We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julia Rose Waters a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Julia Rose thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I don’t really remember a time when I wasn’t making art. Creating always came easily to me and brought a sense of peace, satisfaction, and confidence that nothing else could. Still, as a young adult I believed the stereotypes about making a career out of art – I wouldn’t make money, being an artist wasn’t a “real” job, I needed a salary to be successful, blah, blah, blah. So, I pursued academics, graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in history, and became an archivist. It was fulfilling, intellectually challenging work, but it definitely felt like work. Eventually, a series of organizational changes, internal politics, and a huge workload led me to become increasingly aware of the toll the grind was taking. I was in a dead-end situation, but my identity had been tied to my academic and professional achievements for so long. Who was I, if not an archivist?
The contentment I felt while art-making helped put things in perspective. I had never given up on art, but like so many creatives, I treated it as my side hustle. I sold at markets, online, and at local businesses while holding on to a full-time job and attending a master’s program. In the midst of this, an email appeared in my inbox. It sought applications to the Silence, Awareness, Existence residency at the Arteles Creative Center in Hämeenkyrö, Finland. I had been on their email list since college, when I was enrolled a minor in fine arts. Those days remain some of my best memories. I practically lived at the studio, and the staff in the Fine Arts Department at Washington State University Vancouver were incredible mentors and friends. In fact, it was a former professor of mine, Avantika Bawa, who suggested I start looking at residencies back in 2016. At that time, I was focused on landing a “real job,” but in the back of my mind I dreamed about applying to an art residency.
With my work environment disintegrating around me, I opened the application, took the leap, and went through with it. When my acceptance letter arrived, it felt like a new world was opening up to me. I submitted my resignation and told everyone I was off to spend a month making art in the Finnish winter. I left with my head high.
The residency was everything I hoped it would be. I made friends with wonderful creative people from all over the world. I walked through landscapes blanketed with crystalline snowfall. In the evenings, I reflected in the sauna and shared meals with my new friends. I learned from, and taught, others. I reconnected with myself and discovered new narratives about my art. The peaceful environment inspired continuous creative ideas and energies. In one month, I made 3 pen & watercolor illustrations and 5 1/2 acrylic paintings. Clearly, I had needed this outlet!
The sense of peace and freedom I’ve gained from committing to art is hard to define. In my artworks, I get to create a world that is in line with my values. The art I make isn’t dictated by the constraints of our consumption- and production-oriented society. Instead, I highlight the magic and wildness of nature. I create crystalline dreamscapes, moody atmospheres, and totemic imagery. I hope that my art brings beauty and inspires independence to peoples’ lives. I want to bolster their spirits against the difficulties of the world. Mostly, I try to lead people to reconnect with the web of life – the only thing that really matters in the end.
Sometimes, life leads us to difficult places. We might get stuck doing work that takes more than it gives. We might have to make sacrifices to care for others. As I try to make a living, I’m grateful for the ability to follow a creative path for as long as I can. My devotion to art is a sacred thing, separate from the pressures of modern life.
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.
I’m a forest lover and wannabe elf capturing the magic of nature. I make dreamy, moody scenes inspired by wildlife, natural objects, medievalism, magical realism, and folklore. I want my work to help reconnect people with the web of life and their own spirit; to give them some respite from the modern world and inspire them to make a better one. My primary mediums include pen & ink illustration, watercolor, acrylic painting, and some digital work. I accept commissions and some of my past requests have included pet portraits, logos, book illustration, labels, and wedding invitations.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
Society could support artists by following the tenets of my hero, William Morris. He spent his life empowering artists and craftspeople (and laborers in general) and promoting the decorative arts, as opposed to mass production and exploitative commercialism. You may have heard the quote “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” That was Morris. His thinking embodies much of what I believe in:
– We should consume less in general. What we do consume should add value and meaning to our lives, not throwaway clutter.
– We should value the time, energy, and skill of creators and support them financially. We should be careful not to exploit their labor.
– We should think in terms of communities rather than individuals. We should empower people, not corporations.
– We should reduce our negative environmental impact as much as possible.
– We should honor the place of nature and beauty in our lives. Not all art has to be cerebral or theoretical. Sometimes it’s simply enough to just enjoy its beauty.
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Being an artist means you’ve got to get familiar with running a small business. For me, that knowledge was gained through trial and error. Some things I wish I’d done earlier might be:
– Taking a personal finance or business class at community college
– Learning from the experiences of financially and/or commercially successful artists
– Researching different creative career paths and defining some long-term goals
– Exploring local support systems like art associations and grant funding
Contact Info:
- Website: https://julia-rose-waters-art.square.site/
- Instagram: julia.rose.waters
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/julia.rose.waters/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-r-waters/
- Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/juliarosewaters Redbubble: https://www.redbubble.com/people/juliawaters/shop