Julie Gladstone on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Julie Gladstone shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Julie, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
When I wake up, the first thing I do is make a coffee and write as many of my dreams down as I can remember before my daughter wakes up. Then I help her get dressed, make her breakfast, make her lunch and get her out the door to go to school. After I drop her off I usual go for a 20 minute walk either in the ravine or in the park near my house followed by some light weights and yoga. Then I have breakfast and I start my work day.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi I’m Julianne. I’m an interdisciplinary artist and a mother. I also run The Creative Altar which is an online yoga, alchemy and creativity school that combines dreamwork, yoga, essential oils, Traditional Chinese medicine and the creative process. I also publish artist interviews about the inner critic, taking creative risks and the role of dreams and intuition in the creative process. I’m currently running a 6-week Dream yoga series through A New Possibility Network. I’m also putting the finishing touches on a new series of mixed media embroidery, textile and painting series for an upcoming exhibition at OXH Gallery opening in December 2025.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
The relationship I have with my daughter has been extremely empowering. It has give me so much clarity, strength and purpose. It has shown me the ways that I have compromised and not stood up for myself in my life. Imagining my daughter as an adult, has shown me the ways that I haven’t always been kind to myself or believed in myself. But now I’m motivated to heal these parts of myself, to show her that we both deserve to shine.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
This is something that is a work in progress. Expressing vulnerability in public is not easy, and particularly when you are creating on an exhibition cycle or as a professional, sometimes the timelines don’t always allow for delving into pain deeply and safely. However, my style of painting has always been very dense, layered and physical, allowing for what I feel is a type of transmutation to occur in the studio. I work through grief and other heavy emotions through the working and reworking of the surface of my paintings. In the Creative Altar, our process is based on alchemy, which recognizes that pain is a dense source of energy and can be transformed into power, inspiration and healing.

Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Creating art regardless if anyone ever sees, buys or acknowledges my work.

Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
This is a goal worth striving towards! I think in the art industry, artists have been trained to seek external approval- whether it’s through sales, gallery representation and these days instagram views/ likes / comments. This is a very infantalizing and dis-empowering position to be in however. Artists need to remember that being able to access creative flow and tap into that space of creating and expressing is actually the main gift and the best part. Anything that comes afterwards in the way of praise, money and recognition are bonuses. But if these are the primary motivating factor for creating, your work and life will feel empty – especially if you go through a phase of creating where you are getting less attention. You will start to feel like you yourself are worthless unless you receive praise – which isn’t true!

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