Tag Archives: san francisco

An Interview with a Successful Artist: Juliana Olsson

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The Project: I want to be a successful artist. What does that mean? How do I define “artist”? How do I define “success?” I want to interview fellow artists for my own and others’ inspiration.

Notes: I started with artists I know personally very well, and the first 5 interviews came together in a mini-series of emerging artists. The 5 interviews in this series were transformed into mini-zines with hand-drawn portraits of the artists and other details by me. These are available for purchase at my Etsy shop ronddejambe.

More interviews are in the works…

Some names have been abbreviated at the request of the artist. Information regarding the artist has been reviewed and approved by the artist.

Interview #2

The Artist: Juliana Olsson is a science illustrator, grad student in Museum Studies at Johns Hopkins, zombie researcher, & that rare species: the San Francisco native.

She currently lives in Nashville, TN, interning at the zoo. We had a very long chat about what it means to be a successful multi-disciplinary artist with multiple competing interests.

LB: When people ask “what do you do?” how do you describe your work?

JO: Career-wise I’m between jobs, but my most recent paychecks are from science illustration gigs. I use pencil, paper, observation & some imaginations to tell the story of a species.

LB: How did you get started being a science illustrator?

JO: My last semester of college, I realized I didn’t know what to do post-graduation. But I knew I wanted to combine art & science. I started doing projects for labs, and was hired by a researcher at Cal Academy of Sciences.

LB: What do you struggle with when it comes to your work?

JO: The loneliness of the work. Channeling my perfectionism into something workable (read: not constantly feeling dissatisfied with my work). I have to remind myself to take breaks.

LB: What is your approach to that struggle?

JO: As much as I love drawing, I really need a career where I’m on a team, where there are people around. That’s how I fell into museum studies. To make the perfectionist voice go away, I just need to practice more.

LB: If someone said, “I want to do what you do,” what advice would you have?

JO: It’s great work for an artist with an inclination towards science and nature. Illustrators are always needed. There’s a lot of useful technology, but a human filter is required. There is a guild, several schools & programs, & internships.

LB: Who has inspired you?

JO: I recently read about an 18th century artist named Jan van Rymsdyk who did some amazing work, but I always admire/aspire towards my talented contemporaries. Check out: http://scientificillustration.tumblr.com/

LB: What are your goals & passions?

JO: I considered getting a certificate in science illustration but am pursuing the masters in museum studies instead – I’m really hoping to make science education more exciting and fun!

In the mean time, I’m working on homework, my website, a friend’s music video, and one day I WILL write the definitive analysis of zombie films.

And in general I get excited about many forms of art, and seeing things I want to do or make.

LB: Do you think of yourself as an artist? Why or why not?

JO: Yes and no. People pay me to draw things, and I draw in my free time. But I’ve never felt good enough to call myself a true artist. If I were an artist, my art would be my whole life (or a bigger chunk of it), and I’d be creating inspiring, unique things.

LB: Do you think of yourself as successful? Why or why not?

JO: I’m still looking for a vision of what I want to do. Success will be when I have clearer goals, and am on the path to making them into reality.

Juli’s work can be seen at:

www.julianaolsson.com

She can also be found on Twitter @julipants

 Much thanks to Juli for her interview & help with the editing process!

Purchase this interview in all its mini zine glory HERE

 

 

ODC Dance Jam & An Afternoon in Wine Country

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Dear friends,

Recently, I had the privilege of attending the ODC fundraising event, An Afternoon in Wine Country at the Rubicon Estates, Francis Ford Coppola’s winery. I was in the good company of the ODC Dance Jam and I have to say, we had an excellent time of it! And, I’m happy to report that we helped raise quite a lot of money for the ODC school, youth program, and company.

Here are some of my photos from the event! Click to enlarge.

About that last picture… I didn’t get a picture of it in Napa, sadly, but I bought a fascinator for this and future fancy events! Discovered at the SF Alternative Design Studios, it is a one of a kind piece of wearable art, handmade by House of Nines Design. I couldn’t be happier with it!

Keep it fancy, friends!

- LB

Wait up, September, wait!

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Dear friends,

I’m still trying to catch up from the last couple months, not to mention catch my breath!

