Meet Olivia Bacon | Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Olivia Bacon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Olivia, what makes you happy? Why?
Stillness makes me happy. I think that we often move through life at such a fast pace that we forget mindfulness. I find myself to be the most at peace when I have the opportunity to truly take in a moment, whether it’s a quiet morning with a cup of coffee, or while spending time with a group of friends where I have the chance to sit back and appreciate what is right in front of me. Instances like this are reflective and rejuvenating for me, and often are the root of some of my favorite memories with myseelf, my friends, and my family. It is a reminder to me to cherish my life during every minute, no matter how big or small.

I think stillness is why I enjoy illustrating so much. When I have an evening solely dedicated to drawing, I also have the opportunity to be a bit introspective on life. Drawing often gives me the chance to reflect on who and where I am, and how I got here. My art is often correlated with some theme or occurrence in my life. It is a way for me to understand and foster growth within myself, and these quiet moments are all part of the process for me, both as an artist and a person. These moments truly make me happy.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think my art is largely intertwined with my connection to the natural world. My dad has worked for various natural conservation nonprofits throughout my life. I always went out in the field with him as a kid, and these memories are definitely some of my favorite from my childhood. As I grew up and began to value self-growth as much as I value the environment, my art became a fusion of these two things. I enjoy connecting different aspects of the natural world to the human experience, and fostering reflection both in myself and viewers of my work.
Given that my illustrations are so closely intertwined with my personal identity, I can’t say it was easy to end up where I am today. COVID was a very formative time for me as someone entering my early 20’s, and I was experiencing a lot of mental health challenges. However, I think that I was able to overcome this difficult time in my life through getting to know myself through my art. I pondered a lot about cyclicality in life, and cycles of abuse/trauma and the healing that follows. I was coming to the realization that healing from one difficult time didn’t mean that another difficult time couldn’t come along later on (which maybe was a bit naive of me). I found this to be very profound, and rather than choosing to internalize this in a negative way, I wanted to embrace it as a part of being a person. This was around the time I drew a sockeye salmon for the first time. I found the way that they partake in an endless cycle of birth followed by migratory death to be relatable in such a silly but beautiful way. I began to draw salmon constantly, and they are definitely a symbol for myself in my work.

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?
Grand Rapids is definitely my favorite place that I have lived. If I had a friend visiting me from out of town, the first place I’d want to take them is Electric Cheetah for a delicious “hot goat blast” as an appetizer and dinner. Afterwards, we would go see a movie at the Wealthy Theatre. The next day, We would absolutely hit up the Westsider Cafe for breakfast. I love nature walks, so I think we would also drive out to Allendale to visit Aman Park. It’s such a beautiful spot that really makes it feel like you’re nowhere near the city. Finally, We would pick up some good coffee from Squibb on Wealthy Street and then go thrifting at Zabhaz.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
As a recent graduate from Kendall College of Art and Design, I definitely owe a bunch of credit to all the professors in the illustration program there. Nancy Hart, KCAD’s chair of illustration, is so dedicated to knowing each of her students individually. Her kindness and encouragement definitely helped me gain a lot of confidence as an illustrator that I didn’t have before. Additionally, Professor and working artist Taylor Mazer provided so much helpful advice to me when it comes to freelancing and getting your name out there. His experience as an illustrator has definitely been so inspiring and informative to me as I transition from the classroom setting into the professional field. Lastly, Professor’s Devin Dumond and Patti Constantine both allowed so much creative freedom in their classes for me. Both of them definitely allowed for a lot of self exploration in class that allowed me to truly understand who I am as an artist and what I would like to say with my work.

Website: https://oliviakateillustration.com

Instagram: oliviikate

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliviikate/

Image Credits
The photo of myself is a film photo taken by my good friend and roommate, Sydney Bickel