Episode #23 David Olson on Creative Process, Synchronicity and the Art of Seeing Differently
Download MP3In this episode of I Love Your Stories, Hava Gurevich is joined by multidisciplinary artist, videographer, photographer and writer David Olson.
The conversation explores David’s creative path, from growing up around poetry, drawing, music and photography, to his early experiences with travel, writing, radio, music promotion and video. David reflects on a life-changing rock-climbing experience in Sardinia, the way travel opened up his view of culture and creativity, and how his artistic process grew from observation into abstraction.
Hava and David also discuss photography, videography, composition, synchronicity, the influence of music, and the importance of staying connected to the process of making art rather than focusing only on the final outcome.
Show Notes
David Olson joins Hava Gurevich for a conversation about creativity, perception and the process of making art.
The episode begins with David reflecting on his early creative influences, including his mother, who wrote poetry, drew, sang, played guitar and used photography.
David talks about his early involvement in music, including his time as a DJ on WCBN-FM Ann Arbor, a freeform station where putting together a show was treated as a creative act.
The conversation moves into travel, writing and David’s experiences in France, including how living in different places helped him see cultural norms as constructs and opened up new ways of thinking.
David shares the story of a dangerous rock-climbing experience in Sardinia, where he believed he was going to die. He describes how that moment encouraged him to dig deeper, move toward the things that interested him, and keep exploring in both art and life.
Hava and David discuss his approach to video, including how he became interested in doing the things that video is not usually used for, and how he moved away from simply documenting toward creating abstract compositions.
David explains how a moment in Aventine, one of the oldest quarters of Rome, changed the way he saw photography. He began noticing cracks, posters, colours and fragments on walls as small abstract compositions.
The conversation explores the connection between photography and video, and how David’s visual aesthetic carries through both mediums.
They discuss art that feels beautiful without being conventionally beautiful, and the excitement of looking at something without fully knowing what it is.
David talks about his work with images of musicians, including Ornette Coleman, and how he uses video, stills, multimedia compositing and music as part of the creative process.
Hava and David discuss synchronicity, the I Ching, Carl Jung, and the idea that each moment contains the essence of that moment.
The episode closes with a discussion about success, the value of process, and the idea that making art can be a way of participating in the world.
Hava also shares that she has a show coming up in Springfield, Illinois, featuring miniature paintings of betta fish in a micro gallery.
Memorable Quotes
“There wasn't really a plan. I didn’t really even realize I was pointed in that direction until pretty late in my life.”
“As I went out into the world, I was already looking at it as sort of through this creative lens.”
“The being a DJ was a creative act.”
“If your horizons want to be opened, you start moving around.”
“You realize right away they’re totally arbitrary. It’s just what everybody has agreed that they are.”
“You didn’t really try to do anything.”
“If you like something, do more of that.”
“Move towards the things that attract you and that make you happy or just seem interesting.”
“Don’t just stop. Don’t stop.”
“What if it’s not just documenting something?”
“The last thing I want to do is document something.”
“I started. I saw the world in a different way.”
“There’s all these compositions everywhere.”
“Stop thinking about it narratively.”
The conversation explores David’s creative path, from growing up around poetry, drawing, music and photography, to his early experiences with travel, writing, radio, music promotion and video. David reflects on a life-changing rock-climbing experience in Sardinia, the way travel opened up his view of culture and creativity, and how his artistic process grew from observation into abstraction.
Hava and David also discuss photography, videography, composition, synchronicity, the influence of music, and the importance of staying connected to the process of making art rather than focusing only on the final outcome.
Show Notes
David Olson joins Hava Gurevich for a conversation about creativity, perception and the process of making art.
The episode begins with David reflecting on his early creative influences, including his mother, who wrote poetry, drew, sang, played guitar and used photography.
David talks about his early involvement in music, including his time as a DJ on WCBN-FM Ann Arbor, a freeform station where putting together a show was treated as a creative act.
The conversation moves into travel, writing and David’s experiences in France, including how living in different places helped him see cultural norms as constructs and opened up new ways of thinking.
David shares the story of a dangerous rock-climbing experience in Sardinia, where he believed he was going to die. He describes how that moment encouraged him to dig deeper, move toward the things that interested him, and keep exploring in both art and life.
Hava and David discuss his approach to video, including how he became interested in doing the things that video is not usually used for, and how he moved away from simply documenting toward creating abstract compositions.
David explains how a moment in Aventine, one of the oldest quarters of Rome, changed the way he saw photography. He began noticing cracks, posters, colours and fragments on walls as small abstract compositions.
The conversation explores the connection between photography and video, and how David’s visual aesthetic carries through both mediums.
They discuss art that feels beautiful without being conventionally beautiful, and the excitement of looking at something without fully knowing what it is.
David talks about his work with images of musicians, including Ornette Coleman, and how he uses video, stills, multimedia compositing and music as part of the creative process.
Hava and David discuss synchronicity, the I Ching, Carl Jung, and the idea that each moment contains the essence of that moment.
The episode closes with a discussion about success, the value of process, and the idea that making art can be a way of participating in the world.
Hava also shares that she has a show coming up in Springfield, Illinois, featuring miniature paintings of betta fish in a micro gallery.
Memorable Quotes
“There wasn't really a plan. I didn’t really even realize I was pointed in that direction until pretty late in my life.”
“As I went out into the world, I was already looking at it as sort of through this creative lens.”
“The being a DJ was a creative act.”
“If your horizons want to be opened, you start moving around.”
“You realize right away they’re totally arbitrary. It’s just what everybody has agreed that they are.”
“You didn’t really try to do anything.”
“If you like something, do more of that.”
“Move towards the things that attract you and that make you happy or just seem interesting.”
“Don’t just stop. Don’t stop.”
“What if it’s not just documenting something?”
“The last thing I want to do is document something.”
“I started. I saw the world in a different way.”
“There’s all these compositions everywhere.”
“Stop thinking about it narratively.”
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