Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Olivia Stafne. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Olivia, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I think every artist deals with imposter syndrome at some point. It is pretty scary when you start to land bigger projects that pay a lot more than what you’re used to, and it’s easy to feel like you’re going to do something to disappoint your client. I have a very complex and intelligent mantra that I’ve started to tell myself, and it’s this: be delusional! Just believe that there are no rules in life, because there aren’t- especially in the art world. Believe that you can be successful and that you can land these huge deals, because who says you can’t? You are just as qualified as anyone else, honey! Be silly. Be delusional. Roll with the opportunities that come.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a self-taught painter and muralist from Orlando, Florida. I’m mainly focusing on murals now, which I find to be really rewarding. To see my work go up on such a huge scale that so many people can interact with is something that I never thought would happen if you asked me just 5 years ago. But to me, that’s only a small part of it- I really love how immersive the entire process is. Sometimes I’ll look at the huge blank wall in front of me and think- how the hell am I going to pull this off? And of course each wall has its own challenges: sometimes the texture won’t allow me to create super straight lines, sometimes I need to apply 5 coats of each color, sometimes it’s outside and the weather isn’t working in my favor… It’s just days or weeks worth of constant problem solving, which is what my brain loves to do. I end up doing a million things at once, completely in the moment with paint all over my clothes and body, usually sweaty and disgusting. It’s very primal to me, I just love it. Next up on my agenda I have a few murals going up in the new and improved Winter Park Village! I’ll be doing one inside of a new champagne bar that’s opening, and a few more within the breezeways of the complex that people will be able to walk by and take pictures with. So keep your eyes peeled for those!
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Number one thing I’ve learned in my art journey is: share your work! It took me a long time to work up the courage to start posting my artwork, but at this point, most of my career is because of Instagram. You never know who is admiring your work from afar and who may be a potential client. Number two: don’t try too hard to come up with a “style”. That’s something that will come naturally. Just keep creating and eventually when you have enough pieces, you can look at them all side by side and see themes and schemes that emerge. I think if you try too hard to have a specific style, all your pieces will end up looking the exact same. Let it be authentic.
Number three: you’re not going to like everything you make- and that’s okay! I have so many ugly projects that I never finished. Don’t be discouraged by that, you can’t just start out creating masterpieces. It’s not wasted time, it’s all part of the process. You can learn something from every failed project and let it help you improve.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I feel overwhelmed, I try to take an actual break. I think the work schedule of an artist is pretty brutal because we ALWAYS feel like there’s something we should be doing. Even when I’m just scrolling on Instagram or whatever, I’m still getting ideas and inspiration for my work. It’s important to take a real break- read a book, go to the beach, sit outside and literally watch grass grow. For at least an entire day (maybe a couple), don’t do anything creative at all. Then when you get back to it, you’ll be dying to get some ideas out!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.oliviastafneart.com
- Instagram: @oliviastafne_art
Image Credits
@lynetteortiz.photo
