Isolation 2020 Project featuring Olly Williams from the art duo Olly Suzi

In these times of lockdowns the majority of us have turned to the world of arts and entertainment to make our time in isolation more interesting. If it weren’t for all of the creative people out there what would we have done?…

My project is showcasing creatives, artists, fitness and wellness experts from all walks of life, without whom we would be going out of our minds.

First up; I am incredibly proud and honoured to introduce you to one half of the art duo Olly Suzi @ollysuzi in the form of Olly Williams for my “Isolation 2020” project.

Olly, a self-confessed “wild man” and most definitely a force to be reckoned with, took a bit of convincing to be a part of my project and boy am I glad I managed to persuade him!  I had just arrived in Devon for my summer staycation after a very long drive and was absolutely knackered!  But, after talking and getting to know Olly, I felt so completely uplifted and ready to take on anything.  His energy, sincerity and warmth really touched me.

Olly has had an eventful life, to say the least, so it is hard to know where to start with all he has done and achieved!

When I asked him about the young Olly he referred me to a short film that his talented brother, Greg @gregwilliams, directed and produced called “Sergeant Slaughter” which Greg based on his big brother Olly.  You definitely get a good insight into the type of man Olly is and the bonus (if you’re a fan and, let’s face it, who isn’t?) is that actor Tom Hardy @tomhardy plays the part of Olly.  Olly grew up loving the physical life with rugby and boxing, enjoyed his art and fostered a love of animals.  His Mum was an artist and his Dad, a very religious man, did a lot of volunteer work and was a playwright.

Olly attended Saint Martin’s School of Art but told me that he did not really feel a brotherhood with fellow artists as he was not an artist in the traditional sense, until he met Suzi Winstanley.  Suzi changed everything.  Quickly forming an unexplainable bond, together they became an art duo, something the school was not too keen on but, nevertheless, they graduated with a joint degree which they had insisted upon.  Together they won a scholarship to study in America at the Syracuse University in New York State.   This cemented their style of art.  They later established their theme of animal conservation.  Their intention was to document “the fragile equilibrium between man and nature”.  They paint and draw “on the spot” on their expeditions where and when they see the rare and exotic creatures that fascinate them.  Often the animals become actual collaborators, for example, a bear might contribute a pawprint, a crocodile a print of the geometric pattern of its skin or a pack of wild dogs might contribute blood smears from their fresh kill.

Olly and Suzi have an energy together and they both enjoy travelling  with mountains being their main pull.  In the course of their travels Olly did a stint in the army as a combat medic and became a professional diver.  He then taught this skill to Suzi and Greg.  Apparently Suzi still hates diving but the fact that she does it shows just how strong a character she is.

One of their most iconic shots was taken by Olly’s younger brother, Greg, who accompanied them on many of their expeditions.  Olly and Suzi were underwater drawing, whilst in a cage, with a circling shark eager to get at them!  Upon resurfacing they offered their piece of art to the shark who took a huge bite out of it!

With their extensive travels and combined expertise, alongside working with top guides, naturalists and conservationists, Olly and Suzi started to run expeditions as an organic extension of their art.  The pair have established a loyal following and their work, amongst many other things, is explored in a documentary by BBC Storyville – edits courtesy of @physic_garden and with huge thanks to @tonyfitzjohn OBE.

The words Olly used to sum up his time in isolation were “Patience …. When in hell, don’t stop going”.  Olly told me he is a big fan of Winston Churchill and can’t help but think of his words “Keep buggering on” during these tough times.  Olly goes on to say that many people in the art industry spend plenty of time in a “lockdown” style of life anyway.  Olly spends roughly 3 months out of every 12 on expeditions, spending the rest of his time writing screenplays and short stories when at home with his family, with whom he is very close.  His loving and supportive wife has recently turned one of Olly’s stories into a ballet – which I would love to see!

Words to sum up Isolation 2020, the first lockdown;

Patience…

‘When in hell, Don’t stop going’

Olly told me that he hates change but he is adapting to life in lockdown.  In his opinion, you need to have the mindset of manning up – this is real but there are far bigger problems out there.  Olly says we should be more mindful and look at the potential ramifications.  This pandemic is a natural response to our poor relationship with the natural world.  Olly explained, if all the mini beasts were destroyed today, the human race would not last 5 years!  If the human effect is properly managed, we can have a good effect.  50% of the earth’s surface needs wilderness and we can all help with this my making an area in our own back gardens.  We can all do our bit is the good news, education is key!

We talked about mental health during these times of isolation and he spoke of the “Stockdale Paradox Theory”.  This is a way of helping to embrace the reality and the daily grind whilst allowing just a glimmer of optimism without putting a time frame on it, he explained.  

There is so much to the depth of Olly’s character and the stories he has to tell that are genuinely fascinating, thankfully he is now writing his biography.  Olly is very grateful for his family and the time he has with them.  He speaks proudly of his son, an up and coming rugby star and I was lucky enough to meet his beautiful daughter, Kora, who was named after a Kenyan game reserve special to Olly.  He speaks fondly of his loving wife, his younger brother @gregwilliams who is his best friend and also of his unique and special relationship with his art partner Suzi, without whom, he says, he probably would not be an artist.

I caught up with Olly recently, during our third lockdown, and asked him a few more questions.

What have you been up to since we last talked?

Writing my wilderness memoir and finishing a new novel, training, walking, eating, arguing (situation normal in my household), sleeping and repeating!

Now in our 3rd official lockdown, can you tell me how this one compares with the first for you?

Long!

Where have you spent lockdown?

In West Sussex, I haven’t left there.

What do you believe your experience of 2020 has taught you?

To keep buggering on!  To really live in the day, in the now, without the anxiety of needing immediate change …. yet allowing myself a wee ray of hope that one day in the future things will return to normal ….and maintaining that mindset.

Moving forward, is there anything you will approach differently, having experienced all that we have during this pandemic?

Value my family every minute of the day.

Many have found this time incredibly tough for so many reasons.  What would you say has been the hardest part of it for you to deal with?

Managing the expectations and aspirations and the hopes and dreams of my kids, particularly my son Bear.  Bear came home from playing rugby in New Zealand during the first lockdown at the end of March to be with his folks.  He put us before his dream of professional rugby in New Zealand and now cannot return.  To my mind this has been toughest for all of our kids as they are the ones whose lives have been most affected with their interactivity, social lives, education and careers put on hold.

I hope that you and your loved ones have fared well during this difficult time.  Is there anything positive from this Covid experience that you will be able to reflect upon for the rest of your life?

Sharing a deep love of nature on our doorstep with my daughter Kora, every single day!

I really enjoyed my chat with Olly and felt an instant connection with him.  He may appear rough and wild but he is most definitely a big softie at heart and I am extremely grateful to have met him.  I hope that once this pandemic is over I can meet with him properly and share more of his wild adventure stories.

Interview and FaceTime portraits by Dawn Collins