We recently connected with Julia Goo 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?
I have learned lessons in resilience from those who have come before me – artistic and queer mentors in my personal life, my peers, and learning to identify what help I need and when.
Growing up a queer, neurodivergent, and bookish child in the 2000s Bible Belt, I looked anywhere and everywhere for connection and mentorship. I remember studying adults, specifically artists, and how they carried themselves very early in my life. Not just those who shone bright and burned out – Who are those with a long, fulfilled, healthy life of craft and creativity? What does that look like?
I grew up around mostly older, “straight” people. Early on, I was consciously thinking about traits I admire, and learning what to leave behind. The few out Queer people I knew in my childhood, I studied and admired from afar, star struck and introverted as I was. Their stories and authenticity inspire me to this day. As I grew up, I made up for lost time and have had the privilege to befriend and work with these mentors. I have learned that the vast majority of people want to get along!
I knew I was going to be an artist from a young age. I grew up in a well-educated, musical family. Everything was a means to hang out and socialize – play music together, cook together, eat together, write together. Any encounter with a working creative, I fixated on their advice, ethos, and balance of sensitive empathy with the realities of the turbulent, profit-motivated society we live in. Only asking for help too late is a habit of mine, or being so much of a perfectionist that I hold my work from others.
Part of resilience is flexibility and room for growth. I see my resilience as motion, like water, my way to honor the craft and those who came before me. Learning is a life-long process, we are all teachers as well as students. I took up yoga as practice about a year ago. In yoga, I am taught when there is a block, not to press against it, but to let go and allow the block to pass, to breathe and stretch through the block, and connect it as part of yourself. This can be applied to any aspect of life.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Professionally, I am focused on growing my solo artistic project, gooetones. I also perform in several bands and frequently collaborate with other artists.
gooetones is an outlet for my own creative synthesis and to grow and heal as a person. I have an odd collection of artistic influence that I have committed to embracing, synthesizing, and decompartmentalizing. My art intertwines with my personhood. I committed to art early in life, but came out in my mid-20s. I have only been creatively working as myself, “out-of-character,” for about 4 years.
The most exciting part of this work is the potential, the limits only being my imagination. I have been a musician since I was a child, but this is the first time I have ever dedicated myself to a solo project. Years of artistic experience and education are at my disposal, with a revitalized perspective and fresh artistic life.
gooetones is a queer-centered, femme-fronted music project by me, working in the realm of Bubblegrunge, Jazz-tinged Art Pop. gooetones is there to find yourself in melodic, groovy music with a sophistication and substance that inspires us all to create with curiousity and empathy. In terms of influence, I work intentionally, with plenty of space for chaos and spontaneity. Intuition is my guide, and I give myself prompts to explore, working creatively as I can within eclectic, specific parameters.
gooetones takes heavy influence from artists like St. Vincent and Jack White in terms of extreme literacy in sonic aesthetics and style. Always serving the song, the jazz-educated and floral writing style will mosaic into informed artistic intuition, calling on influences from Arca, to Le Tigre, to Herbie Hancock.
Our debut single, “Hand Over Flowers,” is out now, and our debut EP is slated to release this fall.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gooetones901/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/gooetones
Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-71GRcMyFUA
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Curiosity is a trait I am proud to find in myself and is perhaps the most impactful trait I have had in my journey so far. Creativity and Empathy require curiosity, willingness to entertain ideas and experiment. After all, if I have decided I will not understand or learn something, I will not. I only learn in good faith. To everybody, I recommend having space for yourself every day, even if it is just for a few minutes, to play – with no expectations or practicality. Doodle in your notebook, sing a silly song, anything! Keep space in your day for creation for its own sake.
Self-Discipline has gotten me to where I am now, literate and musically honed. I heard a quote once, while learning an instrument, that it is more important to play every day than how long one plays every day. What is practicing your craft five hours a day if you are not practicing mindfully? Set simple, attainable goals, and welcome failure as part of the process. I say this as someone who practiced about five hours a day for years. Dedicate break time and “sandbox,” periods in your practice to experiment and let loose. Collaborate frequently, socialize, and never be the most skilled or most positive person in the room!
This Self-Discipline is committing to empathy and transparency with yourself and your health, not just your craft. Miles Davis used to say he did not audition band members – he could tell how people played simply from how they carried themselves.
Empathy is the essential connection in all we do. We are all students and teachers, reflections of each other. Trust your gut. Stay present in motion and regularly check in with yourself, and your senses. Some advice to younger artists is that a stranger is a potential friend, give people the benefit of the doubt. Equity and living to your values sometimes takes intentional, extra steps. Remember to be there for others and cherish those who are there for you.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
Centering strategies and Self-Confidence in daily life have been major areas of growth in my life this year. These interweave, as they both rely on presentness and trust.
As a neurodivergent artist with health issues, certain days are easier than others, and the reality is that some daily things can be overwhelming in a society that caters only toward a specific variation of human. Things like sensory check-ins, journaling (even just a page), mindful breathing, and active listening have done so much for my life in the past year. I recommend these to everybody.
I am a drummer – Drum Set is my first instrument, and I often work with other artists as their backing percussionist. This spring and summer, I toured across the United States, backing friends of mine. Performing in a different city almost every night, I was inspired by the kindness and friendliness of strangers. People opened up their homes to us, showed us local hang-out spots, and helped us however we needed. I am a naturally introverted and shy person, but I truly love socializing and meeting people. Many artists are like this. Meeting and befriending so many people on the road this summer has given me a new, deeper self-confidence. They like me, they really like me! People want to like you!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/gooetones
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gooetones901/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-71GRcMyFUA
- Other: gooetones@gmail.com
Image Credits
Photos by Maggie Trisler.
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