We were lucky to catch up with Julia Zou recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Julia, thank you so much for agreeing to open up about a sensitive and personal topic like being fired or laid-off. Unfortunately, there has been a rise in layoffs recently and so your insight and experience with overcoming being let go is relevant to so many in the community.
I remember my first layoff vividly. It wasn’t so much a surprise as it was a relief. I was finally let go from a job that I was begrudgingly going to in order to “adult properly” and hold down a steady job for as long as possible. While initially it was distressing to confront, it made me re-evaluate where I was and where I really wanted to go. The timing of my layoff lined up with a summer family vacation to the Grand Canyon, and it gave me time to reassess that what I really wanted to do was go back to school to pursue graphic design.
I find this to be a super important topic because not enough people talk about getting laid off/fired. While societally it is usually deemed embarrassing or taboo to speak about, for me it was a much-needed kick in the butt and motivation to finally pursue what I should have all along. It’s like that quote “rejection is merely a redirection”, so take that severance package and really sit with yourself to figure out what’s next. Go on a trip, see your friends, decide what do you want to fill the rest of your days doing?
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?
I like to call myself a multi-creative, since I have many passions in the creative industry that I’m actively working towards. I am a graphic designer by trade, having built up experience over the years working both in-house and at an agency level. Since going freelance, I haven’t been able to go back to the office since freelancing also allows me to pursue my other career paths — modeling and acting. I love getting to meet new people on set, fellow creatives and just cool human beings in general. Hearing their stories and passions always inspire me to strive for my best as well. Acting is a relatively new pursuit, but I appreciate the challenge and collaborative nature. It’s also important to continue representation in industries where Asians and specifically Asian Americans are making their mark.
Eventually, I would love to combine my talents into some sort of hybrid branding studio that does both the design and photography execution for brands. I love the process of creation and bringing client’s ideas to life.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Three qualities that have been most impactful in my journey are:
1. Being adaptive — With a schedule like mine, it can be easily overwhelming since my weeks letalone days are always in flux. Depending on what jobs I do or don’t book, I can go anywhere from being super busy and traveling all over the place to just me and my laptop at home. To thrive in these more uncertain creative career paths, I find it important to be adaptive and go with the flow. As much as I like to organize and plan for the next thing, my creative pursuits have made me much more fluid.
2. Not taking anything too personally — Another thing that comes with the creative industry is rejection, and a lot of it. At the beginning of my career, I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to land even just one opportunity. I was always expectant after a casting or availability check that I had a chance of being booked, but it’s often the opposite effect. It’s a super competitive industry, and ever-so humbling that you’re just one of hundreds if not thousands of contenders vying for limited spots. When you put things into that perspective, it helps you realize it’s not about you and instead of focusing on a single rejection to continue improving yourself and move onto the next opportunity!
3. Be kind — At the end of the day, it’s a small world. You never know who you’re going to run into again. Plus, everyone is working hard and contributing their part no matter how small. As a general rule of thumb, I try to be nice to everyone but especially on set or at work you may forget sometimes if you’re tired or preoccupied with other thoughts. Be a nice person, if anything that’ll set you apart in the best way and people will remember you.
Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?
Going back to my branding studio idea, some of my next steps are looking for a partner or talented people to collaborate with. Everything from other designers and art directors to photographers and stylists, to either work with on a more regular basis or have in a database and be able to reach out to depending on the client’s needs. If you’re able to help with the studio in any capacity, please reach out to me via LinkedIn or another social platform!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://juliazou.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliawzou/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliawzou/
Image Credits
NA
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
