Meet Olivia Murillo | Illustrator & barista

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

Hi Olivia, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
II wanted to create a life for me where work, didn’t feel like work. I love drawing, I love coloring, I love cartoons, I like being creative. I like being able to “make” things and I don’t like being bored. It’s why I decided to pursue an artistic career because it looked fun and “not boring”. So far, I’ve proven myself right and my creative career has been far from boring and quite an intriguing challenge. Its been very fun enjoying the ups and downs of life as an artist.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art is messy, sketchy, and wild. I’ve worked really hard to let go of my artistic perfectionism and embrace a wilder sketchier style. My entire work is focused entirely on the wildlife I love, from big cats to mythical creatures. I purposely use a wild loose artistic style in my work to match the energy of my subjects. Art of wild animals calls for a wild art style!!

It took many years of back and forth learning to accept my sketchy tendencies. I had worked really hard in college to have a style based on realism and have hyperrealistic animal renderings. But no matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t be happy with my work, I’d felt as though I was always falling short. There was something off about my work. The magical fun cheery creatures I was creating were simply not vibing with the serious hyperrealist art style I had my heart set on mastering.

It wasn’t until graduating college that I was able to finally begin to let go of my perfectionistic attitude. I finally had decided to accept all aspects of who I was. I accepted that matter how hard I tried, I was never going to be perfect. It was also around this time I had come out as an official member of the LGBTQ community. This big energetic push of self-love and acceptness drove me to embrace the fun and sketchy art style I have today. I started incorporating fun cheerful colors into my work, naturally throwing in as many rainbows as I could as well.

The work I have today is the result of years of growth, self-love, and the lesson of learning to embrace your true inner natural self.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d like to give a shoutout to all my close friends and to my grandparents for their ever so loving patience!! Their guidance and support keep me going every single day!!

Website: https://www.oliviamurilloart.com/illustration

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviamurilloart/