We were lucky to catch up with Julie Gross recently and have shared our conversation below.

Julie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I feel like it’s important to start with who I am, in order to understand the mission. I am an oil painter, and clothing designer, and my mission is to help to raise consciousness in the human collective. My work is about inspiring healing journeys, and inspiring people to follow their dream.

My artwork was previously about achieving an aesthetic, and like many artists I would pull from the masters or other people I saw working, and I would adapt and change it into my own aesthetic. Now my work goes so much deeper and I have my own voice. I have come to realize that my work is about raising consciousness, and communicating that sense of healing and well being through the work. It’s amazing when I watch someone come in contact with a painting and it goes so deep for them. Someone recently saw their mother in one of my landscapes. I love that my work is giving people what they need on a deeper level.

I started going to an intuitive life coach before my son was born, and slowly she helped me to chip away at all the things that were not serving me, like unconscious thought patterns. She helped me to stand in my power and helped me find my voice. And finally after 2 years of appointments with her (and 18 years of teaching in the public school system), I let go of my career as a teacher. I can now see that my artwork I created at that time was all about continuing down that path. (Many of my pieces have paths and linear perspective that creates directional movement) I knew that I needed to do something outside the school system, and so here I am as a business owner. I now create my artwork full time and I sell at festivals, markets, and online. I am able to spend time with my son, and dedicate my time to the things that matter the most to me.

Julie, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Julie Gross, and I am an artist. I have always been a creator. Even as a kid I was constantly making things, drawing, and painting. I started seriously getting into painting in college, when I had an instructor who shared her love of painting. For me the world always has had infinite possibilities of what can be created, and that childlike wonder often informs the work.

Themes in my art are the idea of place (in dreams or in reality) and the exploration of color in those landscapes. The interplay of color relationships is an interesting dynamic that I explore frequently. Color interaction is something I have always connected with, and have always experimented with. Recently I have been focused on the healing properties of color combinations and the presence of these in dream states. For example, pink is a healing and compassionate color, while purple enhances higher consciousness. When painting I intuitively connect with healing energy, and place that intention in the work through color interactions, especially in the natural landscape. “Place,” is about communicating the essence of a place, not a photo-representation of a place, but through the use of linear qualities and color. My inspiration and work is constantly evolving. I have most recently designed prints for my “wearable art” clothing line which have been a lot of fun. My work was also recently selected to be on the cover of Pathways publication (a magazine in the DMV focusing on holistic healing methods).

I’ve been very fortunate to have my artwork at a gallery (District Arts in Frederick MD) for the past few years, and 2 years ago I was juried into a farmers and artists market in Olney MD. Since then my full time job is participating in festivals and markets where I sell my work, as well as producing work to show at the gallery.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

There are so many aspects that are rewarding about being an artist. As an artist you get to focus on your unique expression to the world, and have that be your livelihood. I’m constantly in a state of learning, and every day feels like a creative challenge. Sometimes it’s about improving a painting, and other times I am creating Christmas ornaments and trying to figure out the best way to paint them. I feel like I am learning new things every day. I love how one thing leads to the next. The paintings lead me to designing the clothes and working in Illustrator to improve those designs. That lead me to creating digital art. All the digital pieces start as paintings. Once I digitize them I can play with the colors and change them easily. It’s been a lot of fun designing the clothes and digital pieces. I love seeing the final designs.

If I consider one of the most rewarding moments, it’s that moment of connection with a buyer, or someone who is admiring the work. I love when people feel a connection to a piece and want to discuss the meaning of it with you. There have been some times recently where people walk into my booth at a festival and comment on the positive energy of the paintings.
I recently painted a commissioned piece of 2 cats, and the gentleman who purchased it came to tell me how much his daughter loved the piece and was moved to tears when she received it. Getting this type of reaction for something I created is so gratifying. It keeps me moving forward.

What else should we know about how you took your side hustle and scaled it up into what it is today?

My journey stared as a teacher. I worked as an Art teacher for 18 years in both Middle and High School. I had my son right before covid in September of 2019. After my maternity leave ended, I went back to school for 2 months, and then Covid sent everyone home for a year. During covid I worked as a single mom teaching virtually. It definitely had its challenges, but at the same time I maintained a sense of gratitude about being able to be home with him for over a year. Being able to be at home with him was the greatest gift. We were able to be outside every day, and I could spend so much time with him. Prior to covid I was always one of those people who was dedicated to my job. I supervised 3 departments, and was dedicated to supporting my team. However, the time away from the building changed me, and I became less attached to my career as a teacher. The entire time I was at home teaching I was painting as much as I could. During this time I met with my intuitive life coach every 3 weeks, who encouraged me to keep painting, stay present, and suggested that my job wasn’t completely satisfying me. This put the bug in my ear that perhaps there was another career I wasn’t thinking about. Coincidently a friend told me about an opportunity to show my art at a local Artist and Farmers market. I submitted my work and was juried in to an art show there. I sold $400 of paintings and prints that day, and I was hooked! For the next year I worked as a teacher and at the market on the weekends. At the end of this past school year in June, I left teaching. Since June I have worked at festivals and markets selling my art full time!

Leaving my full time job with benefits to go be a full time artist goes against societal norms, especially as a single mom. I had to work a lot with trust. I had to trust myself, and the universe- that we would have everything we need. And we have. One of the most important things to remind myself, is that at this moment, we have everything we need and more. It’s very easy to get wrapped up in the future and think about what’s going to happen a month, or even a week from now. By reminding yourself that at this moment you have everything you need and more- keeps you in the present and also puts you in a state of gratitude.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.juliegrosspaintings.com
• Instagram: @juliegrossartist
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliegrosspaintings