In his lectures and writings, Olin often identifies specific faculty members for having influenced his artistic and professional career, including Richard Haag at the University of Washington, who founded the school’s Landscape Architecture department; the poet Theodore Roethke; and Victor Steinbrueck, leader of the preservation campaign for Pike Place Market in Seattle, who taught Olin about the political nature of public space. After graduation Olin worked for Seattle architect Fred Bassetti from 1962-1964 and Edward Larrabee Barnes in New York from 1964 -1967.