Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jennifer Olson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jennifer, appreciate you joining us today. Are you happy a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?
I often think about what it would be like to have a regular job. Honestly, depending on what phase I’m at on a project, I probably think about it almost daily. Being a picture book author and illustrator is definitely my calling and I absolutely love it (most of the time), however I’m constantly questioning myself about whether or not it was the most responsible career decision. The stability and consistency of a regular job can be very tempting, especially in between projects. Ultimately the flexibility and creativity of what I do outweighs the uncertainty.
Jennifer, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have the honor of writing and illustrating picture books for a living. From and early age I had a love of making art. I especially enjoyed visually creating interesting characters and the worlds in which they lived. I always knew that I wanted to pursue a career in a creative field but was concerned about the potential instability of working full time as an artist. I ended up getting my BA in art education from California State University Fullerton and planned to later teach art at the high school level. Shortly after graduating I had my first son and two years later had my second. I decided to put teaching on hold for a couple years while I stayed home with them. During this time I began doing some illustrating on the side and really developed a love for it. I joined the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators) which really opened up the world picture books to me. I began illustrating professionally in 2007. For the next few years I worked mainly in foreign educational publishing as well as illustrating books for self published authors. I gained a lot of experience during this period, especially illustrating “The Good Dog” by Todd Kessler, co-creator of Blues Clues.
Writing has never come very naturally to me, I’m definitely a visual storyteller at heart. While I love illustrating other peoples books, I knew that I had stories of my own that I wanted to tell. I try to do warm-up drawings daily, just for fun or a way to work out something I’m going through at the time. Characters usually show up for me at this stage. One character that emerged during this process was Ninja Bunny. I created a rough draft of a picture book based on him and queried my future agent Kerry Sparks with it. Luckily she loved it and signed on to represent me. NINJA BUNNY was published in 2015 with Penguin/Randomhouse. Since then I have published the follow up to NINJA BUNNY, entitled NINJA BUNNY: SISTER VS. BROTHER, as well as ME AND MISTER FLUFFERNUTTER and A LITTLE SPACE FOR ME. While this line of work can sometimes be unpredictable, the ability do what I love for a living while having the freedom to set my schedule is in invaluable.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me the most rewarding aspect of what I do is the emotional connections I make with others through my art. Whether it be a single illustration depicting what I’m going through that day or an entire picture book, it is always extremely validating to hear from people who can relate to the message I’m trying to get across. Illustrating to me is a form a communication and a way of sometimes simplifying complex topics and emotions.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
In 2012 author Neil Gaiman gave a commencement speech at the University of the Arts and a friend shared the Youtube video of it with me. This speech truly changed my whole philosophy on making picture books and I recommend that anyone who wants to pursue a career in the arts watch it. I spent a lot of years trying to create work that I thought people wanted or that would be commercially successful, instead of creating art that represented me and my vision. Gaiman says in the speech “The things I did because I was excited and wanted to see them exist in reality have never let me down and I’ve never regretted the time I spent on any of them.” So much of what he says in this address has helped me stay focused on my creative goals throughout the years. I definitely refer back to it often.
“The Moment you are walking down the street naked, exposing too much of your art and your mind and what exists on the inside, showing too much of yourself, that is the moment that you may be starting to get it right.” – Neil Gaiman
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.jennifergrayolson.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jgrayolson/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifer.g.olson.52
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jgrayolson
Image Credits
Heather Murry Anderson