Even though she graduated from a Fashion school, Julie Leveau left this environment in order to join the Art world. Weird, intriguing, her efficent style is promising her an amazing carreer. Interview.
FROM FASHION TO ART
First of all, how are you ?
Surprisingly, I’m doing great, I managed to throw myself into a creative process. I feel like it’s a mechanism and I took the first step. In the end, my mental health is based on my production, if I’m satisfied with what I have done.
Could you introduce yourself and your journey ?
I’m an artist and a freelance graphist designer, which is my little stability. I went to the Atelier Chardon Savard right after graduation from highschool, and I’m hoping to get to an artist residence so I can meet some people, form a small and supportive collective. It’s kind of a charity, you have access to the locals, it can last 1, 3 or 6 months and you have to participate to the charity’s choses for at least 10 hours a month. Usually you have to be présent 15h per week on the location. It offers a lot of visibilité since exhibitions are often organized. In order to get in, I need a book with 20 works, and it’s quite difficult to find 20 works that make me proud !
Could you describe your style ?
The only thing that I can say is that when I’m working on something, I’m looking to get a reaction, I want people to think “this is funny” or “poetic” than just the aesthetic of it. When I’m working on my sculptings, I like when there’s a weird part that can disturb or make laugh, intrigue. I’d rather make an interesting and intriguing work for 1 person than something pretty for 10 persons. It’s my only goal, I couldn’t really describe my style.
What techniques do you use ? Which one do you prefer ?
I sculpt, I paint, I draw, both on paper and digital but what I prefer is sculpting. It’s what helps me th most to move on and find new ideas even if it’s not something I promote at this moment, it’s what helps me succeed in my creative process. There’s also the digital that I quite enjoy and that I’d like to développe in the future.
How do you get inspired ?
To be honest, in everything. In movies, photographies, Instagram, and to me, I keep the inspiration when I’m always creating something. I need to have 100 propositions so I can pick details I like in certain drawings and use them later with something completely different.
Does quarantine bother your creativity ?
Not so much, there are so many images on Instagram and Pinterest… Plus I realized that in my creative process I need to work a lot because everything that I do will be useful for something else. If I make a sculpture that I don’t really like it will still help me to create a painting. It’s like a circle where an idea becomes a painting and a painting becomes a sculpture etc. I think I manage to nourrish my creativity for so long that there’s always something I can use. But still, I hope the situation won’t last years and years !
Where do you see yourself in 5 years ?
I’ll be financially independent, I’ll gain in popularity as an artist, I’ll do a lot of collabs. And maybe even an exhibition ? I’d like to do something else, like tattoo. I also would like to do Comics or illustrante children’s books, which is a project I already started with my sister. And mostly I wish I’ll be in the same dynamic as now.
Any advice for those who want to work in freelance ?
Don’t neglect any relationship from your work experiences to find new opportunities. Never doubt yourself, you are your own product so if you don’t feel legitimate and you don’t know how to sell yourself it will be hard for you to present your work to your future clients.
Écrit par Elena Gaudé.