Around mid August, before things really got crazy, I decided to take on a little crafty fabric recycling project. I had two tank tops in the same style that were getting really worn out in the arm pit area, and a sports bra that was also getting a little worn out and just needed some extra reinforcement. The final product, a sports tank top, is great and I’ve already worn it to a couple dance classes. Haven’t popped a seam yet!

At the end of August, beginning of September, My Colorado BFF, Megan Q, came out for our 3rd San Francisco Zine Fest. We had a great time shopping in the Mission, frolicking on the beach, eating many tasty treats, and of course, rocking our table as The Calico Umbrella Collective at the SFZF 2011! We both had new zines (more about that coming soon), and also hosted our 1st SFZF forum. We got a good-sized group of artists to discuss productivity and time-management skills. We were very excited to share our table with KokoroKara and Pinup Brooches this year. They are both lovely artists and friends!

The next weekend, my brother Geoff came out for a quick visit. In one day, we went from Ocean Beach to the Bay and several places in between, making the mandatory stops at Kid Robot and Upper Playground. And Geoff managed to get us ground-level seats for the Giants vs. Dodgers game! We also delighted in delicious dim sum downtown, Mission burritos, and sore feet!

Photos:

In between guests and work and what not, I celebrated my 1 year anniversary with my boyfriend Matt and my 2 year anniversary with this amazing city!

My internship as the ODC Dance Jam intern, or, “Jam Sister,” got into full swing mode with the audition, first meetings, and rehearsals starting.

I’m working on the look and feel of this site, and tying together my other online outlets in a cohesive manner. Any feedback is appreciated!

Thank you,

LB

Interloping

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Dear friends,

It’s been a very busy couple of months. I just wrapped a big project and took a trip.

The big project was the filming of an indie short here in San Francisco. The film is tentatively titled Interloping. The story is about two young actors struggling in their relationship and their day-to-day, city lives. They decide to go out on the town one night, but without spending any money. They pretend to be a wealthy, married, British couple. But how far and how deep does their escapism run?

I was recruited by the director, Quentin Jones, and the producer, Nate Visconti, in January of this year. I know them both through a mutual friend, and I consulted on a short film they did last year. With that first project, all I did was read the script, then I sat down with them, and told them my thoughts on the costumes. Then they ran with my ideas.

For Interloping, at first, they asked me if I would do costumes. Then later they said they really needed an Art Director, and would I be interested in doing that?

Of course, I said yes.

Then I went home and called my friend in film and television, the glamorous Tom Mares of Denver, CO, and asked him, “Tom, what is an Art Director?”

It was going to be one of those projects.

I was in charge of managing the overall look for wardrobe, set, and props, in accordance with the director’s vision of the world of the film. I also had to find, buy/beg/borrow, organize, and make sure everything and every detail in these departments was accounted for.

My character and wardrobe sketches:

The production was slated for late April, early May, but due to complications, it was pushed back… then pushed back again… In May, I  started keeping track of everyone’s schedule and helped maintain communications between the various parties.

I’m not going to lie. This was one of the most difficult projects I’ve been on. I learned how hard it can be to keep going a project even when you are frustrated and feel like, “I am so over this.” I had to keep returning to why I wanted to be a part of the project in the first place. The power of the script, the story, was what kept me going. That was what had drawn me in initially, and I had to trust that if we could build it, it would be a worthwhile piece of art.

Everyone involved learned a lot on this project. It was interesting to see how pushing back our production and working on it longer actually made it stronger.

For me, I learned that I really enjoyed this work. My favorite parts were doing the set dressing and finally seeing the wardrobe pieces come together. There’s an indescribable moment that happens when you look over the cameraman’s shoulder and you see the world you’ve seen in your head fall into place and come alive, right in front of you. But I had to keep in mind that this wasn’t just “my world” or “my vision.” Essentially, it belongs to the director. It would be interesting to know more about how different directors work with the production design aspect. I’m sure some directors are more visually design inclined than others.

I’m very interested now in this work of “production design.” It makes a lot of sense to me, with my background in the performing arts and my plethora of interests. I’m curious to see if I could do this again for a different production. That being said, I also learned that I will never again do this work for free. And honestly, that’s a valuable lesson for an artist to learn.

Above all, with Interloping, our crew was amazing. Everyone we worked with really came through beautifully. I can’t wait to see the finished product and share it with you!

