My name in this earth is Vinny Olimpio, an Aquarius child, born right before the sunset to catch a fire glimpse of remembrance late 80´s in Minas Gerais, Southeast Brasil. Growing up in a ghetto, my childhood is a compilation of street stories mainly powered by adrenaline. I didn’t really go to school but life taught through rocky roads.
Started working in full discipline at 13, never stopped til this day. My first job was loading trucks, eventually the dreams to be an artist started to creep into reality.
And so my soul had a plan. At 16 I got a job as a cleaner in a school of Graphic Design in Brasil. I would wait til the lights were off to explore possibilities in the computer. I got fired, but my explorative designs stayed in the hard drive and one of the teachers found them. One call turned into the beginning of my design career, I got a job as an illustrator and Jr. Art Director, learning as I worked I mastered 2D, then CGI. By 17 I opened my own business as a 3D Designer, bringing architectural projects through CG.
Still my spirit kept driving me to go further laying eyes across the pond. Magnetised by the ethic of European design craft, I packed my bags, left my comfort zone with a one way ticket to England and 500 euros in my pocket. Suddenly I found myself flying above that pond that turned into a vast ocean of endless possibilities.
Arriving to London was not a fairytale, living out of my suitcase, lost in translation and navigating unstable waves of citizenship as a latino in Europe. Spent many days under the rain standing outside the building I dreamed of working in, trying to steal a few minutes from the big sharks on their way out. Rejection became my daily lunch serving but resiliency was my dinner, so I trusted til my crooked English voice was granted 5 minutes on the clock, and in timeless moments like those your soul speaks for you.
One more time the flame of intention sparked, hitting 20 I got a job as a Digital Designer at BBH London, shortly after I started to work as Creative Designer / Art director across all their clients globally. Working alongside living legends as mentors such as Mark Reddy, Dominic Goldman, Ian Heartfield, Ewan Peterson and Sir John Hegarty creating ideas with big impacts as my career escalated unleashed. I curated revolutionary visions for Audi, AXE, Johnnie Walker, Adidas, Absolut Vodka & Unilever to name a few. During those 7 golden years I developed a unique interest to expand my creativity as an Art Director combining contemporary art into advertising, working with iconic photographers and artists with lateral thinking and huge craft values, winning every well known award in the creative industry. I share this not to pat my own back, simply as a living testimony of the capacity we have to materialise our dreams with enough discipline, resilience and inspiration.
Reaching my 30´s I was no longer spinning plates for survival and had over 10 years of design experience stored under my signature black hat, creating global campaigns that were beyond my wildest projections. Then one day the rug pulled as I received another phone call with an offer that arrived to change the gear. Early 2019 I packed my bags once more and hit the west coast to join the iPhone team as Associated Creative Director/Art director at Apple California working with the iPhone global campaigns and the ShotOniPhone social team co-directing some of my own work.
At this point I was seating on top of the mountain tasting success professionally and financially, yet the higher my numbers would rise in the biggest corporate scene of the world, the louder the questions of pertinence would become within me.
2020 the year of worlds metamorphosis. I happened to be in Mexico escaping the virtual for a few days when the planet went through a pandemic take over, the borders became walls and I couldn’t return back to California. Making the best of the present I quarantined in Tulum while on hold for my ongoing contract with Apple. During those moons I finally had the time to go deeper within and find pathways that unfold the rising curiosity about my true purpose.
I took a 4 month flight within, reviving crystallised knowledge. The studies with the flames became my alarm clock, as ancestral memories raised from the ashes to awaken me from Illusion.
I followed my intuition and quit Apple. In pursuit of my own bliss my scape from the Silicon Valley lit up my inner fire with appreciation of my freedom to be creative beyond linear beliefs, walking the curves where ideas could make big impacts in a conscious level with less restrictions from the corporate creative system.
As the world reopened I went back to the bay, condensed my life in 3 suitcases and hit the road of integration through mountains and deserts to finally ground in my rebirthing place, and new base: Mexico. It took 33 solar returns to awaken and live limitless with less, to not just do but BE in this present moment that is the only plane that truly exists.
In this breath here and now, I recognise myself as an Alchemist designer, finding home wherever I dream under the stars, working across any celebration of art expression from Branding, Art Direction, Photography, Design strategy, Film making, Fashion, Architecture. and other talents yet to discover. I will never quit design because I am obsessed with the ritual of human understanding and the ability to create cultural impact through creativity in co-creation with other brilliant hearts. Yet I now combined my own visionary art, making the finite infinite as I don’t work for anyone but with many. And every creation from now is crafted with intentionality from the alchemy of the spirit.
By weaving through light and darkness I embody the legacy of my creative spirit. The fire reminded me to dance with my shadow, to embrace my roots and to realise that life in this vessel is as impermanent as wood under the flames. And in order to rise we must let go, just like the fire spirals back into the cosmos, the only success comes from surrender, heart-led fearless passion, and freedom with discipline.
Awards
5x Wood Pencil
1x Graphite Pencil
1x White Pencil/Inbook
Jury 2017
New Blood Awards
Branding / Digital Advertising
1x GOLD
1x BRONZE
1x SHORTLIST
1x SILVER
1x SHORTLIST
2x Site of the Day
1x GOLD
2x SILVER
1X BRONZE
3x SHORTLIST
2x GOLD
1x SILVER
1x BRONZE
1x Nomination
1x GOLD Film Craft
1x Site of the Day
1x SILVER
1x SHORTLIST
1x BRONZE
3x MERIT
1x SHORTLIST
2x SILVER
1x Finalist
1x PRIZE
Honoree
1x Best Use of Video or Moving Image
1x Best Art Direction
1x SILVER