We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Olivia Taylor a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Olivia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

I was taught the more physical and conceptual basics for art & design in college; how to think through a creative brief, find inspiration, and translate my ideas to the page – but honing my skills past beginner levels whether it be on the computer, illustrating, hand lettering, painting – those skills came from just going for it. And of course, LOTS of time practicing.

If I had been more consistent in my practice and focused on one medium instead of jumping between them, I might have reached this point sooner. But now, with a broad range of skills, I’m grateful I allowed myself the freedom to explore and follow my interests.

Time and energy have always been my biggest challenges. Balancing the demands of my day job with the limited reserves left for personal art can be tough, but pushing through has always been worth it. Creating art has always been a journey that leaves me in a better place than where I began.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Olivia Taylor, and I’m a queer graphic designer, painter, illustrator, and general maker. By day, I work as a graphic designer for a social justice creative agency. In my spare time you can find me in my sunny studio creating work that aims to brings joy, calm, or a sense of connection. My work draws inspiration from the natural world and community that surrounds me, incorporating elements that reflect the environments I move through. I primarily use recycled materials to create my pieces, aligning my artistic practice with sustainable principles; revitalizing ash trays, faded t.j. maxx canvases, and anything else I can get my hands on. You can find my work online or at local Denver markets!

I built the foundation of my skills in undergrad, studying communication design. I was fortunate to learn digital techniques while exploring physical mediums like printmaking and life drawing. My love for hand lettering began during a study abroad program at Central St. Martins in London, where I worked on a project inspired by hand-painted signage and ghost signs. Later, while living in New York City, I deepened my passion for analog art. Long subway commutes became sketching and lettering sessions, and I painted my first murals—like a rooftop piece featuring giant plants spelling out “Explore.”

My art has always been inspired by the spaces I inhabit, and both New York and later Los Angeles, provided endless inspiration that pushed me to refine my skills and integrate them into my design practice.

In LA, I fell in love with the environment and found endless inspiration in its vibrant art scene, diverse landscapes, striking architecture, and unique flora. The towering mountains, birds of paradise, palms, and cacti were so different from the visuals I knew on the East Coast that I couldn’t stop drawing them. When COVID hit, it gave me the time and space to focus on painting, and with the encouragement of friends and family, I dove in. Since then, I’ve been painting on anything I can find, creating imagery that helps me process emotions or simply brings a smile to my face.

Living in Denver has brought a fresh wave of inspiration. The patterns, textures, and vast scale of the surrounding nature, coupled with the support of my incredible community, have propelled me into a new creative space. Whether I’m exploring my queer experience or processing the heartaches and frustrations of the climate emergency, this journey has been a wild ride I’m beyond privileged to experience.

I am most proud of my most recent larger paintings, where I have been experimenting with scale and texture. One in particular of a large vase of plants and a chain wrapped crescent moon that I made on my old surfboard. It took me a year to complete, starting while I was living in California, and finishing once I was settled in Colorado after a roller coaster life transition. Making art during that time felt like moving through mud, but this painting helped move me through, and I couldn’t be happier with the final product.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

There are so many ways people can support individual creatives, my personal favorites are seeking out local art shows, buying local artist works at fair prices, and sharing said creatives work with your community! It’s difficult for smaller artists to get noticed with so many corporate art sellers to compete with. Buying local and sharing ensures artists work is respected, valued, and creates community!

I think building a thriving creative ecosystem starts with local community activism and policy advocacy. Investing in arts education (at all levels) and increasing public and private funding, especially grants that support underrepresented communities and emerging artists, is key to making the arts more accessible and sustainable.

Affordable spaces for both living and creating are also super important—if you can’t afford rent, it’s nearly impossible to focus on making art! The best way to make these changes happen in your community is by voting and advocating for policies that support artists, at any and all levels!

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

I wish I had been more aware of resources like local tool libraries, community art spaces, and reclaimed art supplies or book shops. Admittedly I could have done a bit more research to have found these out but what can you do!

There were a lot of projects that I didn’t end up following through with that required tools I really only needed to use once or twice, that I didn’t have the space to keep (especially when I was living in my tiny apartments), or that I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy using and didn’t have a ton of extra cash to throw around. Having access to a tool library or community art space would have been perfect for those more experimental projects.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://oktdesign.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/okayokt/