We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Julie Kluh. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Julie below.

Julie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?

I was living on my sailboat in the South Pacific, which had been my mission and focus for a decade, when I came to the realization I wanted to pursue painting as my career. At this point I had a clear understanding that our work is a huge part of life. I wanted to take the high road and follow my soul calling. I have always been an artist, as many of us are, but after graduating from college with a visual arts degree in 2006, the path to make money as an artist was completely unclear. I started out as an entry-level graphic designer for a print house, and in the following years learned how to build and manage websites. I was frustrated working two jobs and not seeing an end in sight to all work and no life. During this period in my early twenties, my boyfriend and I at the time, brewed up the idea to sail to Mexico from California, something we had seen others do and thought if we could pull that off, we would have accomplished the impossible! We were living on our boat at the time to save money on rent, and off we went.

This started a 10 year mission at sea, one which was full of adventure in both sailing and finding unique ways to earn money along the way. It was the beginning of getting internet through data sticks, which we became experts at. I worked for so many different people doing graphics, design, websites, ads, and marketing, which after years led to starting my own business selling products online. There were all kinds of products. It started on Etsy, moved to Amazon, and other marketplaces. Selling things online became a big part of my life (yes, all while living on the boat!) Fast forward almost 10 years, to about 5 years ago, when things shifted with the online product business, and I started a hard search within on what mission I wanted to fulfil in my life. I spent time in meditation and asking the question, what do I want my life’s work to be? Was all of this grinding on a laptop buying and selling and stressing out while bobbing around at sea going to last? No.

I was at a crossroads and equipped with some knowledge about how to sell things online, and a true passion to be a painter. I was filled with doubt and hope all at once, but really had a glimmer in my soul to try. I started, little by little, painting small paintings on the boat. I was very inspired by the sea. I was fascinated and enamoured with it in a very strong way, and knew this was what I wanted to paint. Many artists face this question: what will be my subject matter? My aesthetic? My style? For me, I finally knew at age 36, I was going to attempt to become a career artist, and paint the sea.

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?

After 10 years of international sailing, I moved back to land and dove full-time into creating large oil paintings. Once I was clear on the vision of becoming a full time artist, I first invested my time in painting, I needed a strong collection of work. Once I felt I had enough work to share, a lot of my time and focus went into creating a brand, a social media presence, etc. I stayed aligned with a business mindset, understanding I needed to earn money doing it otherwise I could not keep doing it. I read books, watched webinars, videos, studied artists who were successful and poured my heart into painting and selling paintings.

My mission is to share the beauty, magic and power of the ocean all while living a creative life. Art carries a powerful message in both the action and the final product. For me, the ocean is so healing, and my collectors see that I am drawing attention to the light, aliveness and energy of the sea and of life.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creator is being the boss of your life. Some people don’t mind having a boss and someone telling them what tasks to accomplish and do, but I never have been that way. I love being at the helm of my days, weeks and life and choosing how I will spend my time. I am creating something that is true to me and not compromising. I have nothing to complain about, because I am making the decisions and I can make changes how I see fit.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Society is what it is, we can not change it. As an artist, we have to accept this and let the judgements roll over us. I would postulate that the general narrative of society is artists don’t make money. Those who love and appreciate art do not make up the majority of the population. Based on comments made to me, I would say society is worried about artists, they are either concerned you will not have financial success, or they look at your prices and think, that will never sell! But art does sell. Many people love and value art, many don’t. Many are mystified by how artists do it and want to learn how. Society is well versed in the old adage about starving artists, and that most artists work only generates money once they’re dead. Well, I’m glad that society is now generally wrong about this, hundreds of thousands of artists are making a living on their art. So to society, I say, support artists by not judging them and believe in their success!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://juliekluh.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliekluh/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliekluhart
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@juliekluhart
• Other: https://linktr.ee/juliekluh

Image Credits

Julie Kluh Art