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Daring Creativity
"I always try to maintain that energy from the 14-year-old Rik." (Rik Oostenbroek bonus episode)
00:11:38
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Transcript9 lines
- [00:01]
A
Hey, welcome to another bonus episode of the Daring Creativity Podcast. This is bonus episode number 40 and I'm back to unpack some of the gems from this week's conversation, pulling out some of those moments that deserve a second look and digging deeper into what makes them special. This week I spoke to Rick Ostenbruck, a Dutch visual artist and lifelong creative explorer who has spent over two decades building a singular body of work. You see, Rick has always been guided by the curiosity of his 14 year old self. In our conversation, we explored what it means to protect your creative identity over a long career, why mystery in art matters more than ever, and how the loss of dear friend became the push to finally get his hands dirty. The episode published a few days ago was titled Dare to not know who you are and it was a great opportunity to catch up with Rick and pop down the memory lane for a bit and then chat about what future might hold too. If you haven't checked out a full episode, let me share with you these four standout moments.
- [01:07]
B
It all started as a 14 year old inspired by people like you actually sitting on Devin Darts. I never know how to pronounce it and the energy I got there from like seeing something I was curious about. I didn't know what I was looking at. Looking at your work, looking at just Chuck Anderson, Josh Davis. I know it was something I couldn't grasp like what it was and I was inspired by it and that sort of curiosity, exploring through the digital softwares and trying to figure out my own language. I really tried to maintain that energy. And of course there have been tons of moments where I was tired of it, where I wanted to give up. But I always kept on looking for those new ways of staying curious basically and putting myself somewhere. I had to learn and I had to force myself into new ways of expressing myself and that kept me hungry in a way. It's also been scary at points where either like the financial reward wasn't that big. That's always a juggle. You need to make some money, but you also need to keep yourself happy and most of the times those things don't really align. You've probably been through that yourself as well. It's been a constant juggle, but I always tried to maintain that energy from the 14 year old Rick where I was simply being curious and wanted to explore new ways of expressing myself.
- [02:25]
A
This moment is super interesting because as these things happen, I'm currently going through a book about Virgil Abloh and his quote was I'm doing things for my 17 year old self. In Rick's case, he's talking about maintaining energy of the 14 year old self because one that was curious, wanting to explore new ways of expressing himself. And most creators would talk about finding their voice, but Rick really talked about protecting that voice. The fact that he was tracing everything back to being a teenager, searching on deviant art for inspiration. Not to search for a breakthrough client, not to go for a viral moment, not to find a career mindstone. It talks about something important, how he thinks Curiosity. Forex isn't a face you grow out of, it's the engine. What makes it so resonant is that most people slowly replace that open wandering energy with expertise, obligation and comfort. Rick has spent 20 years actively resisting that replacement. He didn't just survive the industry's shifting tides, he did it by refusing to let professionalism get in the way of the kid who just wanted to make cool things and figure out however people make theirs.
- [03:44]
B
I mean like I'm looking back at things a lot, especially reflecting a lot in this time, like at this age, in this time, like where we're at and the conditions the world is in, the condition advertising order in and reflecting back, I think I've done quite well. The only thing that I keep on thinking is have we been in a bubble? That's sort of like what I've been thinking about a lot lately. Was it a bubble because we were so celebrated as digital creators and we were rewarded so bigly and I wouldn't say like we didn't deserve it because we do great stuff, but whenever I reflect right now I'm like, oh my gosh, those opportunities were quite unreal, like at the pace they were following each other up, like I had buy that to client. I was invited to go here and then a week later I was invited to go there to work on this coupe. I was treated in every sunglass hat worldwide. And to me that was all normal, right? And right now it slows down a little bit for all of us, I guess. And I'm like, that was actually quite cool. So the only thing whenever I look back at whatever was happened and whatever I'm critical of to towards myself is that I couldn't enjoy it more, that it was too normal to me, you know what I mean?
