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Rediscovering The Artist Within
All of our models are real people we know and love and who inspire us. The newest face you may see in our campaigns is Julia, a local artist who celebrates nature with her creativity. Here you can get to know her through her own words...
Hey there !! I’m Julia Messinger, an artist from North Jersey! I graduated in 2020 from the College of Charleston where I majored in marine biology, studio art and environmental studies. Graduating in May 2020, some of the craziest times in this pandemic, gave me a lot to consider when deciding what to do or be in life.
Hey there !! I’m Julia Messinger, an artist from North Jersey! I graduated in 2020 from the College of Charleston where I majored in marine biology, studio art and environmental studies. Graduating in May 2020, some of the craziest times in this pandemic, gave me a lot to consider when deciding what to do or be in life.
I have painted and created as a hobby for as long as I can remember, and never did I ever consider it to be a career path. Around the time of graduation, my boyfriend needed a coffee table for his apartment, which he decided to build himself. To spice it up a bit, he asked if I would paint on it. We posted the finished table on Instagram and got so many requests for things like it! We decided to start a small business where I painted cutting boards and serving trays that he built. We stuck with this for about 9 months and then decided to do a cross-country road trip and exploration, so the business kind of came to an end there. Following this I felt as lost as ever, trying to decide what to do in life. So I picked up the paintbrush and kept painting. I still didn’t think that art could be a career for myself but I soon realized how wrong that was. Consistency is key and I realized by being consistent and creating things true to myself I could be as successful as I wanted to be. Having the experience of the small business helped to also boost my knowledge and confidence of being an entrepreneur.
(Julia under a mural she painted at a local juice bar)
My artwork is heavily influenced by the natural world and the beauty I find in it. My favorite subjects are seascapes and tropical plants. I love to create a carefree and endless summer vibe. This is a direct reflection of my lifestyle, which is everything coastal and healthy living. If I’m not painting you can find me doing anything active outside, yoga, exploring, running, surfing, hiking, you name it!
I find Emily Hsu Designs to be the perfect match for my lifestyle. The clothes are beyond comfortable and the fun patterns and designs allow me to feel confident in whatever I’m doing. Emily Hsu Designs embodies the saying “you can do anything you set your mind to” and that’s exactly how you feel when wearing her clothes. My favorite EHD pieces are a tie between the Mint Mermaid set and the Elsie Floral set. I also love her monotone pieces for when I’m feeling a little more mellow and sophisticated. I love wearing and supporting EHD because she is such an inspiration as a female entrepreneur!
My next goals for my career are to keep growing as an artist and to do some more mural work. I’m fairly new into my career, so I also aspire to create more original works to hopefully showcase in a gallery or a show.
To learn more about Julia and her artwork, visit her website at www.julsmess.com.
To follow her painting journey, find her on Instagram: @julsmess.art