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 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 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 challenge founder.
“I discover it actually powerful to categorise myself as one factor or one other, but it surely’s definitely a query I get requested fairly a bit. I do have durations the place I’m extra targeted on sure issues like buying and selling however total, an artist and challenge founder is the best way I’d 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 type of stuff. I do really feel that I simply get pleasure from a lot of totally different points of the [web3] area, and I type of need to be part of all of it.”
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Whereas initially a crypto skeptic, OSF minimize his enamel in early 2021 when he purchased some Bitcoin, but it surely was his good good friend Mando who supplied 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 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 have been bearish on Apes. We weren’t even actually bearish on NFTs at this time limit. I do know it now appears to be like like an excellent 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 turned clear in a while,” OSF says.
“In our previous jobs, if somebody may 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 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 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 manner. The ground nonetheless sits at 0.47 ETH.
“I actually like nostalgia and capturing moments over time. I’m the form of one that appears to be like by means of my images 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 accomplished 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 the moment. I actually like that concept of nostalgia and capturing moments and looking out again on it. I feel artwork is a unbelievable manner to try this.”
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As a fellow Brit, OSF mentioned XCOPY’s model of artwork and his skill to seize tradition have performed a big function in his personal creation course of.
“I’d say XCOPY is certainly an inspiration — clearly, the model of the artwork but additionally the ideologies I like. I like his items by means of 2020. They’re very British items that you simply wouldn’t actually get except you have been dwelling within the U.Okay. throughout COVID-19; perhaps the Aussies would, too,” he mentioned.
“I feel that 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 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 believed it might be profitable. However half of it was actually only for myself.”
Crimson Lite District dedication until I die
OSF likes to experiment, and for holders of his assortment, the “Crimson 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 change 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,” akin to Pixelmon. His brother-in-law’s reward ultimately satisfied him to launch the piece, however as an alternative of promoting it, he determined to airdrop it to everybody who held an RLD.
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“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 Crimson Lite District. I believed it could 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’d 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 actually good and was speculated to be a 1 of 1, I feel that’s the purpose the place folks realized. They have been like, ‘Oh shit, this RLD ought to be price quite a bit’ since you’re going to get this stream of cool artwork.”
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Following the dedication of artwork eternally 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 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 value will it promote for? Will the version promote out? Have you ever taken care of your collectors and all that type of stuff,” OSF tells NFT Creator.
“I can’t assure that after 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 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 this stuff, and it’ll be like a month-to-month doc of both my life or the crypto area 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 carry out of him, just like the piece he did titled “Carnaby Avenue,” which ended up promoting at Sotheby’s for $75,600 in December 2022.
“The origins of “Carnaby Avenue” is a superb instance of how issues usually 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 exterior Soho in London, which is normally 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 Avenue” 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 working gear, drawing this factor whereas folks have been coming by means of gathering the bins and stuff. That “Carnaby Avenue” piece solely would have labored in that setting as a result of I used to be truly simply drawing it within the second.”
“The fact is, although, events like which might be few and much between. They are often magical items when it occurs, however usually there are blocks within the creative course of.”
Notable gross sales up to now
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Speedy fireplace 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 identical 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 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 being attentive 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 unimaginable. 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 unimaginable.”
“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 totally different from another artist. You may 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 actually, I actually assume he’s going to massive massive locations. He’s fairly a widely known artist now, however in a yr’s time, I feel he might be up there with the largest folks within the area.”
Favourite NFTs in your pockets that aren’t your individual
“I’m my very own struggling” by ACK, and “Retention pond baptism” by die with probably the most likes.
![](https://cointelegraph.com/magazine/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/image8-1024x576.jpg)
What do you hearken to when creating artwork:
“I’ve a very bizarre and broad style in music. It may be Taylor Swift at some point. It may 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 fashionable songs or reggae covers of fashionable songs. It’s simply probably the most random stuff. It’s in all probability a testomony to how scatty I’m normally.”
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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 working occasions, creating content material and consulting in web3. He’s an avid NFT collector and hosts a weekly podcast masking all issues NFTs.