Production photography stills:

Until next time!

LB

The Fourth and a Little Extra

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Our Fourth of July was an adventuresome affair! We took the bus up to Twin Peaks, the highest point in San Francisco, and picnicked all afternoon, despite strong winds. I scouted about and found us a sunnier, more protected spot. Despite the chill, and thanks to many provisions and silly games, we managed to survive until the fireworks started.

The views were incredible and it was a rare clear night. We could see fireworks way off in North Bay, all over the Mission, way across in Oakland, through the fog and over the waters in Sausalito, and of course, San Francisco’s own show: twin trumpeting bouquets of color explosions…. Ahh… They were worth the wait and the cold! I didn’t get pictures of the fireworks, but there are other fun pictures of friends and things.

Lastly, I totally forgot to mention this, but recently, I was interviewed by and featured on the Kyoto JET’s Unofficial Webzine, the Ganbatte Times. Woo! Here, please read it!

Happy July, freedom, and summertime adventures, one and all…

Recently

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I’ve been absent for the past couple weeks due to a system overload. My system, to be exact. :)

I was working for Lick-Wilmerding High School’s dance program to help create their spring dance concert. I helped them last semester with their winter concert, and jumped at the chance to work with them again. I really enjoy working with teenagers, and the Lick-Wilmerding high schoolers are a special breed. Not to mention their incredible dance program director, Zoe Fyfe, who truly is the mama brand glue that holds it all together! In short, this spring: 45 students dancing in 32 dances for 2 performance nights = whirlwind!

My process with LWHS Dance is to come in about a month in advance of the show, talk with every choreographer – student, guest, director – and get a feel for what the concert needs. Then I check out what’s available in costume stock, get choreographers’ aye or nay, and then start ordering and shopping. This time around, I also did some sewing work for them, which was exciting. I created Japanese style obi’s, swamp zombies, and figured out how to pull off a Broadway finale quickly and on a budget. Of course there were stressful moments, but somehow, as usual, we pulled it off. The concert was great and I felt truly blessed to be part of such an amazing process. And, it’s all really worthwhile when the students get you up on stage and give you flowers in front of the whole audience – both performances!

What else is new? Oh, I turned 26 and Mr. Matt took me to see the Giants. And they won (just for me, of course!) and it was a fun night.

The same night, actually, as he finished his masters’ program at California College of the Arts. The next weekend, he graduated!

All of this has been jumbled together, and I’ve managed to survive despite coming down with a bad cold and juggling my part-time job on top of it all. This week has been recovery, and sitting down to reassess other projects and future goals. My Etsy shop has been updated, and I’m also now using my Flickr account to showcase more of my work. More, to both these sites, coming soon!

Lastly, I simply must tell you this extraordinary story of karma. A little over a month ago, my bike Gonzo was stolen. Gonzo was a very special bike, as he had been owned by my Dad, then me, in CO, then brought out to San Francisco, CA and had lots of work done to him over the years. I heard, from multiple bike mechanics in SF, “They just don’t make bikes like this anymore.” Of course, I had just gotten him perfectly tricked out just for me when he was stolen in front of the SF Public Library Main Branch downtown while I was at a dance performance. I filed a police report, put up notices on Twitter and Craigslist, and posted flyers at local bike shops. I also mourned, but my brother and my Dad insisted I should get a new bike ASAP. My brother and I ordered a fancy new road bike for me, but when the box arrived – it was the wrong bike! Then, I was in the midst of dance concert show week, and couldn’t even deal.

Then, out of the blue, a local woman emailed me. She had seen the flyer about my stolen bike in one of the bike shops. She didn’t have any leads on my stolen bike, BUT she had a perfectly good, newer version of the type of bike that had been stolen, just sitting in her garage. And she wanted me to have it.

And that, is my incredible story of karma and the generosity of San Francisco bicyclists.

Thanks, universe. :)

What’s on the horizon? 30 days of creativity, Hecho Local,  a summertime trip home, a film shoot, and SF Zine Fest 2011!

The Barista Review: Rapid type in action!