- [04:56]
A
I've known Rick for a while and I really admired the fact that he's decided to step away from commissions that used to be very, very lucrative. Because in that golden era, constant commissions, global features, speaking, invitations, collaborations, it was the boiling frog problem applied to success when extraordinary became routine. He stopped registering. He stopped registering it as extraordinary. And what makes this observation from Rick so valuable is how universal it really is. Most people only recognize the significance of a period in their lives four or five years later after it ends. And I can put my hand up and say, yes, it makes perfect sense. I am one of those people. Sometimes we were just too busy and too distracted to recognize how good some of the things are and how potentially disruptive they can be. So in Rick's case, his willingness to say this out loud is a gift to anyone currently in their own golden era and not yet aware of it. The invitation here is simple. Slow down, look around, and notice what's actually happening while it's happening.
- [06:19]
B
It's the most frustrating process ever. You probably know it. You've been printing your work at times as well, especially if it's like a book and you need to do everything in cmyk. Linear gradients are, like, the worst thing to print correctly. Color profiles, there are so many things at play. But I once did this collaboration with this guy with Rug, and I got so many cool responses because it was a visible object. And that was the moment where I was like, okay, my work is only visible on screens. And apparently whenever it's not on screens, more people tend to understand it. Again, it's putting it in a whole different perspective. And all of a sudden, you reach a different crowd. And again, like, it's not just to monetize your craft, which is interesting, but you can also inspire a whole new crowd. To do that is quite a process. And I have to say that at times, I'm still not fully happy with it because I want to mock it up. Actually, every time I mock it up, I'm like, okay, let's get it. It's perfect. It's very hard to have that control over it, yours so involved in the end product.
- [07:22]
A
If you are just a tiny bit familiar with what Rick creates. Visually, it's a beautiful cocktail of colors, shapes, textures, vibrancy. And for someone like him, who's built an entire career in the digital realm, this standout moment is a genuine revelation. Rick has spent decades creating work that lived exclusively on monitors, phones, and gallery screens. And then he discovered that removing a screen entirely changed how people connect with his work. Not just from aesthetics point of view, but emotionally. The physical object did something the pixels couldn't. What's fascinating here is the paradox. A digital artist finding that his work becomes more understood, more accessible, and more human to the moment it stops being digital. The move into screen Printing, making books, making large scale sculptures, a woven rug. It's an expansion. And the frustration Rick describes is that getting, you know, a full CMYK colors to honor what RGB promised on screen, it's a tricky part. But here you see learning to surrender control is trust in the process and let the material go, do what material does. That's not technical problem, that is art.
- [08:48]
B
Yeah. And also the way he always approached life or work, he was very much a believer of like, once he was too comfortable with something, he moved on, he did something totally else. And money was never his motivation to do that. And that's something he always preached for. Make it fun. Like you only live one life and make sure it's fun and don't drag yourself into repeating yourself too much for clients or like, just. Just stick close to your core. And that's what he did. He's actually still going to release a book. They're working on it. He started with graffiti, like that was his first personal creative expression. And he went back to like his last two years he spent doing that. And they're going to release a book, pieces of his that he photographed himself. He also took that very serious with camera and stuff like that. And yeah, it's. It's great. Ten days from now, I'm going to hang with all his friends again and just celebrate his life, which is wild.
- [09:44]
A
Rick and I dedicated the episode to our friend Rudger Palooza, who sadly passed away from cancer just a few months ago. Rudger was an important part of Rick's life, and his tribute to Rudger is the emotional heart of this episode. And in this particular line, it is where it crystallizes into something genuinely interactive. Alf Rudger wasn't just a good friend. He was a living creative philosophy. The idea that comfort is a warning sign, not a reward, cuts against almost everything this industry tells you to aim for. Most creatives chase stability. Rudger read comfort as a cue to leave. That restlessness channeled with intention and integrity produced a body of work that outlasted him and continues to influence people who never even met him. Rick carrying that forward, literally taking himself to screen printing studios every month because Rudger told him to get off the screen. It is one of the most beautiful examples of a mentor's voice living on through someone else's hands. Thank you for joining me on this bonus episode. I hope you check out a full conversation with Rick and I look forward to catching you on the next one. If you enjoyed this episode and would like more accessible resources to help you discover your daring creativity. You can pick up one of my books on themes of mindful creativity, creative business, branding and graphic design. Every physical book purchase comes with a free digital bundle, including an ebook and and audiobook to make the content accessible wherever you are and whatever you do. To get 10% of your order, visit novemberuniverse.co.uk and use the Code podcast. Have a look around and start living daringly.