We were lucky to catch up with Julie Solvstrom recently and have shared our conversation below.
Julie, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
I spent all of my late teens and early twenties traveling and living abroad, with the single objective of seeing and experiencing the world. I didn’t really know what I wanted to pursue as a career, but I knew I wanted it to be something creative. At 24 years old, after 4 years in Australia and a rather traumatizing immigration hiccup, I returned to Denmark with a broken heart and a spot at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology’s art program that I wasn’t going to be able to attend.
My brother and I were not very close growing up. We spent a lot of our childhood making life pretty miserable for each other. Looking back, we had very little in common and a four-year age gap meant we led very different lives. However, that slowly changed when I left Denmark. As we both got older and a little wiser, our relationship got stronger. Turns out, he would play the most significant and influential part in getting to work as a creative.
After a few months of sulking back in Denmark, I was in this tough existential crisis of not knowing what I wanted to do with my life. At the time I was drawing a lot, just little doodles really, and while everyone else saw this as a ‘nice little hobby’, my brother saw potential. He suggested I should look into studying graphic design and illustration. A year later I was accepted at the Royal Danish Academy of Design, and I knew I was on the right path.
My brother just had this unwavering faith in me, and he still does. I looked up to him a lot. He is an incredibly talented designer, and his support meant everything to me at the time. There’s not a doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing if it hadn’t been for him.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Julie Solvstrom. I’m a Danish illustrator and lettering artist living in Vancouver, British Columbia. My background in graphic design and an early obsession with letters and typography slowly morphed into where I am now, creating positive, colorful and playful lettering compositions.
I work with brands of all shapes and sizes. I’ve worked on everything from concert merch for a heavy metal band, to a book cover for poetry collection. I also make art prints and clothing, and hope to make this a bigger part of my business.
Nature plays a big role on my work. Animals, plants, flowers are often featured and I spend as much time as possible in the outdoors.
Through my work, I hope to inspire others to connect with nature, embrace their creativity, and appreciate the beauty in the world around us.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I’ve had the chance to work with some amazing businesses and creatives. Getting to work with people in completely different industries and hearing their visions for a creative piece is pretty special.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
This is hands down illustration challenges. These are just creative challenges that can run for a period of time, mostly on Instagram. A few worth mentioning are Inktober, The 100 Day Project, and 35 Days of Type. It’s an amazing way to connect with other creatives, find support and expand your portfolio.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.juliesolvstrom.com
- Instagram: @juliesolvstrom
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-solvstrom-9933b5154/