My Weekend: Gearing up for a busy STAMP festival

TELL us a little bit about yourself;

I’m originally from Mayo. I grew up on a dairy farm by the sea. I was a really quiet and shy child. As a kid, I had a notion I’d like to be an artist without the foggiest idea what that would look like. I just knew I loved to draw. I discovered illustration was a possibility in secondary school and I took to the idea of using drawing to solve visual problems and tell stories.

My artistic aspirations brought me to Dublin where I did Visual Communications in the then DIT. I met my Corkonian husband there as he was doing the same course. We stayed in Dublin for a few years, where our first child was born. With our second on the way, we did as many do — we left Dublin to be closer to family and came to Cork.

What is your ideal way to spend a Friday night?

The ideal Friday night involves feet up as the week tends to be busy, full of early mornings and juggling work and the family. Friday night is a wind down but also resting up for the inevitable early morning Saturday as we have a rower in the family so there aren’t really any sleep-ins.

Lie ins or up with the lark.. which is it for you?

For a very long time, as in most of my life, I’d have said I was a lie-in kind of person. But in recent years I’ve discovered the joys of the early morning. Especially the early morning walk with my four-legged friend Shadow. 

Getting out of bed and straight into moving has a noticeable positive effect on my mood and physical well-being, not to mention the efficiencies of an early morning domestic to-do list.

 Done and dusted before the working day begins. As someone who mostly works from home, the household tasks can be distracting. You’ve got to develop a system that allows you to ignore it all until the workday is over or get ahead.

Does work creep into your weekend at all?

It can, but I do my utmost to avoid work at the weekends. There was a time when I had no boundaries, I was working two jobs and if freelance work arrived on my “days off” or the weekend, then I just tried to suck it up and adapt. Being more, ahem, mature now, I’ve come to the decision that this time is valuable in terms of family and friends and pursuing other parts of my life.

If money was no object where would you head to on a weekend city break? And who would you bring with you?

It would be quite a journey for just a weekend, but Kyoto or Tokyo in Japan. As a family of fair-skinned redheads, we’ve never been sun resort worshippers. So, our past holidays have taken us to cities. 

I would bring my kids and husband as we’ve talked many times about just how different a cultural experience it would be to any of the European cities we have visited.

Closer to home, is there some place you like to head to recharge the batteries?

Any beach where you go for a walk along the water. I grew up over the road from Ross beach in Mayo. Standing on the seashore with a view of the horizon, where the sea meets the sky is the most satisfying view I can imagine. Obviously, I can’t visit Ross whenever I fancy but it would be my favourite beach of all.

Garretstown or Garryvoe are good local options for blowing off the cobwebs and a bit of beach combing. Second to that is taking a walk along the river. I’m living in Blackrock and feel very fortunate to have so much on my doorstep.

Do you like to catch up with family/friends at the weekend?

When it happens, it’s very enjoyable. The truth is, friends and family (especially with kids) are trying to catch their tail when it comes to the weekend, so it doesn’t happen as often as I would like. It does take effort to organise but it’s so worth it when it comes together. For my own family in Mayo, it’s a treat to get time to travel and sit around for chats and have a laugh at ourselves!

Do you get to indulge any hobbies? Even as a spectator?

I don’t particularly enjoy spectator sports. I will sit to watch the odd rugby match or a bit of Formula 1 but on the whole, I don’t set my watch by them.

I have to admit I enjoy gardening. I don’t know all the names of the plants in the garden even though I planted them, but I enjoy the opportunity as it allows me to create spaces, observe nature at work, and work off stresses I might be carrying.

Entertain or be entertained? If it’s the latter, do you have a signature dish?

Growing up our house was “the home place” and entertaining was a must come Christmas, Easter and summer holidays and all the rest. Personally, I’m good with being entertained. 

I enjoy cooking (not baking), but I find the bigger-picture thinking involved in entertaining a bit overwhelming. If I had a signature dish it would be fish chowder or beef stroganoff.

We have so many places to eat out in Cork — where are your go to spots for coffee/ lunch/ special meal?

The weekends are a chance to grab a bite out. Locally the Cameron Bakery in Blackrock Village is a great stop if you want to treat yourself to a delicious pastry. If I’m looking for a sturdy sandwich I’d drop into the Natural Foods Bakery for their chicken pesto. When it comes to a cuppa, I’m a tea drinker. Let’s be honest, the best cup of tea is the one you make yourself! We enjoy a spot of breakfast in Café Velo on Georges Quay. Recently we discovered Bochelli’s on Maylor Street for some Italian delights.

Sunday night comes around too fast.. how do you normally spend it?

By the time Sunday night arrives everything’s ready for school and work on Monday morning. I always seem to be exhausted and wonder how that happened! If all has gone to plan it’s because I’ve managed to catch up on things, I wanted to do during the week but couldn’t. I might be found with my feet up (again), sketchbook in hand and some brand of murder mystery playing on the TV or Nils Frahm on the speakers.

What time does your alarm clock go off on Monday morning?

My alarm clock goes off at 6am. The plan is to get out early with the dog and come back for breakfast and the school run. That time extends to a sleep-in at the weekend of 6.30am or 7am!

Anything else you are up to right now...

I’ve been doing a lot of creative workshops and school visits since the start of the school year, peppered with a few of my own projects. I’m very excited about the STAMP Festival in the Triskel (May 16-18) It’s always a great event and I love seeing what my fellow creatives are up to. I’m also looking forward to my own Illustration workshop at the festival as I always enjoy working with children and listening to their drawing inspirations.

The summer will be a mix of family holidays, personal projects and getting started on a new book commission and I can't wait to get stuck in.

MORE ABOUT STAMP

Olivia Golden is an illustrator based in Cork city and is a member of Illustrators Ireland, iBby Ireland and AOI (Association of Illustrators). Olivia will be leading the sold-out ‘Illustrate Characters — a Draw Along’ Workshop on Saturday, May 18 at this year’s STAMP Festival, taking place on 16-18 of May at the Triskel Arts Centre. Organised by benchspace, Cork Craft & Design, Sample-Studios and Shandon Art Studios, STAMP Festival supports and showcases the importance of creatives in Cork. For more information on STAMP, visit www.stampcork.ie.