Some artists work on canvas. Some work in clay, photography, or print. Olivia Harvey found her creative spark in something many people already have sitting in their closet: clothing.
In Episode 86 of Inside the Frame Podcast, Frame Center sits down with Olivia Harvey, the artist behind O Please, for a conversation about sewing, secondhand textiles, original designs, local creative roots, and what happens when a handmade sweatshirt becomes something people set alarms to buy.
Her work is playful, recognizable, and full of personality. But underneath the humor and bold designs is something deeper: a thoughtful approach to reuse, craft, and the idea that art does not have to stay inside a frame to be meaningful.
Growing Up Around Creativity
Olivia’s creative life started early. With artist Laura Harvey as her mother, art was part of the environment around her from childhood. Her mother’s work, along with her involvement in the North River Arts Society, gave Olivia a front-row view of what it looks like to live a creative life.
That influence did not push Olivia into one specific medium. Instead, it gave her permission to explore.
She tried drawing, painting, writing, clothing design, sewing, and screenwriting. For a while, she was still searching for the medium that felt right. Then, during COVID, while going through clothes she no longer needed, something clicked. She began cutting, combining, sewing, and transforming existing garments into something new.
What started as experimenting with old clothing eventually became wearable art.
Calling It Art
One of the most interesting moments in the episode is Olivia’s honesty about learning to call her work art.
At first, she saw it as “putting stuff on other stuff.” But over time, she came to recognize the design, material choices, handwork, originality, and time behind each piece. Like any artist, she is making creative decisions from start to finish.
That realization matters because it expands how we think about art. Art does not always have to be a painting on a wall. It can be sewn onto a sweatshirt. It can be made from scraps. It can be humorous, wearable, useful, and still completely original.
Olivia’s work gives people an approachable entry point into collecting handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces. Instead of buying something mass-produced, they are wearing something with character, history, and an artist’s hand behind it.
The Secondhand Story Behind the Work
Sustainability is also built into Olivia’s process. She sources much of her material through thrifting, clothing donations, and leftover items from clothing swaps. Stained sweatshirts, old T-shirts, and imperfect garments become the starting point for something new.
Instead of seeing a stain or flaw as the end of a garment’s life, Olivia sees it as an opportunity. A mark can be covered. A scrap can become part of a lobster. A secondhand sweatshirt can become the base for a piece someone is excited to own.
That process gives the work an extra layer of meaning. Each piece already has a life before Olivia touches it, and then she gives it another one.
The Lobster That Became an Icon
Of all Olivia’s designs, the lobster has become the star. It is funny, local, recognizable, and completely tied to New England personality.
The design has changed over time, especially after a run-in involving the original coffee cup graphic. What could have been a setback became part of the story. Olivia adjusted the design, switched the cup, and kept going.
In a way, that pivot fits her work perfectly. Her whole practice is about taking what already exists, responding to it, and making something new. The lobster evolved, and the audience stayed with it.
Now, the design carries even more personality because there is a story behind it.
The Drop Culture of Handmade Work
Olivia’s pieces have become so popular that her online drops often sell out almost immediately. She makes a small batch, previews what will be available, and then releases the pieces online at a set time.
People mark their calendars. They set alarms. They try to move fast.
That kind of demand says a lot about the connection people feel to her work. These are not anonymous products sitting on a shelf. They are handmade, limited, and personal. Once a piece is gone, it is gone.
For Olivia, that excitement is both encouraging and stressful. But it also shows how much people value originality when they feel a real connection to the artist behind it.
Creativity Needs Community
The episode also moves beyond Olivia’s own work and into the larger creative community around her. She talks about teaching sewing classes, leading craft nights, and being around other artists who are working in different mediums.
That shared creative energy matters. Sometimes simply sitting with other makers can be enough to restart a project, finish something that has been sitting for months, or feel inspired to try something new.
Olivia’s story reflects something Frame Center sees often in the local art community: creativity grows when people have places to gather, learn, share ideas, and support each other.
Wearable Art, Wall Art, and Everything In Between
One of the best parts of Olivia’s work is that it challenges where art belongs. Some pieces are worn. Some become stickers, prints, or screen-printed designs. Some may one day belong in a gallery-style setting alongside other artwork.
That flexibility is part of what makes the conversation so interesting. Art can live on a body, on a wall, in a studio, in a shop, or in a home. What matters is the care, intention, and story behind it.
For artists creating across mediums, presentation still plays an important role. Frame Center works with artists, collectors, businesses, and families through custom framing, printing services, art digitizing, delivery, professional installation, and consulting. Whether the piece is a print, a textile-inspired work, a photograph, a keepsake, or something completely unexpected, thoughtful presentation helps give creative work a place to be seen and appreciated.
A New Kind of Local Art Story
Olivia Harvey’s episode is a reminder that local art is not limited to one format. It can be stitched, printed, thrifted, repurposed, taught, worn, collected, and shared.
Her work is fun on the surface, but it also speaks to bigger ideas: sustainability, creative confidence, community, and the courage to take your work seriously.
Sometimes the medium finds you. Sometimes it starts in a closet full of clothes you were about to give away. And sometimes, with enough curiosity, a secondhand sweatshirt becomes the piece everyone is waiting to get their hands on.