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This past Saturday, April 30th, I was the barista for the opening event and final review of the Rapid type mobile coffee kiosk, at the California College of the Arts, Architecture department. The House of Air cafe manager, Ashley Bird, and I had consulted with the Rapid type team during the design phase of the and we had talked about the basic needs of coffee service and working baristas. I was really impressed with this project and the team and totally in love with the idea of a fancy, futuristic, mobile coffee kiosk (or grotto, as we came to call it). And the more I saw of the design and as the actual structure was built, the more excited I became.

So I was totally on board when they asked me to be the barista for their review event. There was some discussion on what to serve and how much to do. What was finally decided was that I would serve only hand-prepared, slow-drip coffee, from 9:30 AM to whenever the review ended. I was a little nervous leading up the event, as I really had no idea as to how functional the actual space would be, and to how many people I would be serving coffee.

But in the early morning light, backlit by the wall of glass at the end of the CCA main “nave,” the grotto glowed, I stepped into the space, and felt very much at home. There was storage for everything, even our slightly odd conglomeration of electric water pots. Matt and Rich, the metal-working Rapid type team members, finished welding the brilliant, custom designed, individual drip bars to hold the Beehouse ceramic drippers, and we were good to go!

We served Ritual, Bicycle Coffee Co., Philz, and Four Barrel coffee and everyone was really excited! It was busy, but not the overwhelming hoard of voracious, sleep-deprived art students I had feared. Overall, the space was wonderful to work in. Lots of people asked how it was, and I told everyone, “It’s great. Simply great.” In terms of functionality and flow, there was lots of storage, everything was within reach, plenty of counter space (impressive in such a small area), and I especially enjoyed the wide, curving, steel front counter/window that allowed for easy interaction with customers. I really liked how the counter was one continuous piece, and jutted out to make the milk and sugar area, and still allowed for interaction between barista and customers on that side. And it didn’t feel cramped when there were one or two extra folks in there with me helping out! I would be really curious and excited to work in the kiosk with all the extras we couldn’t get for this first event – generator, fridge, sink, espresso machine… I think it would would work well!

My favorite comment from a customer was that from their perspective, I was working in a work of art, and it made me look like a work of art! Basically, the space and I were very integrated.

Working as a barista has often reminded me of my time in Japan and the tea ceremony training I was so lucky to be apart of. Serving a warm beverage to another person is a simple act. The Japanese tea ceremony transforms that act into art, meditation – an aesthetic ritual. The practice was developed over many centuries. Coffee service isn’t in the same arena, but maybe we’re getting there. Certainly many people (especially in the Bay Area) take their coffee very seriously. Where the beans come from, the roasting process, the grind, how it’s brewed, and served, are all elements that are being re-examined, re-assessed, and renovated by many coffee companys. My training with Blue Bottle Coffee in Oakland, and my work at the cafe in House of Air, has introduced me to this world. As a “young” barista, I’m aware I’m only at the tip of the iceberg of knowledge, but I appreciate it and want to learn more.

Working in the Rapid type coffee kiosk, I felt like I was a part of a process that might be bringing coffee service closer to the realm of art. This is only my interpretation, of course. But was amazing to see the realms of architecture, construction, mobile structures, coffee, and art overlapping and interacting.

I was honored to be apart of it, Rapid type! And everyone was so helpful and supportive the day of the event! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Here’s a great post by the Rapid type team about the days leading up to the event. There’s also a video from the event! And, finally, the pictures from my camera:

P.S. Just in case you didn’t see it before, here’s the Rapid type apron I made just for this event! ;)

Improv Modern/Rock Dance Performance

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Today’s Monday dance!

From 04.21.2011 @ Kunst-Stoff Arts, their April Thursday nights art potluck series (The art potluck is a great concept: you bring your art, or food, or yourself as audience, or all of the above . There’s a sliding scale entrance fee based on what you bring. So much fun! We had a great crew that night):

My total improv dance performance with a chance musical element: I had the DJ select “shuffle songs” on my ipod and danced to the 1st song that played. Just fun, silly, rockin’ modern dancing. I really miss performing and this was an opportunity in a safe, welcoming community to get up on stage and let loose. Enjoy!

happy fun times

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Wednesday photography: Rad dog‘s advice, fun times at The Bold Italic’s “meet the Valencia Bottoms” micro-hood event, this is how we do Easter in SF, and the raddest dog of all!