Meet Julie Maida

We were lucky to catch up with Julie Maida recently and have shared our conversation below.

Julie, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?

I love exercise for self-care. I have been running and weight-lifting for 23 years and I honestly can’t live without it. I feel my best – physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and creatively – when I am active.

I get my best creative ideas when I am running outdoors. I rid myself of anxiety, stress, and frustration through exercise, and it renews my mind and body.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I am an artist, designer, and illustrator. I have had one creative venture or another for most of my adult life, but I found the thing I loved most when I discovered watercolor.

I create paintings, prints, and products with my art and I also license it (rent it out) to other companies and manufacturers for their products. Additionally, I teach watercolor and I mentor other artists who are interested in licensing their art.

My favorite subject is nature because it inspires me, but it’s also where I find refuge. There is so much beauty and complexity in nature, but it’s also simple and elegant.

I love the idea of bringing nature into people’s homes and lives because creates a space for well-being, joy, serenity, freedom, and creativity.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

One of the biggest is just to keep going. Creative and entrepreneurial ventures are full of failures, frustrations, and a lot of loneliness. You have to keep going, be willing to learn and grow and keep going after what you want despite the challenges.

My advice here would be to develop grit.

The second is developing good habits. Lots of little bad habits add up, and so do good ones. Whenever I let bad habits creep in (like staying up too late or spending too much time on social media), they affect me and add up – before I know it, I have wasted time and gotten nowhere. So I have learned to try and keep tabs on the little things I’m consistently doing over and over. I want my habits to be aligned with who I want to be and what I’d like to accomplish.

My advice here is, to be honest with yourself about habits and whether or not they align with what you want for your future. Don’t judge the answers if they aren’t aligned. Just make little changes. You can always adjust!

Finally, I would say I’ve learned to use small chunks of time wisely. I keep having to learn this one over and over because everything can be a distraction. But big goals can be accomplished in little increments. So I’ll tell myself “15 minutes a day will be dedicated to this one goal every single day”. And if I’m consistent, I accomplish things.

You don’t need to have 5 hours a day to work on a project, even though that would be ideal. You can do it in bits of time if that’s what you have in your busy life.

My advice here would be don’t underestimate little bits of time! And don’t waste them. What can you do right now with what you have at this moment? Do that. It’s a deposit into your future. 🙂

None of my answers are really about artistic skillsets because these are things that matter for any kind of pursuit.

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?

My ideal client would be a commercial brand that wants nature-themed watercolor art for their products or customers OR a consumer who wants nature-themed art for their home.

My customers tend to care about wellness and they looking for an elegant peaceful aesthetic. They are conscientious, prioritize relationships, like art, prefer value in their products (quality over “cheap”), and enjoy nature and animals.

My work lends itself to the home decor and gift markets. My art is used for wall decor (originals and prints), fabric and textiles, tech, wallpaper, stationery, and other home decor and package or gift products.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

© Julie Maida, All Rights Reserved 2024

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