We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julie Maida a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Julie, appreciate you joining us today. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?

This isn’t really just ONE thing, but a consistent accumulation of little things that have added up into what I would consider the kindest thing. I would call it encouragement.

My mother always encouraged me to pursue art. I was always encouraged to do creative things, draw and paint and create until my heart’s content. My mom has always believed in me.

I’ve been fortunate enough to have a few teachers that encouraged me. They took the time to care, to invest in me, and to say the kinds of things you say to someone when you want them to “keep going”.

I have amazing friends who celebrate with me when I succeed and commiserate with me when I face disappointment.

I have this really amazing husband who speaks constant life into me. He’s always telling me to go after my vision, encouraging me, believing in me.

When people encourage you, it might seem like a small thing at the time. But words are like seeds, and seeds grow. Seeds become gardens and forests (or they can also become weeds, so you have to be careful what you say).

I am thankful for every single positive and encouraging word that someone has ever planted in me. It’s a free thing to do for someone – to encourage them, but you never know how big the impact might be.

That, to me, is the kindest thing anyone has done for me.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a multi-media artist and designer. I work primarily in watercolor and most of my art is focused on nature. I have worked in so many mediums – oils, acrylics, colored pencils, encaustic (and so many more), but I discovered watercolor for the first time in 2020 and have been using it since.

I do something called art licensing and surface design. If you’re unfamiliar, it essentially means I create (watercolor) art and then I work with manufacturers and retailers to license or “rent” my art for their products. I create everything from wall art to repeat patterns and art for placement on products and package design.

My biggest accomplishment this year is having some of my wall art sold online at Target. I was pretty excited about that!

I also sell my originals and prints, I’ve illustrated a children’s book, and I’m currently working on my second. That one, I’m also writing, which is new for me.

I occasionally teach classes on watercolor, and I work with other creatives who want to know how to get “into art licensing” – I will work with them one-on-one to help them.

My work tends to be, as I like to call it, “uplifting”. I want people to feel joyful and peaceful when they bring my art into their homes and put it onto their products. I use a lot of cool colors – blues and greens, and terra cotta or peach, because those colors are serene and work well on products and on walls.

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

My mindset. I had to “unlearn” my entire mindset. I grew up with a good bit of familial dysfunction, which means I had a lot of trauma, and there was SO much I had to work through. There still is, if I’m being honest.

Things like victim mentality, fear, insecurity, imposter syndrome – all the things that make it very difficult to work through and overcome challenges.

I have spent a lot of time reading, listening to podcasts, going to therapy, etc. to heal from my past. My mindset gets better every day. I am focused on having a growth mindset, learning from my failures, and believing in the things I hope and work to achieve. I am focused on visualizing the person I want to be and my future self.

Now I am disciplined about this. Meaning, I spend intentional time guarding my mind.

I’m a Jesus-follower, so I spend time reading the Bible most days. I find when I do this, it’s easier to derail my unhelpful thoughts back to the truth of what I’ve read.

I also spend time just being quiet and visualizing who I want to be and choosing which thoughts I will allow to grow in my “garden”. And I listen to helpful podcasts and read books that align with my goals.

I immediately turn off negativity – I don’t even watch the news. Ha ha.

But my lesson here is that your belief system matters A LOT. What you believe about yourself will drive your mindset. And your mindset will drives your emotions and your choices. So you have to get your belief and your mindset “in check” to see real change in what you can accomplish.

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

I love the freedom. The lifestyle freedom, the creative freedom, and the endless possibilities. I was born to create.

I also love the relational part of it. It’s amazing to me that someone purchases something I made and it lives in their home and we are connected that way.

And I love connecting with other artists and encouraging them! I love to encourage people and what I do gives me a disproportionally large opportunity to lift other people up.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.juliemaida.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliemaida.creative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliemaida.creative/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeSOXT7RVtdacVJoiMFTS-Q