Today we’d like to introduce you to Juan Camillo Garza.
Hi Juan Camillo, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Before landing as a professional writer, I did a little bit of everything — I was a construction worker, a chicken mascot, a troubadour, a paralegal, a cook, I bagged groceries, I sold clothes, I painted lines in the road. The list goes on. I did everything under the sun, each night coming home knowing something else was out there, pushing for writing to become my full-time job. And now it is.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I have been more fortunate than others and I recognize that. There has always been someone ready to help me. My family has always been there for me.
But no, it wasn’t a smooth road. I had many nights sleeping on other people’s couches, borrowing money for food, relying on kindness, scrounging for bus fare under couch cushions. We’re all fighting for what we want, I think.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I write. If it involves words, I can do it.
Lately, my words are mostly sold to brands, but I still occasionally work for artists who need help articulating their practice to the public or making projects feel digestible.
As far as what sets me apart, I’m one of the few copywriters (that I know of) who has a background in poetry and not marketing. I am a poet before I am a copywriter. In a sea of buttoned-up salesmen, you want a voice that can sing above the noise.
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Find someone who makes the work you want to make. Buy them coffee. Ask them questions. Discover the person behind it all. Rinse and repeat.
As for networking – don’t. Just don’t. Make friends but never, absolutely never, never network. There’s something gross about meeting people with the intention of getting something back. It just doesn’t agree with me.
Make friends. Find common interests. Human connection is the most fullfilling thing in life. And if it leads to work one day, well, great.
Contact Info:
- Email: juandiegocamillo@gmail.com
- Website: www.juancamillogarza.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juancamillogarza/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JuanCamilloGarz
