Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Ferrell.
Hi Julia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My name is Julia Ferrell and I am a mixed media-artist from Natchitoches, Louisiana. Art has been a very large part of my life since as early as I could remember. My art exploration started at age two when I would accompany my mom, who was helping out at Northwestern State University’s Summer Art Camp. I got to participate when I wasn’t preoccupied playing with dolls or taking naps on a cot under the table with my friend Sophia. I was lucky to have wonderful art teachers in elementary, middle, and high school levels that reinforced my exploration and love for art. My family also loves the arts which lead to multiple opportunities for exposure through plays, musicals, exhibitions, dance performances, and orchestra concerts whether in my hometown of Natchitoches, Shreveport, Baton Rouge, New Orleans, or during our trips in the United States, in Europe, and other destinations abroad. My parents motivated my creative side and encouraged my interests in visual and performing arts.
In high school I attended the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts where I had two professors, Chris King and Marcus Journey, who really helped unleash my love for visual arts through the exploration of photography, printmaking, boat building, sculpture, and ceramics. After graduating, I had an unfortunate health setback, with a long hospital stay that forced me to take a break. By the time I started college, a semester behind my peers, I opted to go for a visual arts degree and minor in psychology.
My artistic practice is currently embedded in my lived experience and the meditative space that clay provides for me. Forming and manipulating clay from our Earth allows time to slow down for reflection and peaceful encounters. While clay is my main medium, I love working with other media- especially metals. Whether creating a sculptural piece or practical ware, my goal is to enhance the holding space with beauty and/ or functionality. Each piece emerges from a delicate balance of intention and spontaneity. The tactile nature of the clay itself becomes a form of meditation, where focus and stillness guide me toward a deeper understanding of my own creative voice.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
An art degree sounds like fun and little studying to many, but it’s not for the faint of heart. My life consists of long hours of conceptualization, studio time into the early morning, and the constant fear of not being understood. There are days I wish I could just memorize and spit out material for a grade. But, I thrive from the creation process, building pieces with my own hands, the talks of possibilities, and seeing the development of the project from ideation to fruition. The largest struggle I face is my own self criticism and I am fortunate to have a wide support system with family, friends, and professors who encourage me along the way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am currently studying ceramics under John Gargano at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and I have been fortunate to learn from mentors Chris Pate and Susan Sinitiere through classes and wood-firing shifts. While I have a special interest in ceramics, I discovered a love for metalwork and jewelry learning from Dan DiCaprio. Recent explorations in painting and suspended soft sculptural work have opened new directions in my creative practice and have expanded the way I approach form and material. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to explore different media, with professors that push me out of my comfort zone and don’t allow me to settle. Through school I have had the opportunity to go to conferences like the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts and the Material Topics Symposium at East Carolina University. I have had the opportunity to show my work in galleries alongside phenomenal artists and recently my first public art piece was installed through the Acadiana Center for the Arts.
Aside from school, I run my small business, Juju’s Creative Corner, where I sell my ceramics and other art pieces at art markets, festivals, and online. I am also a teaching artist at Scrappie Studio in Lafayette, Louisiana. I teach an introductory ceramics course in hand building, host workshops at Scrappie, as well as sell my ceramics in their store front. As a teaching artist, my goal is to introduce my students to a variety of media and techniques to foster creativity, build confidence, with greater emphasis on the process than the finished product. I enjoy sharing my art and connecting with fellow artists and art enthusiasts at art shows and festivals across Louisiana and surrounding areas.
I am proud of the strides I have made overcoming difficult health obstacles in my fight for recovery from Anorexia Nervosa. Art has been instrumental in my journey of recovery and it has been an outlet for me to help and educate others about Eating Disorders and Mental Health support.
Having been raised by an American dad and a Belgian mom, I have had the opportunity to travel quite a bit and have a broader view of the world. These lived experiences have enhanced my artistic practice. My world view and personal health struggles impact my art making process and set me apart from others.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
In the next 5-10 years I hope to travel and further explore my art making practices. After graduation, I plan to move to Belgium to be an artist in residence for a year and spend more time on the coast where I spent my summers growing up.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: jujuscreativecorner
- Other: juliaferrellart@gmail.com
Image Credits
Paul Kieu
Kayden Deslatte
