We were lucky to catch up with Julia Turcic recently and have shared our conversation below.
Julia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Around junior year of high school is when I started getting invested in my artwork and began focusing my creative energy on my passion for the arts. In that year, one of the paintings I created was chosen to be the cover image of a school event. When I saw my artwork displayed in such a public setting I felt respected and appreciated as an artist. From that moment I knew I wanted to pursue a professional career as an artist and I was fully committed to that lifestyle. Although my artwork got recognized on a small scale it made a huge impact for me both, personally and artistically. That acknowledgment gave me the validation I needed at that time to feel confident in my skills and abilities as an artist. After that experience I went on to collect a few more awards which was very empowering. As a young artist, recognition not only encouraged the work I was creating but also strengthened my belief in the career I was building. I will always be thankful for that high school experience, as it reshaped my perspective on the value of my artwork
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
When it came time to decide for college I was confident that I wanted to pursue an artistic career. After attending a pre-college class at the Fashion Institute of Technology, I recognized that learning from highly skilled artists and educators was essential to elevating my artwork to the next level. To this day I continue to explore my art style as I often use a variety of traditional tools like ink, acrylic or color pencil, as well as, some digital elements. My journey as an artist has been guided by a strong appreciation for versatility, which is why I often blend or alternate between mediums. Being in the early stages of my career, I haven’t settled on a defined style yet, though I’d consider my artwork to be stylistic illustration or illustrative realism. During the artistic process I enjoy conceptualizing and brainstorming ideas the most, as it motivates me to challenge the limits of my creativity in order to best fit my client’s or company’s request. In the near future I hope to pursue freelance work that involves narrative storytelling. advertising and conceptual illustration.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
What I find most rewarding about being an artist is the ability to bring my own or others’ ideas and concepts to life visually. Bringing that creative energy out of someone or even myself makes the artistic process much more exciting and personal. Collaborating with other creatives has always rewarded me with such great insight so I am thankful to be in a field that involves a variety of creative minds. Though when a viewer resonates or has a reaction to one of my personal illustrations it encourages me to explore my voice as an artist and push my artistic boundaries.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Unfortunately during COVID so many art businesses, events, and galleries shut down when they struggled to transfer to an online audience, resulting in the loss of great opportunities and resources for artists. Now that society is in a relatively healthy state I believe curating events, fairs, gallery openings, etc., for artists and creatives will help build a stronger community and support the creative ecosystem. When it comes to artists with online businesses, social media plays a vital part in connecting talented artists with a wider audience, as society helps to share their work. This exchange not only helps the artists branch out but, provides more unique opportunities. Society especially can support online creatives by giving them the exposure to companies that would otherwise never know they exist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://juliaturcicart.weebly.com/
- Instagram: sourfr0gs
- Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/julia-turcic-b67abb22b
