Meet Olivia Williams | Artist
We had the good fortune of connecting with Olivia Williams and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Olivia, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
To me, risk is something that can either be scary or exciting. If that risk is more scary than exciting than you might be making a bad decision, but if that risk is more exciting than scary, you might not be taking a big enough risk. Recently I decided to move back home to Alabama and get a job to jumpstart my career and save up some money in order to do what I love, which is paint. After two months of my job, (painting for a company) I decided to take a risk and switch to part time. Though I am taking quite the pay cut, I’ve decided this risk of the best risk to take. I am able to spend more time creating, drawing, painting, seeing family, and spreading my art with anyone and everyone! I also believe art is ALL about taking risks. That is the beauty of it. If you’re showing people things they are already comfortable with, you’re playing it safe. Give them a challenge! Show them something they’ve never seen before! THAT is what taking risks in art is about.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is sort of all over the place. Though as of recently, I have found myself in love with scientific/botanical art. I have always loved drawing living things. Animals, people, plants… you name it. Before SCAD, I mainly worked in pan pastels and colored pencils, but during my junior year I fell in love with watercolor. I began using drier watercolor paints to get a more detailed and precise look in my work. I have always been a detail oriented artist and I heavily valued the amount of control I had over a colored pencil and I desired that amount of precision with my watercolors. So I taught myself how to use watercolors like pencils. This was not an easy technique for me to learn, but I am very glad I did because I feel like it sets me apart from other watercolor and colored pencil artists. I am extremely excited to continue down this scientific/botanical art path and to study the other artists in the field.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Though I recently moved back home to Alabama, Savannah, Georgia will always be considered my second home. It has so much character and I miss it more and more every day. If my best friend was visiting, there are a few places I would just HAVE to take them. The Vault and Nom Nom are the best places if you’re looking for the freshest sushi or poké bowls! As for shopping, you can’t pass up Picker Joe’s antiques! If you love plants as much as I do, then you’d absolutely have to hit Stump! Stump has some of the most unique and interesting plants I’ve ever seen! Lastly you haven’t been to Savannah unless you’ve been on at least one ghost tour. I love anything spooky so I would absolutely recommend going on a walking tour at night! Savannah is overall one of the most unique places I have ever been to and I hope everyone gets to experience it at least once.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I think if there is anyone I should give a shoutout to, it’s my family. Since day one, my family have always been my biggest supporters. I thank God every day for blessing me with such amazing people and for their endless love and support. I would also like to thank two of my past SCAD professors Casey Nelson and Kristie Bruzenak. Both of these professors challenged me to become a better artist and taught me so much about how to apply my knowledge in my field. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for all of these wonderful people. So thank you to each of you for your constant support!
Instagram: Olimae_illustrations
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