Meet Julio Montoya

We were lucky to catch up with Julio Montoya recently and have shared our conversation below.

Julio, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
It’s been a long journey learning to walk in my own direction, it take a lot of consistency and persistence. You have to want it, and be willing to put in what it takes to stand out. “You are who you are, don’t keep you waiting.”

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a full time welder and musician, if I’m not at work I’m spending my time perfect my craft. I’ve been making music for three years now and have been welding for one. Not sure exactly how long I’m going to be in the kind of work I’m in for but it’s a beneficial skill set and brings in decent money. I do know for sure I will be creating art for the long run and plan on branch out to many different types of art. Once I feel I’ve mastered mixing and recording for my music I want to start working on clothing design and cinematography. I just released my album Vol II on SoundCloud a little early for curious ears today and will be out on all platforms the beginning of 2024.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
There’s a lot of advice I can give to someone just starting their journey but if I had to narrow it down to just a few, I would start off by saying just be yourself. I know it’s hard to not get lost in trying to be like the people we look up to but you’d be surprised on how many of those people would marvel at you story. Consistency is also very important and there are plenty of ways to practice it, even if the factor that ties it all together is you! Just keep on keeping on.

Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
I would say my biggest area of growth in the past 12 months has been transition into the mindset I once only could admire. What I mean by that is letting things out of my control just be and focusing more on being in the moment and present. It’s been such a difficult upwards battle as far as being optimistic in my life until I changed the way I look at things. It feels like I just have to enjoy the ride and keep on living from here.

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