Meet Julia Camara Calvo

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julia Camara Calvo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Julia, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Inspiration and resilience go very much hand in hand for me.

My life has been a big conglomerate of places, people, jobs… of many different lives within lives. Each iteration has had its challenges and joys, but they all have given me inspiration and fuel to move forward, always.
One of my biggest default settings, if you will, is just observing. Noticing small details around me, appreciating people living their lives in front of me, and ALWAYS appreciating nature.

In one of the very first funerals I ever attended, my father confided in me that in such occasions, he would distract himself by looking at the ornate Catholic altarpieces in front of him at church. This in-the-moment observation has come in handy indeed to “distract” myself too -both from boredom (another things my dad taught me to appreciate), but also and most poignantly, from grief.

My mother is not a religious person either, but she’s spent most of my life reminding me of the (Persian) scripture “this too shall pass”. She even had this phrase engraved in a ring for me, which I wear every day.
This is applicable to both good and bad things in life: you will survive the worst, most painful and scary moments… but you better enjoy and remember the good ones, coz they will also pass.

Perspective is key too.

Even though I have very little intelectual capacity for science, I love learning about physics, cosmology, natural earthly forces, flora and fauna… It reminds me of how little I am, but also how unique and magical everybody and everything is.

Lastly, there’s no resilience without human support. Family, friends, neighbors, strangers. Trust that there will always be at least one person who will, at any given moment, turn that frown upside down, wipe your tears, or cry with you. Be that person for others -the good outweighs the bad, love trumps hate… only if you live by example. Be kind.

As my late boss and mentor, and founder of the brand and store I now own, Dora Medrano, said: “Beauty can change the world, and Beauty expressed in behavior ir called Kindness. So create it, feel it, live it… and let’s change the world together.”

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Julia and I’m a native of the La Rioja region in Northern Spain (wine country).

I studied in Spain (Madrid) and the US (Pennsylvania), and I moved to LA in 2013. I was a production manager and a stage actor before switching gears with Atacama Home.

Atacama Home was founded by Dora Medrano and Javier Carbo in early 2018. I helped them launch the brand from day 1, and now I’m the owner!
It was a passion project born to shatter stereotypes about latin design and home decor. Dora was a designer herself, and I learned everything about design and the business from her.
We opened our brick-and-mortar store in March of 2019, on Melrose Ave., in the heart of the West Hollywood Design District. It was truly a dream come true, as Dora and I would come to the District during our first year to attend design events, and would talk about how amazing it’d be to open a store here.
Tragically, Dora passed away in May of 2021 after a long battle with cancer. Javier and I managed to keep the business alive in her memory, but Javier decided to retire last year, and offered me to take over the business.
I’m beyond proud to continue on Dora’s dream, and to work with the most talented, kindest designers and artisans all over Latin America, Spain and Portugal.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
– Overcome the fear of change. – Follow your instincts.
– Be humble and ready to learn from others.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
Stop! Slow down! Listen to your body! These are some of the main things that help me when overwhelmed:
– reading (anything)
– dancing (it doesn’t matter, just listen to music and move)
– going for a walk/being in nature (even if it’s just looking up at a tree)
– talking with a friend (about anything)
– grabbing a nice crafted coffee/tea latte… or cocktail.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Julia portraits by Maria Voylokov.

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