Today we’d like to introduce you to Juleah Edwards.
Hi Juleah, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’ve always been creative and had an intuitive approach to art-making since a young child. As a teenager, I became painfully self-aware and harshly compared my art to others. I practiced art in private but didn’t really take art classes seriously in school, I hated the idea of people seeing what I made. I had this idea that to ‘make it’ as an artist, I had to be the best and I felt like it was too late for me at that point. However, something changed my senior year. What unexpectedly propelled my art journey was getting hired as a paint instructor at a local paint & sip studio. I worked with that franchise for 6 years and I know that job experience is the root of what made me realize that art was something I could and would take seriously. My confidence grew through teaching others, and I started building my artist voice and career in 2017.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think any nontraditional career could ever be smooth. That is the allure of it all… choosing unconventionality and passion proves to you that the thing you’re chasing is what you really want. It’s worth the hardships that come with it. The overarching struggles I’ve faced as an artist is the harsh criticism from others paired with rejection. Other traditional careers don’t require the need to constantly prove themselves to others, to apply for things, and get denied over and over. Every win, compliment, dollar, and opportunity fulfilled in this career had hundreds of rejections behind them. It feels like you’re fighting for your life until something works out. This could make anyone question if they’re doing the ‘right’ thing.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My art practice consists of three main elements: my studio practice, sustainability, and community. I’m a surrealist painter that often depicts portraits fused with landscape. I also utilize unconventional “canvases” and different materials such as bark, repurposed textiles, and hand-knit fabrics sewn together to create art that challenges the definition of a painting.
What I’m most known for outside of my surrealism and mixed media works is how I implement sustainability in my practice. I have always been known for my ‘paint peels’ and my tendency to utilize all stages of my paint. Paint peels are what I call the scraps of discarded, dried paint that I scrape off my glass pallets when I’m done painting. I’ve always repurposed them and adhered them back on my paintings, but this year I started preserving these paint scraps in resin to make wearable and functional art out of paint that would otherwise become a micro-plastic in landfills. These paint peel products have even grown to include my art community, local artist will donate their discarded paint and materials for me to give a new life and minimize their own footprint.
The other element of my art business that I am proud of are my creative events and art community. I host my own painting classes and art pop-ups in the Atlanta area. My art markets use the name “Southern Misfits”, which was inspired from a photography series I did in Spring of 2021 about highlighting the good parts of the South. I think every creative in the South pursuing their dreams automatically makes them a Southern Misfit, hence why the name stuck for the markets.
Alright, so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Community is a huge part of my art practice, and I am always willing to work with others. There are many ways for people to collaborate with me and support me. I have a creative podcast called Welcome to My Mind that features artist interviews. I’m always looking for more stories to tell. If anyone has any discarded art supplies that can’t be used anymore like dried paint, sculpture scraps, paint tubes, literally anything – I’m always seeking donations. As a thank you for donating your discarded supplies to me and for choosing a more sustainable disposal route, I always like to make something for free for the person that donated. I have a ‘community’ tab on my website for more ways to get involved with what I do, such as applying for open model calls for my painting and photography practices. The last way to collaborate with me is by becoming a vendor at one of my art markets! I post a vendor application form on my site under community whenever I am seeking vendors for an upcoming event.
Pricing:
- Book me for a private painting event: $35 per person with a minimum of 10 people for a 2-hour private event.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.welcometomymind.net/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juleahxart/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/629530051851677
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCo-DI83-_1eXl1J4Ju-XWWA
Image Credits
Clay Fifer
