Meet Olivia (Ollie) Shetler | Independent Designer & Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Olivia (Ollie) Shetler and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ollie, what do you attribute your success to?
Community. It takes a village, even though I run my own business. Veterans in this area have faced the same obstacles and can offer critical insight into what makes or breaks your success. You have to surround yourself with trustworthy people to tell you hard truths and support you. By all means, pick and choose the advice that suits you, but in this business, silence is worse than criticism; if your peers care enough to tell you something, they’re either encouraging you or warning you, and it’s in your best interest to listen. Forming communal bonds also helps you discover new means of production, lucrative events, and different marketing techniques. Think of your business community as a biome; the more diverse it is, the better its chance of success.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My style is inconsistent; my work reflects my many fixations, which can be all over the place. I maintain old passions but am easily distracted by novelty, and I try new techniques or design sensibilities as often as I change outfits, therefore my style is always in flux.

My dissonant themes often confuse people who see me at events and assume I represent a group of people instead of one; it’s a real double-edged sword! I get as much praise as confusion from people for my variety. I want my brand identity to be as immediately recognizable as others, but as someone who often struggles with their inspiration reservoir, I take it as it comes, which leads to some surprising (some could say jarring to the point of giving whiplash) diversity of content.

I prioritize what captivates me in the moment, but my work includes some dominant themes. I’ve been using lots of botanical imagery lately, due to my recent fixations of foraging and plant identification, herbalism, and folklore. In another direction entirely, I’ve also been drawing from my Asian American upbringing and nostalgia, and those pieces tend to resonate with a big chunk of my audience who share in those memories and experiences. Every product launch reveals your strengths and weaknesses, and it’s a tricky but rewarding process. You can’t afford to be complacent in this line of work; it stems from passion, but you have to maintain its success with your head as much as your heart.

Recently I’ve been involved in a collaborative project between popular keyboard manufacturer Drop.com and The Lord of the Rings; designing official merchandise for my favorite fandom is a bucket list item for me, so I’m excited for those releases and other collabs. Harmonizing with others’ voices as an occasional interlude to work as a solo act is a refreshing change of pace, and those projects constructively push you out of your comfort zone so you gain a whole new perspective on yourself.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A visit to the Getty Villa for a slow morning/afternoon with coffee and sketchbooks, passing by the viral pink and goth neighboring houses on the way to get some scoops at Wanderlust Creamery, and then watch people skate in Dogtown. Wandering around Abbot Kinney Blvd (I could loiter for hours in Huset) or visiting the galleries in Culver are great fun. A day at the La Brea Tar Pits followed by dinner in Koreatown (at least one visit to a BCD Tofu House is a must) and on the topic of Korean food, if we ever find ourselves in the Anaheim area I recently went to Myung Dong Kalguksu Noodles and I’m raring for a return.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
To all my friends who offered advice when I was starting out and those who continue to support me and share my work with the world, I owe everything to you! In the alternate universe scenario where we never met, I’d never have made it as far as I have with my work.

Website: www.oshet.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/oshetart/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/oshetart

Other: linktr.ee/oshet

Image Credits
portrait photography by Dominic Saavedra