Olivia ONeill and the Artwork of Operating – iRunFar

Meet Olivia ONeill — runner, hiker, biker, and creator and proprietor of Gentle Foot Athletics attire.

Whereas coaching for the Bighorn 200 Mile, Olivia noticed a necessity for sure attire. Relatively than purchase issues that didn’t fairly match the invoice, she made her personal. One way or the other, by way of the net of social media, I discovered Gentle Foot and was instantly tremendous enthusiastic about how she blended artwork with clothes that appeared each comfy and extremely practical for out of doors actions.

Right here is the inventive Olivia ONeill on the artwork of working.

Inform us about your working/journey background and Gentle Foot Athletics.

I began working after faculty in New York Metropolis (NYC), [New York]. I discovered path working fairly shortly and spent my weekends determining get from Brooklyn out to trails in Upstate New York and New Jersey by way of trains. That’s metropolis life with no automobile!

I began working ultras and was hooked! I moved out to Colorado in 2021 and have been completely enamored with the wilderness out right here, moving into longer pursuits and actually appreciating transferring by way of unbelievable areas!

I began Gentle Foot Athletics whereas I used to be prepping for Bigfoot 200 Mile and realized that the gear I had wasn’t going to chop it, so I made a bunch of issues for myself. Pondering that these may be issues different folks would need too, I made a decision to begin promoting them!

What received you into working and designing?

I’ve needed to be a clothes designer since I used to be 13. I’ve at all times had a really sturdy draw towards making issues, and my favourite a part of design has at all times been fixing issues. I went to Parsons The New College for Design in NYC and labored as a menswear designer within the company trend world for 10 years earlier than beginning Gentle Foot. What drew me to working was that it was an outlet for my inventive mind to course of all of the ideas bumping round.

Artwork and journey will be related, expressive shops. Are they associated for you?

For me, being outside and occurring adventures has been my place to assume and work out concepts.

Who or what’s the most motivating issue that retains you transferring and creating? Anybody particularly encourage you?

There isn’t actually a tangible motivating issue that retains me making issues. I feel it’s simply an innate factor that if I wasn’t making issues, I wouldn’t be glad. I take into consideration artists and designers that encourage me, and I feel the by way of line in all of them is individuals who have a component of joyfulness and irreverence to their work. Graham Keegan, Paula Kozłowska, Justice Wolf, and Lana Launay are all artists of various mediums that I get excited to see new work from.

Do you construction your working and artistic tasks, with coaching plans or deadlines? What does your typical day appear to be as a inventive and outside particular person?

This can be a humorous one as a result of I feel, in most methods, I’m a typical inventive sort that’s as a rule, just a little in every single place. Once I’m making a drop for Gentle Foot, I’m way more structured simply so I can get all the things out in time, however after I’m engaged on private inventive tasks, my motto is “solely work on tasks when you find yourself excited to work on them.” That method I’m making the very best inventive choices for that factor in the mean time after I’m in the proper headspace to take action.

I was very structured in my working, however for the final two years, I’ve stripped all of that again and not run with a watch, monitoring, Strava, or actually another sort of metrics aside from having a normal concept of the size and vert of the route I’m doing. It’s introduced a lot pleasure again to being outdoors for me and brought off a lot pointless stress — I extremely suggest making an attempt it. 🙂

I really like the way in which you mix artwork into Gentle Foot with colours/dyes, the cyanotype on the cotton tee, the DIY shirt. Some other gadgets you’re hoping to create? Any critique for the out of doors attire trade?

I see Gentle Foot as two actually vital issues for me. It permits me to use what I really like most (making issues) to the locations I really like probably the most (outdoors!) Gentle Foot has been an experiment in having the ability to make practical issues for the outside; issues that I particularly determine wants for in my very own adventures, so new gadgets are normally born out of a private necessity. An merchandise that I’d like to create could be an ideal sports activities bra — I’ve some materials for testing and some completely different design concepts.

I’d truthfully like to see much less green-washing from out of doors manufacturers. Coming from a company trend background, I’ve seen corporations tout their sustainable supplies and merchandise whereas doing nothing to handle the constant challenge of irresponsible and wasteful shopping for practices.

There’s a give attention to “marketable” sustainability to create gross sales development whereas doing nothing to handle the huge problems with waste and moral consumption. I’ve so much to say about this subject, however I’ll save that for one more time. 🙂

Outdoors of Gentle Foot, what are different inventive pursuits you take pleasure in? What different sports activities outdoors of working? You appear to like plenty of various things!

One thing I do fairly a little bit of is mending denim! I do hand-sewn sashiko-style repairs on largely classic denim for folk in Boulder, Colorado. Not solely is it a super-fun inventive course of, but it surely additionally aligns with my beliefs round preserving what you’ve and making it higher. I take commissions and work with a neighborhood classic denim vendor referred to as Lov’d. My different inventive ardour is knitting, and that I maintain all for myself as a result of it takes so dang lengthy.

Outdoors of working, I really like backpacking and fastpacking — final yr, I solo thru-hiked the Colorado Path, and I feel it modified my mind chemistry. Very excited to do extra adventures like that sooner or later! I additionally attempt to get on my bike as a lot as doable and have very frivolously been making an attempt to get into extra snow sports activities.

Do you’ve recommendation for somebody creating their very own enterprise from their artwork?

Ensure you have a wholesome relationship along with your artwork! It may be draining to attempt to monetize your ardour and depart you feeling much less enthusiastic about making issues. I’ve discovered that having tasks which are only for me retains me feeling excited to return to creating issues for different folks.

And a random query that I ask everybody: In case you may very well be a tree, what sort of tree would you be?

Not a sort of tree, but when I have been a tree, I’d wish to be planted alongside a path with good folks watching and even higher views. Put me anyplace on the John Muir Path, and I’d be glad. 🙂

Name for Feedback

• Have you ever worn something from Gentle Foot Athletics earlier than?
• Do you attempt to customise your out of doors attire to make it higher work in your wants?