We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julianne Henry a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Julianne, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What sort of legacy are you hoping to build. What do you think people will say about you after you are gone, what do you hope to be remembered for?
When most people are asked this question, they say how they want to change the world or make waves in the industry revolutionizing it forever. But when I hear this question I can’t help but think small. When I sell my art I am immediately impacting the people I interact with. All I can hope for is to make their day and the days of everyone else who stumbles upon me. As much as I would love to be this huge name in the world one, I think the one-to-one interactions are much more valuable. I would want to be remembered for my impact on others around me.
Julianne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Sure thing, My name is Julianne Henry. I run Julianne Marie Creative and I work as both a graphic designer and a photographer. My jump into the creative world wasn’t too far of a stretch in hindsight. As a kid, I filled my time with any creative outlet I could get my hands on. From playing instruments to singing, painting, arts and crafts, you name it. I probably did it. However, I never considered it a real career path until high school. I was in one of my art classes the I found out that people got paid for designing the art on soda cans. That one class changed my world forever. Since then I applied to and got accepted to Savannah College of Art and Design to study graphic design and also picked up photography which I self-taught myself with the help of online resources and youtube videos. When it comes to any project I do I find that I love to tell stories. I specialize in Typography, branding identity, and creative portraits. However, no matter what I’m working on I will break it down to bare-bone details because I believe good art is purposeful, almost everything has a meaning from the color you choose to the typeface to a prop that is featured, every detail no matter how small matters. The problem that I will solve is figuring out what you want to convey to your audience and how that is going to happen.
As a young designer what I am most proud of is believing in myself to pursue a creative career. I come from a very academically focused background where everyone around me prided themselves on their skills in STEM. For the longest time, I did the same thing but at a certain point, I realized that it wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. As much as my friend and family supported me there was always this caveat that pursuing a creative career was unrealistic and risky. I decided to pursue it regardless. At first, it was scary because It seemed like everyone was saying to do the opposite but by putting in the work, and learning everything I can I think it was the best decision I could’ve made. I try to put that same energy into the projects I do. Nothing is impossible if you just put in the work. Ideas that seem far-fetched or out of the norm can happen if you take your time and think it out.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Like I said before, I come from a very academic background. My closest friends are studying to be lawyers, politicians, environmental scientists, and medical professionals. As much as I know they support me it’s very easy to feel isolated in a world that prioritizes math and science. If there is one thing that I would want to let every non-creative know is that art is much more than drawing pretty pictures or making something look nice. Art connects with us on a different level than analytical things do. A world without art and design simply would not function. With something as basic as the design of a chair or your bedframe. Even the colors used on certain signage are all specifically chosen to emit feelings and entice a certain reaction. On top of that many creatives have to develop intense business knowledge and time management skills to run their own brand on top of their design work. So before writing off creative careers as an “easy” way out consider what life would be like without anyone in this field.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
For me, the best part of any project I do, whether it is design work for a client or a photo shoot is getting to know the people I work with. You meet so many incredible people with such unique outlooks on life. I’ve learned so much by just listening to the stories of the people I work with. On top of that working so closely with the client means you start to build a bond with them as you try to make their vision come to life. So the best moment is with revealing the final product and seeing their faces light up. That part of the process is unforgettable and hands down the best part of being creative.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://juliannemarie.myportfolio.com/work
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julmariephotography/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliannehenry/