Meet Olive Lardner

We recently connected with Olive Lardner and have shared our conversation below.

Olive, thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
As someone who has been disciplined and highly motivated since they can remember, when burnout came onto the scene, it felt hostile. As they say, “You are only afraid of what you don’t understand.” I had goals to meet, and without understanding why, my focus was dwindling. I mean, nothing changed, and I still felt an incredible pressure to do what I felt was right. So why am I not doing more? Do I not care anymore? Am I heartless? Soulless? Where have I gone? But all of this buildup was the problem.

I overcame burnout by accepting it. That is not to say I sat around most of the day, mourning what once was. Although, that’s what it may look like from the outside, especially if you were once out on the scene, working with people or posting your creations online. Yet, the worry of how you appear to others just creates negative pressure, whereas my focus needed to not be on “how” I worked, it needed to be on “why” I worked.

I needed to do it for myself. Not because I had some sort of “duty” to fulfill, such as getting money, making the best art, seeking justice, eating better, sleeping better, etc. etc.. No, I needed to do it because it brought me joy. It is not that I disliked art or research (another interest of mine), but it was all a means to the end of creation. I was failing to indulge in the creation itself and to give myself credit for just how amazing I was – am doing. I felt all of this pressure, and the reason why it became burnout, is because I never let the good stuff sink in.

See, I tied my value up with an idea of what I should be, instead of just allowing myself to be. In fact, I had no choice but to love myself, for just being the beautiful thing that is an alive and contemplative creature, during a time where I couldn’t express myself in more complex ways. I’m confident my brain was stopping me from creating more until I decided to love what I was creating. Otherwise, what is the point?

Suddenly, pressure aside, I was, ironically, creating again, because I made myself feel safe enough, in my own presence, to be myself. It was like I was performing without realizing it, until I collapsed and realized the floor beneath me was a stage. It did not matter what I was making – music, poetry, art, or film. I can never have it all figured out and there is no ultimate goal to be met. The best thing anyone can do for themselves in a time of burnout is to take care of what they need. The rest will naturally follow.

I appreciate my burnout, as no longer an enemy, but as a part of my own self – same as the sadness, anger, and joy that makes up my art. Burnout looks different for everyone. It could be a blockage or full blown dissociation. In the end, do not panic, and just acknowledge you are overwhelmed. Now that I know this, I feel I am better positioned to also help others going through it. After all, we should treat ourselves with the same kindness we extend to others.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am inevitably a musician, visual artist, storyteller, and investigator. It is a saying of mine that “everything is context for everything.” So, I have to meet my own needs to inform my understanding of what others may need. This means, even though I want to do filmmaking and research, I cannot sacrifice music or art. It also means that the more experience I have in relation to my professional career, even if it is not the exact work (although this is necessary), the better off I will be. For instance, even work as a cashier can inform how you treat people down the line as a CEO.

That being said, it my lifelong goal to produce a documentary on the operation and impact of Child Protective Services (CPS). During my childhood, I realized how necessary it is to enable children to be themselves. This realization was amplified by high school, where all of the art kids were typically “going through it” and used art, the classroom, and the friends we met there, as outlets to be ourselves. During this time, I also realized how important it was to share our stories – to be seen by one another.

In college, I took Intro to Political Science and was immediately inspired by the power of the people to shape their own governance. Policy is one powerful way we can alter our lives, for better and worse. What hurt, is also finding the lack of civic education for people “going through it,” such as the youth. This point became prominent during my research, for as much as research made me realize how many stories were out there, and I felt seen by just reading journals and looking at statistics, I felt simultaneously betrayed. This wonderful, science-driven information was trapped behind paywalls and jargon.

Once again, the role of communication came into play and I started to wonder how the youth could be empowered. But, what about all of those films I saw that made me feel seen? What if films could empower through information? But, even documentaries battle with the never-ending question of how to make a form that inherently has perspective, objective. There’s even this idea that a documentary can be formatted like a journal article, listing its sources and limitations.

When it comes to being a voice, or an advocate, I found it was especially important for children who are yet to develop their voices, but are still people deserving of fairness as much as you or I. CPS then became a highlight of my research for its varying protocols and implementations across jurisdictions, resulting in vastly different outcomes. Remember, however, policy is reached at the end of society’s echos. So, any effort to better understand the experience of children, like films such as “Short Term 12” or music like “Backseat” by Little Simz, will create ripples that will turn into real change.

What does this all mean for me? I am focusing my efforts right now on understanding best practices for research, and applying them towards the topic of child welfare. When I feel confident in how fairly I can represent the issue, I want to share this knowledge, including how I came about it, with the greater public. But, along the way, I will continue to make art, music, and other creations to contribute to the evidence of the human race and to show people what we all should be supported to do: Be ourselves.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1) Follow your instincts. Most of my major goofs and lack of clarity is caused by ignoring my instincts. Of course, be rational, but sometimes, what is rational is what makes you happy. Truly happy.

2) Seek discomfort. When following your instincts, you might be intimidated by doing something you’ve never done before, and you might even think, that because you don’t understand something, you are not qualified to do it. The reality is, you can only learn the thing if you do the thing. So if you want to do it, trust your ability to learn, and go for it.

3) Take it one step at a time. When push comes to shove, and implementing your plan starts to overwhelm you, remember, you can only do one task at a time. You might have a bunch of goals, but you only have one conscience. If you are still overwhelmed, break the step up into two – you will get it done all the same once you just start.

When learning any skill, you need to have patience. You will have false-starts. You will fail. The time it takes you to succeed will be different from the next person. It can be incredibly frustrating, especially with other stressors on the noggin. However, trust you deserve good things, and use that as motivation to never stop bettering yourself to achieve your goals.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My grandfather, Frank, always dishes out words of wisdom marinated in a lifetime of experiences. His loving but “frank” lessons always snap me into reality, and remind me of how fortunate I am to have this life. He will say things that I perhaps already “know,” but often taken for granted. For instance, I might make art or music, but when my grandfather tells me that my creations are amazing and I should never give them up, it starts to sink in. When he talks about how much he loves his wife Kathy, I feel as though I know what true love looks like. When he talks about finances, I follow his advice, even though we are living in a different time.

He truly has it all figured out and now, is doing his best to help his grandchildren achieve the same. Even though we don’t talk often enough, what he shares is embedded in a deeply lived life. My grandparents, like many, didn’t have a lot growing up. But they had love and will. I was unable to meet my other grandparents, so I feel especially privileged to know my mother’s parents. I will never take his thoughts for granted and they have helped me in every aspect of my life. Most importantly, although he found success outside of the arts, he has still, never devalued art or music, and the joy it brings him is enough of a reason for me to keep going.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Empathy Unlocked: Understanding how to Develop Emotional Intelligence

“Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It’s the impetus

Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Boosting Productivity Through Self-Care

When you have a never-ending to-do list it can feel irresponsible to engage in self-care,