Meet Olivia MacDonald

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Olivia MacDonald. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Olivia below.

Olivia , so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
Optimism to me is a choice. It’s a choice to be grateful for every little thing we have, who we are, and that we’ve been given this life, no matter the hardships, no matter how horrible this world can be.

It’s about finding joy in your morning tea, in a walk in nature, finding joy even in the rain because even that is a blessing. Every day we are inundated with news of murders, war, disease, and natural disasters. This is all out of our control and only breeds fear. As a believer, I love to be reminded that “fear not” is written in the Bible 365 times, one for every day of the year. Where optimism comes into play is focusing on what we can control. May the words that you speak be gentle and kind. May the relationships you maintain be healthy and nurturing. May you spend your time wisely, challenging yourself through new hobbies and taking risks. May all your actions towards yourself and others be done with love.

My optimism resides in these values I hold for myself. In everything I do, I strive to go the extra mile, even if that extra mile (or the whole journey for that matter) is mountainous and rocky. I just put one foot in front of the other and rest in knowing that my attitude, faith, and determination will get me through. I choose the optimistic route.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m Olivia, the girl behind Ink By Olivia! I’m a 26-year-old pen and ink artist from Boston, MA. I do everything from drawing to screen printing to packaging and shipping to marketing to customer service. I would describe my illustration work as thought-provoking and unconventionally playful, as I love to combine different elements into one piece, metaphors for my daily experiences and thoughts.

I initially started Ink By Olivia in the winter of 2018 to help my cousin in Switzerland through his depression. He is like a brother to me, so I began drawing a new piece every single day because I wanted to make him smile and help him deal with the heavy things he experienced, while helping him see the positives again and the good in life through all the bad. There is a deep and layered meaning behind each piece I create and behind the core of my company. My work is all about seeing the light in the darkness and capturing the beautiful moments in life, without the need for color.

Through my collection of over 1,800 ink drawings, I’ve been able to inspire so many through my art. People from all over the world have told me stories of their own personal struggles and that my art has had a positive impact on their healing journeys which is the greatest compliment I could ever receive. I’ve also had the opportunity to collaborate with clients like Hilko Guitars of Belgium and Brahmin designer handbags, to bring their artistic visions to life. My commission work ranges from custom tattoo designs to album covers, gig posters, logos, and product packaging and I am a featured artist with Strathmore Artist Papers and Sakura of America.

After about 6 years of drawing everyday, I recently decided to shift my focus and begin a new chapter in my art journey. I’m currently taking the time to create more Instagram reels, connect with my followers in bigger ways, form partnerships and connect with brands, and so many more exciting things! You can now shop prints and stickers of my work in many local cafes like ULA Cafe in Jamaica Plain Boston, Flight Coffee Co in Bedford, NH, and Solid Ground in Mission Hill Boston. I’m also super excited for the summer market season coming up! I will be vending at a bunch of markets in the New England area including Connecticon, Boston’s Fan Expo, the Boston Greenway market, and the Providence RI flea to name a few. Keep an eye on my Instagram stories for event updates — I’d love to meet you!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
1. Discipline. When I began my daily drawing journey, I was a sophomore in college majoring in creative writing with a minor in illustration. Writing essay after essay while illustrating characters and a book was a huge workload in itself (don’t even mention when finals rolled around). Drawing every night after a long day and homework however, allowed me to de-stress and keep a visual diary. I poured all my emotions and thoughts into each piece, though they didn’t all come easy. Sometimes I would sit and think of an idea for hours and hours, then draw past 3am. Sometimes the idea came fast, but I couldn’t get the drawing right and I would stay hunched over at my desk piecing together reference pictures and trying to create something from a blank page. Through it all, I persevered, focused on my “why,” and proved to myself that I can do anything I put my mind to.

2. Imagination. We tend to think our imaginations decline as we get older and that adults lose that sense of magic and wonder they had as children. I argue that we still hold that imagination somewhere within us as adults, though we tend to suppress it due to a taxing job, the stress of life, or fitting into someone else’s expectations for our lives. In my own artwork, I love activating that inner child within me to bring a bit of surrealism to each piece. For example, I’ve drawn an octopus holding 8 overflowing teacups, a human heart made of a beehive with flowers growing out of the aorta, and an elephant taking a bath. Though I have my own meanings and stories attached to my drawings, I always love hearing others’ interpretations and seeing how my imagination starts getting the gears of their imaginations turning.

3. Putting myself out there. I am a pretty introverted person and love my solitude. However, I believe that if you have something important, something meaningful, something that can inspire and bring joy to others, then by all means, share it. Even if you don’t think it’s good enough. Even if you think it’s meaningless. I can assure you, it’s not. You never know who you can impact and who will find a special connection to it. Instagram has been such an amazing platform for sharing my art and the sense of community in the comments section always brightens my day. In addition, going right from college to being a full-time artist is something most people don’t see as possible or being a full-time artist at all for that matter. But everything fell into place once I put myself out there, started vending, accepting commissions on top of my daily drawings, and through this, I saw my business grow.

If you’re on your own art or creative journey, chase that passion in your heart relentlessly. Know that it’s in your heart for a reason and make it your mission to follow that calling. Even when things get tough. Even when you have people saying you’ll never make it. Even when it feels uncomfortable to take a risk. Take that step.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Yes! I’m always open to collaborating with other cool creatives and businesses small and large! I love making everyone’s visions come to life whether it be creating shirt designs for a surf shop to grandmas looking for a pet portrait. I’m super grateful for all the collaborations and connections I’ve been able to make in my art journey and I look forward to what the future holds! You can contact me through my website inkbyolivia.com or through Instagram dm.

Contact Info:

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