Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ju Martins. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Ju, appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
I would say the story behind my mission is definitely the way I was raised. Life taught me a lot growing up, especially how respectful and open-hearted you have to be along the way. My experiences, especially traveling to so many countries and experiencing so many different cultures, opened my mind and made me want to help people in some way. Being positive is something that is part of me, so sharing and doing good things to motivate people who maybe can relate to my experiences/story and inspire them is my mission.
Ju, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
So, my name is Juliana, but you can call me Ju. I was born in Brazil and grew up between Brazil and Italy. The reason I chose photography and video is because of my desire to capture unique moments and make them last forever. I tend to spend most of my time outdoors, especially at the sea or somewhere else surrounded by nature. That’s because I use natural light and inspirations from nature to create my work. I love abstract art, anything in motion and the beautiful contrasting colors around the globe. My favorite light and time of day is during sunrise and sunset. After working for three years as an industrial designer at a water filter company in Brazil, in 2010 I went to Indonesia to live on a boat and it was there that my passion for the ocean, nature and photography became my greatest love. That’s when I fell in love with my first camera. I spent just over eight years traveling the world in search of waves and untouched places, experiencing different cultures. It was from these experiences that I felt the need to try to make a positive change around me. It was when I moved to San Diego five years ago that I decided to start expanding my focus to include more environmental awareness and social projects in my work. Visiting so many different cultures has encouraged me to want to give back to local communities and bring purpose to my own projects and the ones I am also a part of. Photography is the way I express myself, and sometimes it still doesn’t sound like work, because I love what I do so much, that I’m always enjoying every little moment of the project and that’s what inspires me every day.
Last year I decided to rethink how I could expand my work and that’s when I started with my partner our own production company based in San Diego, and we called it BOA Productions. We chose this name because BOA in Portuguese means GOOD, and for us good is everywhere, it just depends on your perspective. We’ve been doing some different work than I used to do, like videos for companies using the drone as our main camera, also some outdoor concept headshots and some photos and videos for an architecture company. In addition, I continue to make what I love to do, products, sports and telling stories. Our idea is to explore and experiment as much as we can in this first year of our small business and then decide which way to go. We love what we do and we know what we do well, so stepping out of my comfort zone is really motivating me to do more beyond my own personal projects.
How’d you meet your business partner?
So my business partner is my boyfriend. We’ve known each other for just over 2 years and from day one he’s noticed some things about my work that are very personal and for someone who didn’t know me that well at the time, it definitely caught my eye. A year and a half passed and he noticed my doubt as to whether I should open my own business here in San Diego or not. It was then that I decided to ask his opinion and, without thinking twice, he encouraged me to do so. It was actually even better, he said he could be my partner if I was interested in having one. I said yes right away, also because as an artist, I’m not the best at dealing with prices or selling my work, so having a partner who’s great at doing that makes it all work out really well.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is definitely being able to express feelings and thoughts through my work and somehow having the chance to inspire people with it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.jumartins.com
- Instagram: @jumartinss
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ju-martins-15a190b9/
- Other: https://www.boa-productions.com