The Good Page features positive LGBTQ+ news in Central Florida and Tampa Bay, uplifting and inspiring stories highlighting locals in our community. In this issue, we meet creator of Chill Artistry Ollie Hill.
Ollie Hill doesn’t start with a finished idea.
They start with a pile.
Sketches, word maps, half-thoughts, what they call “really bad doodles.” The kind of work you’re not supposed to show anyone.
“I think artists forget they’re allowed to have a rough draft phase,” they say.
That’s where things begin to come together. Not cleanly, not all at once, but slowly. A connection between what a client is trying to say, what Hill is feeling and what the work might become.
And then, eventually, it clicks.
From there, it’s repetition. One idea, worked over and over until it feels right.
That rhythm comes from bookmaking, where you don’t get it perfect the first time, you get better by doing it again.
“Brain dump, then refine,” they share. “Over and over.”
What stands out about Chill Artistry isn’t just the work. It’s the way it’s built.
Hill pays attention to the full chain, who they collaborate with, where materials come from and how work moves through the community.
“I want people to feel like I’ve actually heard them,” they say.
For a lot of queer clients, that matters more than aesthetics. It’s the difference between something looking good and something actually feeling right.
That care shows up in the details.
The paper is ethically sourced. Collaborators are chosen intentionally. When there’s an opportunity to pass work to another queer creative in Orlando, Hill takes it.
“If I can pass work to another queer person locally, I will,” they say.
And that choice doesn’t just support one person, it creates a chain. One project leads to another, one connection leads to the next.
Over time, those choices add up.
Not just to a business, but to something closer to a network. One that supports people, circulates resources and makes it easier for others to keep going.
In practice, that kind of intention shows up in ways that aren’t always visible at first.
A client might come in with a vague idea, something that doesn’t feel quite right yet. Hill slows that process down. There’s space to ask questions, to rethink, to sit with it a little longer than most design timelines would allow.
“I’ve had people come to me after working with other designers and say, ‘This just doesn’t feel like me,’” they share.
Part of the work is figuring out why.
Sometimes that means starting over. Sometimes it means pulling something small out of what already exists and building around it. But the goal stays the same: making sure the final piece feels aligned, not just finished.
That kind of care takes more time. It’s not always the fastest way to work.
But it’s the reason people come back.
Last year, Hill was named Orlando Weekly’s Best Graphic Designer.
The recognition mattered, not just as an award, but as validation.
“I spent so long in advertising where your credibility comes from the agency,” they say. “Building that on your own is different.”
Now, that validation has shifted what’s possible.
Chill Artistry has evolved into something closer to what Hill originally imagined, working almost exclusively with LGBTQ+, BIPOC and women-owned clients.
“I love every client I have,” they say. “Everything I’m doing now matters to me.”
And that changes the question from “How do I get here?” to “What comes next?”
For Hill, growth isn’t about scaling for the sake of it.
It’s about impact.
They want to take on an apprentice. To teach bookmaking. To give someone else, especially someone who looks like a younger version of them, a way into the industry.
“I want to give 21-year-old me a chance,” they say.
They also want to keep giving back, designing for community organizations, supporting local work and using their skill set where they’re needed most.
“Grow, and give back,” they share. “That’s the goal.”
Interested in being featured in The Good Page? Email Editor-in-Chief Ryan Williams-Jent at Ryan@WatermarkOutNews.com in Tampa Bay or Central Florida Bureau Chief Bellanee Plaza at Bellanee@WatermarkOutNews.com in Central Florida.
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