Rik Oostenbroek Drops on Rarible, in Links: Season 2 on Etherlink.

Rik Oostenbroek is a designer and creator whose expressive colors, flowing patterns, and deep textures are downright mesmerizing. He’s designed for some of the biggest brands in the world, from Apple to Adidas, Ray-bans to Red Bull, and is killing it in the NFT space too. This week he’s bringing his creative eye to the Links series on Etherlink, reimagining the iconic links emoji. We sat down with Rik to chat about design, digital art and life. 

Discovering the digital world

Like many millennials, Rik spent much of his teenage years exploring the new world of computers and the internet. Early creative endeavors included using the hallowed MS Paint to design album covers for so-called homemade CDs (read: downloaded via Limewire). Ah - the good old days.

Growing up in the Netherlands, Rik was surrounded by what’s often considered some of the greatest art ever created (folks like Van Gogh or Vermeer), but none of it ever really clicked with him. It just didn’t resonate, and his first really meaningful experiences with art and design happened online. Browsing DeviantArt as a teenager, he came across the abstract work of David Mascha, and his mind was blown.

“I’d never been that much into art at all. In the Netherlands we have quite a majestic history in art but I never cared that much about it, it never did anything for me. But then I saw this weird abstract stuff and I was like “what on earth is this”? I dunno, somehow it clicked with me. This was something new and exciting and it wasn’t as dusty as the old masters… This was something unique, abstract, created out of nothing, and which quite amazed me”. 

From pastime to profession

From here, Rik began experimenting with digital tools. Creating, designing and playing in the sandbox of digital creativity, and sharing his work on DeviantArt, and on his own website. At 17, he landed his first freelancing gig with Volkswagen and experienced the thrill of actually earning money for something he truly loved doing.

“You need to remember: there was no social media back then, or any other way to spread your work in an organic way besides DeviantArt, and that was purely art geeks from all over the world. There was not really anything you could do to force people to see your work, so it was very interesting to be picked up at that age.”

Fun > invoices

Rik spent the bones of a decade working as a designer, collaborating with brands around the world, and making a huge name for himself. Of course, this came at a cost - working for clients can be demanding work, especially as a creative person. Balancing your own creative impulses with the needs of a brand can be stifling.

“When you work for clients there's always someone else judging if it's good enough, if it's finished, what direction you're going in etc. Over the years I lost my appetite for doing that. I kept pushing myself because I felt blessed to have those opportunities and I was grateful…On the other hand I really missed the early days of exploration where there was not so much pressure or expectation.”

In many ways, his working life was unsustainable, and the arrival of his children offered an opportunity to explore a new way of being. While he still does occasional work for big clients, he’s more intentional about the jobs he takes, and learning to say no has been a big part of finding more joy in his life. Right now, he focuses more on exploration and growth, and creating opportunities for himself.

“When our first kid came my perspective changed around what my priority should be as an artist. My priority now is more or less to have fun and not just care about sending invoices! I want to find joy in the progress of my own work rather than focus on the resume I’m building with clients.” 

His entry into the web3 space came naturally as he dove deeper into digital art, and he quickly found a home amongst the artists, tech nerds and collectors. 

“I feel like ever since stumbling upon the web3 space and the weird ecosystem we’re part of I tend to challenge myself more and find new ways to express myself.”

An evolving practice

Rik’s creative practice continues to evolve, and while the influence of design is clear in a lot of his work, there are other threads that weave through: emotion, experience, the simple beauty of the everyday world are all important influences in his work.

“I try to be influenced by myself and my own interests: stuff that I stumble upon that triggers a feeling… It could be any random thing I see in real life. I think to myself: there is a reason I find it beautiful, there’s something special here, and so I try to apply that special thing to my work. I’m like a walking color library from everything I’ve experienced in my life and I try to combine all that and stitch it together into one body of work that will grow over time. 

I want my art to evolve like I evolve as a human being; and of course as a human being you have ups and downs; and of course with work it comes and goes you have shitty periods and periods where you create real magic.” 

Rik Oostenbroek’s creative journey is one of constant evolution—shaped by curiosity, experience, and a desire to create on his own terms. He represents a new kind of creator - one who is not weighed down by traditional art history, but is instead rooted in the limitless possibilities of the digital world.As he continues to push the needle in digital art and web3, one thing remains clear: from now on, the joy of creation always comes first.