dwelling within the U.Ok. throughout COVID-19; possibly the Aussies would, too,” he mentioned.
“I feel that’s what I like. That’s what artwork is. It’s like if 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 believed it might 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 “Red 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 changing into an airdrop ticket to free artwork, entails his brother-in-law, who actually appreciated what would change into the primary airdropped piece: “Fuck Cash Grabs.”
OSF wasn’t as bullish on the piece initially however was impressed to create it off the again of many “NFT money grabs,” comparable to Pixelmon. His brother-in-law’s reward ultimately satisfied him to launch the piece, however as a substitute 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 worth of this piece is nearly the identical as the worth of the Purple Lite District. I believed it will actually simply be a type of issues that was price zero. Folks actually valued it, and I believed that was actually highly effective,” says OSF.
“That’s the place I believed 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 absolutely good and was imagined to be a 1 of 1, I feel that’s the purpose the place individuals realized. They have been like, ‘Oh shit, this RLD ought to be price rather a lot’ since you’re going to get this stream of cool artwork.”
Learn additionally
Following the dedication of artwork without end to RLD holders in April 2022, OSF continues to get requested if he can actually preserve that promise.
“I’ve zero doubt in my thoughts if I can preserve 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 most likely my favourite a part of the month. And it’s additionally my favourite solution 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 taken care of 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 pretty much 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 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 gymnasium session to Sotheby’s
OSF has a whole bunch 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 Street,” which ended up promoting at Sotheby’s for $75,600 in December 2022.
“The origins of “Carnaby Road” is a good 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 normally extraordinarily busy. It was lifeless. There was nobody there. Dawn was approaching, and there have been all these purple lights, and I keep in mind considering, I’ve to attract this now,” says OSF.
“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 have been coming by 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 fact 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 thus far
Speedy hearth Q&A
Influences:
“I actually like Alpha Centauri Kid. I feel the rationale why I actually like him is as a result of I feel he’s somebody who simply places out artwork primarily based on his personal private emotions or feelings or no matter he’s going by with out actually caring about what anybody else will suppose.”
I see a bit 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 way in which he gamifies issues and makes individuals really feel a bit uneasy generally. I feel it’s sensible. He’s undoubtedly a large inspiration. I like his stuff, however simply the way in which that he goes about conducting his artwork, I feel it’s wonderful.”
Which sizzling NFT artist ought to we be taking note of?
“I feel die with 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 unimaginable. He’s a efficiency artist, and folks haven’t seen his efficiency artwork but as a result of among the stuff is in actual life. It’s simply unimaginable.”
“He’s a author as effectively. He writes amazingly, and he simply captures this theme of a memetic that nobody else does. His stuff is totally different from some other artist. You can say, listed here are the animated artists, listed here are all of the glitch artists, listed here 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 suppose he’s going to massive massive locations. He’s fairly a widely known artist now, however in a 12 months’s time, I feel he might be up there with the most important individuals within the house.”
Favourite NFTs in your pockets that aren’t your personal
“I am my own suffering” by ACK, and “Retention pond baptism” by die with probably the most likes.
What do you hearken to when creating artwork:
“I’ve a extremely bizarre and huge style in music. It may be Taylor Swift sooner or later. It may be like Creed the opposite day. It’s simply actually random primarily based 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 most likely a testomony to how scatty I’m normally.”
Hyperlinks:
X: https://twitter.com/osf_rekt
Web site: https://www.osf.art/
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Greg Oakford
Greg Oakford is the co-founder of NFT Fest Australia. A former advertising 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 overlaying all issues NFTs.
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