We were lucky to catch up with Kylie Olsen recently and have shared our conversation below.

Kylie, appreciate you joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

Just reading this question reminds me of Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way”, she spends chapters outlining how we are designed to be creative beings. We are following our true design by taking the time to create whether that is as a career or a hobby and that is crucial to our overall contentment in life. Personally , as someone who believes that we were created by God to create, we are also fulfilling His will by spending our energy creating.

Don’t get me wrong, it can be extremely frustrating to be an artist at times. Whether it is waiting on Payment for months from a freelance job or learning to navigate running a business for the first time, it can absolutely be very frustrating. Additionally, there is the frustration as an artist that your work is never truly finished. I’ve had to learn overtime when to let my art go rather than hold on tightly and let go of the pursuit of perfection and embracing creation. When it comes down to it, we are “created to create” and that is a personal motto that I carry closely in all my artistic endeavors.

Kylie, 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?

Hi everyone, I’m Kylie Olsen. I’m a creative storyteller and small business owner. As a creative, I wear many hats whether that is assisting on commercial and brand content sets to ensure a successful shoot or working behind the scenes on the operations and billings side of a production office in DC. My past work includes working in background casting and assisting in projects for HBO, Amazon, and FX. Additionally, I’ve worked in talent management and principle casting in sunny Los Angeles. My career started with my love of acting and theater. (Don’t get me wrong, I still love theatre and still definitely jam out to musical theatre tunes). But once I was living in LA, I got a glimpse of what was behind the camera and I fell in love with it. I loved the power behind creating a vision for a story and helping others tell their stories. Helping others tell their stories is how KO Consultations, began. After working in Background casting, I saw the need that actors in the DC/MD/VA area and beyond had for someone who had experience working BOTH as an actor professionally (check) and in the casting department / talent management field (check). Using the skills that I had learned through some amazing mentors and trial and error in my own career, I was able to launch a tactical, economic consulting business that allows actors to learn both the technical and business side of their craft.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

Some of the experiences I’ve had working in the creative field made me feel like there was much more competition than community. And I’m so thankful that now I’ve been proven wrong. If you are a creative, I recommend pursuing your field through the “Proximity Principle”. Surround yourself with people who are doing the work that you would like to do, even if that means you are picking up crafty on set. Additionally, you should feel encouraged to connect with other people who are in the field that you want to get into. I’ve spent so much time on LinkedIn looking at people who are in the roles that I want to be in and at companies that I want to work at and I took the time to connect with them and learn how they got to where they are. Who knows, it may open an unexpected door! Finally, for those of you readers who want to specifically start their own business, definitely look into Score.org . It’s a free service that connects you with amazing and incredibly successful business owners, lawyers, CPA’s ect filtered by your location. So, don’t miss out on the opportunity to be mentored by some amazing people!

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I am personally a huge reader. Growing up my parents would compare the miles driven during our annual road trips to the pages read in my books– I almost always won. So, I think it is absolutely worth listing a few books that have helped shape me into the thinker and creative that I am today: The Artist’s Way (Julia Cameron)- as mentioned earlier, it’s been huge in creating the bridge between my spiritual life and my creative lifestyle and career.
The Last Lecture (Randy Pausch)- This book is filled with wisdom and hope on educating people how to achieve their childhood dreams.
Soul Cravings (Erwin McManus)- A deep journey into understanding the human soul and the genius that lies within us along with the welcoming conversation of intellectual and spiritual truth in a relationship with God.
The Ramsey Show (Podcast)- A financial journey that covers everything from getting out of debt, retirement accounts, learning to save and spend on a budget, and learning to give like no one else.

So while I could list more books and podcasts, I do think this is a great start for people who want to dive deep into intellectual thinking, creative thinking and learning from others!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.koconsultations.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kylieraine_/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyliraineeolsen/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/kylieraine