Olivia has always had a passion for creating with pens, pastels, paints, glue, glitter ... if it's messy and sensory, she's drawn to it! Creative art has been a way for Olivia to express herself over the years - on happier days she often draws rainbows and flowers, on more difficult days the pictures become darker, featuring angry swirls and thundery clouds. Olivia's artwork allows those around her a peek into her inner world and the emotions she is experiencing. Olivia has been attending a local therapeutic art class for the past couple of years - it is a peaceful place where she enjoys experimenting and expressing herself. So much artwork has been brought home over the years that storage was becoming an issue, so Olivia's father started photographing her work to keep a record of it. It was through the photographing of her work that the idea of creating greeting cards featuring Olivia's artwork came to the fore.
People with extra needs face many barriers to entering the workforce. For Olivia, there is a particular difficulty in participating in society due to the daily challenges she faces as a young woman living with autism. The ideal role for Olivia offers a quiet, supportive environment with flexible working hours ... the opportunity to create artwork for her cards and prepare orders for customers checks every box! The process of creating art for each of her greeting cards and selling them gives Olivia a real sense of purpose, self-worth, and the opportunity to add value to society in a way many of us take for granted.
With every pack of cards sold, a percentage of the sale is gifted to our organisation to enable more amazing partnerships like Olivia and Nellie's to be created. Thank you Olivia for contributing to our organisation is such a beautiful way!