About Me
Hi, I’m Olivia
I’m a creative working in the West Midlands and beyond. My artistic projects focus mainly on photography and filmmaking.
I discovered a fondness for nature and stories at a young age, and they have intertwined, on and off, throughout my career and life.
My creative work often has the natural world at its heart, because much of our wildlife goes unnoticed, yet it weaves spectacular tales all around us.
An Early Adoration for Telling Stories
My working life began at the age of 14 behind the counter of a local shop in the Worcestershire suburbs. I spent a decade serving customers there while studying at high school and then completing my BA (Hons) in Broadcasting Production.
It was during those days that I developed my love of listening to other people talking about their lives. From then, I knew I wanted to spend my career telling stories.
Nature & Play in my Practice
I’ve discovered there’s so much pleasure in noticing the nature around us… my daily walks now take far more time than they used to!
My heart skips a beat when I notice something indicative of a season, or a species I know is endangered. For example, seeing Swifts in summer, or spotting Dandelions and knowing that every single petal is actually a flower.
Play is also a big part of my practice. I appreciate a slower pace, unexpected and surprising outcomes, and a lack of pressure to make everything technically perfect.
My Drive to Create
My core belief as an artist is to help people find a gentle path to exploration. I try to change my corner of the world in any way that my skills and life allow. This could be by improving the state of England’s nature, or bringing joy, comfort, or escapism to someone. I mostly do this by creating cyanotypes, videos and films, chemigrams, and writing.
Analogue photography and filmmaking are hobbies of mine, and I’ve loved learning about plant-based film developers and cameraless photography through various workshops. My main creative outlet is taking black-and-white photographs of overlooked everyday living things, and processing them at home in my kitchen using rosemary from my garden.
What’s Next For Me?
The natural world will always be a focal point in my art. I use my work as an opportunity to amplify nature’s voice, rather than using it as a commodity.
I’m working on some short film ideas and also taking photographs. I want to expand my work in urban nature, as this is where my heart currently lies.
