We were lucky to catch up with Olivia Leitstein-Yong recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Olivia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

One of the biggest risks I recently took was quitting my graphic design job with a stable pay to be more selective about the design projects I work on and create Mystic Path, my design business. I knew it was time to double down on my own personal style and trust that aligned opportunities will come. Mystic Path has become a platform for a lot of my own art projects, but it’s also available as a service for anyone who likes my work and wants to collaborate. I’d say it specializes in merch creation, and anything music related, such as event flyers, concert posters and festival branding. I would describe the look as vibrant yet digestible coastal psychedelia with a touch of sacred. It’s a personal style that’s stayed pretty consistent  throughout my life, and became more apparent as I wrestled with the current norm of neutral pallets. With the creation of Mystic Path, I had to make the conscious decision to trust my art without conforming to the current design trends, which is definitely easier said than done, but I’m trusting the process and know it’ll be worth it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have a couple creative worlds that I’m involved in that sometimes work together and sometimes happen entirely seperate from one another. One is the performing arts/dance world and the other is graphic design.

I landed in graphic design pretty much by accident. I went to art school for animation and visual effects with the intention to find a career creating visuals for live music sets. I quickly found that graphic design facilitated more of a sense of flow state, and animation was a more tedious and technical process, so I naturally gravitated towards graphic design. After a few years working for a restaurant group as their graphic designer, I began picking up projects with clients in the music and festival scene. I found that those were some my favourite people to work with as they trusted my creativity, understood the process, and gave the most reasonable feedback. That’s when I decided to create Mystic Path, my design business, and quit my other design job.

As far as dance goes, I’ve been dancing pretty much my entire life, training and competing in styles such as ballet, hip hop, and contemporary. I never necessarily went as far as to train for a professional dance career, however I’ve trained enough develop a career as a dancer and character entertainer for music events/festivals. I spent a lot of time exploring the world of dance and teaching, which also led me to certifications in dance teaching/management and barre fitness. Most of my creative inspiration has always come from live music, and festivals seemed to be a hub where all of my favorite mediums can come together. However, naturally, as almost all creative things do, festivals ebb and flow, and often times, get chaotic and unpredictable. That’s when I realized how important it was for me to lean into what my earliest teachers have taught me about grounding values of professionalism, good manners, as well as creating a sense of stability and safety. When it comes to my current dance career, those core values have been my biggest guides. This sense of grounding led me to an opportunity to open a studio with my husband, Torus Collective. I wanted to create a space where everything I loved about the festival scene, such as creative workshops, wellness, and dancing, could all come under one structured setting that’s accessible to the public. Along with the other eclectic selection of classes taught by our instructors, I also teach contemporary dance classes and hold women’s circles. This level of freedom that I now have with teaching my own dance classes allows me to incorporate more intuitive artistry and electronic music into my style of teaching, and I really look forward to what’s to come from it. I’ll also be taking on private clients, specifically dance hobbyists who want to level up their technique and create actionable steps towards aligned opportunities in the festival world. Overall, my philosophy in dance and life values technique and alignment in order to experience more confidence and freedom in movement.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect is the final result. What a lot of people don’t know about the creative process is that it’s not always glamorous. It often includes sweatpants, sleep deprivation, and moments of burnout. However, that moment of being in full costume and looking next to you and your favorite DJ is playing, or someone tells you your artwork reminds them of a fond memory makes it all worth it. I’ve worked other customer service jobs, and nothing is more fulfilling than seeing an audience member or client experience inspiration and joy from something I’ve made either by myself or with others.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Creative industries can change at any given moment, which is as intimidating as it is exhilarating. It means that if you don’t like something, or if you want something to exist that doesn’t yet, you always have the power to change the status-quo or create something. That’s why I lean on everything dance has taught me, such as stability and alignment as my foundation in my creative career. I’ve experienced what happens when these values are abandoned and it often includes a lot of dangerous situations and being taken advantage of. and this has led me to want to step out of certain creative communities. However, no industry is perfect or 100% positive, and this scene is no different. I think part of being a creative involves periods of feeling jaded and uninspired in order to birth something new. On the flip side, I’ve also experienced many life-altering and inspiring moments in these communities, which has led me to stay involved, knowing that those magic moments always have an opportunity to arise. As a creative, it’s sometimes just your own responsibility to make them happen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mysticpathco.com, https://www.torusco.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livyyng

Image Credits
Samantha Zauscher Photography, Photography Jeremy Rich Media, Alfredo Lopez (Skateheadz Photography)