Olga is a Ukrainian-born and New Jersey-based muralist and lettering artist. Thanks to her godfather, she began painting at the age of six and has been an artist ever since. She has created artwork for notable clients, including Crayola, Snapchat, Tillamook, Coca-Cola, Trader Joe's, and others. Olga spent nearly a decade working in the magazine industry, and she reviewed a lot of resumes during that time. One time, someone's father called Olga to ask why she hadn't hired his daughter for a job opening. YIKES! After branching out on her own, and after hundreds of murals and lettering projects, she has a basement full of paint and way too many pens and pencils to know what to do with them. She's also a firm believer that Alphacolor makes the most buttery and saturated chalk you will ever find. Some of her book recommendations are "In Progress" by Jessica Hische, "The Lettering Manual" by House Industries, "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg, and "The Body" by Bill Bryson. Once upon a time, she was afraid of dogs and highways, but has replaced those fears with a love for bunnies, hiking, and typography.   

Tune in for a talk about fundraising to support those affected by the invasion of Ukraine, how to use toothpicks, tweezers, and paintbrushes to refine food lettering compositions, and what to do when a client tells you to create whatever you want instead of giving you any type of direction. Follow Olga on Instagram @olgamuzician, and check out more of her work on her website: olgamuzician.com. If you're interested in learning how to make art with food and objects, you should take her tactile lettering class on Skillshare!

Questions for this interview.

• Did you ever think lawn signs would help lead you to such a meaningful mural in your career?
• Regarding the invasion of Ukraine. How're you doing? How're you holding up overall? Can you share some of your feelings about what's happening over there?
• How did it feel to see your work take on that kind of public and emotional significance?
• Can you explain what tactile lettering is for anyone hearing that term for the first time?
• What's the most surprisingly cooperative food you've worked with, and which one made you want to quit halfway through?
• Can you walk us through how tools like tweezers, toothpicks, and a paintbrush help you refine food lettering compositions?
• How often do the foods you want to work with influence the words within a design? Or do you usually come up with the messaging first and then select the most appropriate foods to match those words?
• What went wrong when you tried to add the finishing coat to your hand-painted skateboard?
• You painted a challenging set of murals for HoneyStash. Could you elaborate on the challenges of that project and explain how the viewer's vantage point made it difficult to paint those murals?
• What questions do you think we should ask ourselves before agreeing to a project with a low budget? Or, in other words, how do you decide if it's worth it?
• Is your mural minimum still $3,500?
• How do you handle a client who doesn't have a clue what they actually want and just tells you to do whatever you want to do?
• What made you feel successful, or what would make you feel that way? Is it a particular income amount? Is it a specific type of work or a specific client? Is it something else?

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