Meet Julius Sanchez

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Julius Sanchez. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Julius, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

Being the only one in the room that looks like me, it certainly can feel a bit demoralizing because there aren’t any others that can relate to the cultural or ethnic background I am from. I was born in the Philippines and my family emigrated to the U.S. when I was eight years old. I consider myself Filipino American because both cultures resonate with me equally. Being in the arts, more often than not, I find myself occupying a room where I am the only one that looks like me or hails from the culture that I grew up in. I believe in moments like these, I get to make a choice in what I can do with this privilege, so I choose to see it as a responsibility and not as a burden. I am aware that I come from privilege and I will never know what it is like to experience the difficulties of being displaced or the trials of emigration as an adult. But I take this with pride and with the belief that, although there aren’t any others that look like me in a space that I occupy, I will make sure I will not be the last.

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

Currently, I am focused on two arts organizations; Wear Yellow Proudly and ConTempo Arts. Wear Yellow Proudly is an Asian American Artist arts organization that amplifies Asian American voices through the power of music. This organization is more East Coast based, primarily in Philadelphia. We were founded during the beginning of the COVID pandemic and have recently been programming in-person performances. ConTempo Arts is a Houston-based arts organization that focuses on collaboration, interdisciplinary arts, and accessibility. I’ve been spending my time with ConTempo lately helping produce and curate performances and collaborations with other local arts organizations. It has been rewarding being able to connect with the arts scene in Houston and contributing to the ever-growing and abundant artistry that Houston has to offer. It has been gratifying working with those in our organization to program and navigate what it means to grow as individual artists and together as a team. It is terrifying and exciting all at once because we are wearing hats that we don’t normally wear (admin, marketing, development, etc.). We are producing a recording with circus performers (so exciting!) soon that intertwine music and movement together. We also have performances available later in December that are free to attend! We are in the works of programming more fun and fantastic opportunities for Houston to experience. My collaborator, Sarah Dyer, has such fantastic ideas and it has been fun putting into action these ideas along with Merit Rogge who has been tirelessly programming them.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three qualities that were the most impactful in my journey have been hard work, grace, and passion. I believe that most skills can be taught to someone and acquiring knowledge has become more and more accessible. Hard work, with guidance, triumph over those voices in your head that tell you “no”. It pushes you to do better and to practice your craft. Grace helps us be more compassionate and think outside the box. It pushes us to care for others and to also help understand those around us. I have always believed that we should always extend grace whenever we have the capacity to do so because it helps us move on and work through any obstacle that may come our way. We have a tendency to look retrospectively and focus on the negative whereas if we look prospectively, we can navigate how to push forward and achieve our goals. It is hard to fix the problem when you focus on the problem instead of the solution. Lastly, I believe passion is what drives us to do what we do and what gives us life. Whether that is within our own careers, with the community we live in, or the beliefs we hold ourselves to. I endlessly reference Beethoven’s quote of “To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable”. We make mistakes, but that is not the point. The agency to live for and believe in something beyond ourselves is ours and that passion can bring any person beyond any finish line that lays before them.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

I am always looking for folks to partner and/or collaborate with! Always. I have always believed that you cannot produce a project by yourself. It is virtually impossible to do so. And even if you can, why would you choose to do that? The best part of producing a project is the collaborations you have and the people you get to work with. It will never go the way you want it to. That is the hard truth about it. But that is also the best part. These other people have their own ideas and thoughts and dreams and anxieties and you have to figure out how to fit all of these puzzle pieces together. As terrifying as it is, these other collaborators can help you bring your project to new heights. Another quote that I love is from Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and she says that “If your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough”. The types of collaborators I love to work with are the ones that are not scared of dreaming big. It shows that they are vulnerable enough to share their dreams and, even with the fear of being dismissed, that their contributions are beyond their own fears and themselves. That is the kind of collaborator that creates excitement and change.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://juliusdsanchez.com
• Instagram: juliusdsanchez_studio
• Linkedin: https://linkedin.com/in/julius-sanchez