Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Julie Armbruster. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Julie, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

My mission is to encourage and explore curiosity and imagination, and to highlight the strange and bizarre by creating narrative paintings to encourage neurodiversity and creative problem solving.

I came to this work after collaborating with my roommate at the time in Brooklyn. We were lamenting the isolation and fear that surrounded our community and wanted to find a way to encourage imaginative brainstorming and community driven artmaking. We decided on a live, small scale performance project where we would hand an intreguing invitation to a stranger we wanted to meet. If they felt compelled to respond, we would invite them to participate in a social experiment we titled “The Corner Booth Project.” We would prepare a bizarre texture experiencial snack and ask them to randomly select 4 words from a library of different dictionaries. As they read the words and definitions, I would sketch on a large newsprint pad propped on an easel. This was my first experience with intuitive drawing and in practicing, I found I had a passion for this method. The excitement and discovery was everything I wanted art making to be. It became the catalyst for my art and the foundation of my artist statement.

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 studied art education and painting, but was not very confident in a future as a practicing artist. It took years of slowly building up my studio and my skill to get to a point where I could work at it full time.

I moved to Asheville, NC in 2004 after completing my Masters in Painting. This area became a wonderful incubator for my passion for the strange and having moved to a more affordable area, I was able to devote more time to materials exploration and making. I opened my art studio in the area’s River Arts District in 2009. The city has changed a lot since I moved here, but it is a very special place and fosters creativity as well as art tourism.

In 2008 Asheville started hosting a series of indie craft markets, most significantly The Big Crafty. Sort of like a live Etsy party full of weirdos living their dreams to the fullest. By creating a community for artists, the event helped me make more art and have a bi-annual event to share it and sell it. This was a huge turning point in my art career. Since then, the event coordinators opened up a gallery in downtown Asheville and represent my art as well as my fellow weirdos.

Currently, I operate a semi-public art studio (the same space I started in 2009)) and have a small gallery of affordable art to sell. I have painted murals in town and hope to continue my practice and making for as long as possible.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

There is tons of buzz around NFTs. I looked into OpenSea and various NFT art from artists I admire. The intangible nature of it apart from the actual art object and the art maker and the existence only online seems too unreal.

I have not pursued it any further, but if the only art people want is some image that they have on their screen, I think I will have to figure it out.

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

Studio artist is not a viable career path. To this day I have to argue against this feeling with all sorts of people that visit my studio or that meet me for the first time. There are so many people that internalized this message so much that they let it prevent them from living their dream. I must admit, art making is changed when you seek money for it, but it can retain the magic and innovation of art play if you (as the artist) make it a priority. Artist fall into many traps with bad advice, or discouragement or become so busy keeping up on prints and inventory that they sell out their true passion, which is the actual making. It effects their perception of art and artists and often leaves them bitter when the come across someone who has rebuked the lies and is actively living their dream. Luckily, I have a wonderfully supportive family and artist community to keep me positive.

Contact Info:

• Website: JulieArmbrusterART.com
• Instagram: julie_armbruster_art
• Facebook: Julie Armbruster
• Other: Etsy.com/shop/JulieArmbruster

Image Credits
Golden Goo Quill and the Orange Pets Co-Working The Moon-Eyed People Marzipan’s Third Eye