Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Julia “Julez” Williamson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Julia “Julez”, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

A movie that changed my perception of being a professional artist was Titan A.E. It was the first movie I had ever seen that combined 2D and 3D animation and it blew my mind! After that I was hooked. I couldn’t see myself doing anything that wasn’t art related. I tried my hand at animation and 3D rendering (and found it wasn’t for me) so when it was time to start applying for college, I decided to major in graphic design instead.

Julia “Julez”, 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?

My name is Julia Williamson and I am a multimedia artists based in Buffalo, NY. I received my Bachelors of Fine Arts in Visual Arts and New Media from Fredonia State University of New York in 2009. My works have been shown across Western New York including the Art 247 Gallery, 125 Art Collective, Buffalo Art Studio, Artspace Buffalo, and the Carnegie Art Center. During the day, I work full-time as a graphic designer. I also do freelance graphic design, photography, and illustration as JW Design + Photo and am the author/illustrator of several self-published children’s books including Dickens’ Mittens, Nia and the Swan, and The Worst Sneeze Ever. I am inspired by graffiti/street art as well as comic books and animated movies. Additional samples of my work can be found online at Facebook.com/jwdesignphoto and on Instagram at @jwdesignphoto.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the process of creating. I am a full-time graphic designer, so my process for that is very much focused on the end result. For my personal art however, it is very process focused. During COVID especially I focused on just making art. (There was literally nothing else to do for 2 years.) So I dove head first into creating art of all kinds; drawing, painting, photography, illustration, etc.. I found that I loved the process of creating art with no real end point in mind and I loved being able to have the time & freedom to explore that.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson I have worked hard to unlearn is that art has to be pretty and polished. I appreciate the rawness of graffiti/street art. That rawness is something I try to incorporate into my art. For over 10 years I found that there was no pretty way to communicate my feelings of anxiety, depression, and unease, so I stopped trying. That was very freeing.

I make ugly art. It looks weird, and it might not be for everyone, but it’s my vision and I’m happy when I am able to successfully create the vision I have in my head and others understand it or it resonates with them.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @jwdesignphoto
• Facebook: @jwdesignphoto
• Other: Graphic Design/Commercial Photography – jhopson.carbonmade.com

Image Credits
Photo of artist please credit @danielcoltcollins