Meet Julie Young | Visual Artist and Circus Instructor/Performer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julie Young and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julie, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk-taking makes my life enjoyable and adventurous, whether that risk is being played out in my artistic career or everyday life. To make a decision that can result in a variable outcome is to take a risk- to create a new experience that opens a door to the unknown. My path in life has been adventurous and full of variety thanks to making decisions that may bring experiences of discomfort, thrill, and trust- all leading to growth. Growing, in a variety of ways, is a theme in my life and artworks. I believe that we exist in this life to continue growing into “better” versions of ourselves, bringing ourselves to new platforms of strength and courage, being able to create new experiences, and expanding and refining the tools and gifts that we have found in life. To expand and grow, you must take the risk of trying something new or different. In my artwork, I often take the risk of going into a piece without a real direction, or without a single idea of what I should make, but instead, I decided to trust the process of what artistic movements naturally occur. A random splash of paint, an intuitive squiggle-y brushstroke, and the accidental smear of wet paint are all a part of the growing process of a piece of art. My artworks grow from a blank canvas into a whimsical world of color and bizarre surrealism, and I often feel that I am taking a risk by being so chaotic in many of my artworks. With my art, there even comes the “risk” of sharing my art publicly- what will the viewers think? Will the viewer enjoy my piece? Will my painting ever find a home? – Some of these questions or never answered, yet I continue to create my authentic and bizarre artworks.
In my life away from visual arts, I have made big and risky decisions that have ultimately changed the course of my life. From being 18 years old and deciding to move to Florida on my own for a Job at Disney World, later deciding to take a three-month trip to Hawaii by myself which turned into 3 years of living there, and then the big risk of leaving Hawaii to move my life to Colorado in 2022- all risky and unknown, but have all pushed me further along my discovery of Self and what it’s like to be alive. Along with moving all over the place to put myself into new situations, I also consistently practice risk-taking in the world of circus arts. I practice and teach aerial silks and other height-based circus arts, which are most definitely risky art forms. To avoid the danger that circus arts could bring, I have spent nine years training and practicing aerial safety and trusting myself to correctly maneuver myself in the air.
Between circus arts, life adventures, and the organized chaos in my art work, risk-taking and diving into the unknown is the catalyst for my growth.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My visual artworks are full of color, whim, and surrealism. My pieces are quite different than a lot of artworks that I see around town because of the organized chaos that takes place in many of my pieces. I love to take many different ideas and let them all merge together organically on canvas, often using the majority of the rainbow. Although I truly love the immense amount of visual movement in my pieces, I am looking forward to trying some new (to me) styles of artwork, “calming” down some of my future canvas pieces. I am also really looking forward to more murals in 2023! I have been creating art since I was a little kid, using art as a fun way to pass the time. As an adult, I wanted to continue making art for fun, but I realized that I wanted to share my art on a larger scale and hopefully make some money from it down the line so I started applying to art shows. In the beginning, it was hard to find myself participating in local art shows until I hustled so much that my art started getting some notice. Applying to all art shows I could find, getting rejected to lots of them, and occasionally getting accepted into some. Even after receiving some notice for my work, it was hard to keep the momentum going. To this day- it is still hard work to find artistic opportunities. I must be the one to make myself work hard, to contact clients, and to put myself and artwork into situations to get noticed. Even art-making takes hard work- after a long day of adulting and working my day job, I have to make myself sit at an easel and put a brush in my hands, which is sometimes the hardest part of creation of all. Once I’m in front of my easel though- it all flows out naturally.
If I could let anyone reading know something about my art, I’d let them know that my artworks are made from my heart, with the intention to bring joy, contemplation, and smiles to the viewers. I would also love for the world to know that I am looking for more mural opportunities!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I had company in town to visit, I would plan a fun day for us all. We would start with a quick drive to Gateway Natural Area for a hike, taking in the beautiful views of the Poudre River and breathing in the fresh Colorado air. We’d then go back into town for lunch to my favorite taco spot- Vatos Tacos. Since Vatos opened a location in Fort Collins, we would continue to explore Old Town making sure to stop at Ragstock for a new shirt, and probably hanging out with the slack-liners at City Park. I also really enjoy the Benson Sculpture Park in Loveland, so we’d go for a stroll there as well, hopefully ending the day with a fun event at The Lyric in Fort Collins. If my friend was really into the idea- I’d take them to my work, Fort Collins Circus Center, to enjoy a fun circus class!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout for this article goes to two different people in my life who have helped encourage my art-life path! Miranda Thomas is my first shoutout, who actually nominated me for this interview. We met in 2014 while both live painting at a concert in Indianapolis, IN. We immediately clicked and became great creative friends. Miranda has always supported my art and life choices, playing the role of supportive sister and creative best friend. She is ALWAYS hyping me up, whether it’s online sharing my art, or in-person showing up with a crew of people at my events. Her hustle and creativity in her own life inspires me to mirror that in my own life. My second shoutout goes out to Nancy Barnes, my high school art teacher. I haven’t seen her since 2010 when I graduated high school, but she will forever be the reason that I dove so deep into my art. She acknowledged my passion and talent in the visual arts, and she was always encouraging me to make whatever my heart desired, while always helping me achieve my projects. I remember she even wrote me passes to get out of other classes so I could spend more time in the art studio. In my senior year of school I was in the International Baccalaureate art program that she led, and I had free reign to basically make whatever I wanted, with Mrs. Barnes being a knowledge-filled supportive mentor. Thanks Mrs. Barnes!

Website: www.artbyjulieyoung.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/artbyjulieyoung

Youtube: www.youtube.com/artbyjulieyoung