Today we’d like to introduce you to Julianna Castigliego.
Hi Julianna, 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?
I’m originally from Providence, Rhode Island where I grew up surrounded by art and theater. Eventually, this brought me to study film at Emerson College in Boston – I graduated with a degree in Visual Media Arts. Naturally, I had a calling to work in the film and television industry here in Los Angeles. Now I’m an art department coordinator for film and TV, and I also run a graphic art and illustration business on Etsy creating custom artwork for people all around the country.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The road has had its winds and turns, but for the most part has led me to exciting opportunities and experiences that have taught me important lessons. I started out as a production assistant working mostly on commercial sets, and eventually I landed my first job as an art assistant in television. I was an Art PA for many years working on tv shows such as CW’s Hart of Dixie and Jane the Virgin and Netflix’s Grace & Frankie. On the side, I would production design short films and music videos to wet my whistle and gain more experience in the art department. In my free time, I also started creating more of my own artwork, which mostly consisted of fun, mind-twisting mazes that I would share on social media. Soon I started creating art commissions for friends and family and mutual friends, which led me to start an Etsy shop. Learning how to run a small business has been challenging, especially while maintaining a full-time position now as an art department coordinator for features and television. But it has been rewarding to be able to share my artwork with those that know my work and strangers I don’t even know in a different state across the country.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In terms of my art, what I specialize in most is creating hand-drawn maze artwork. Each maze is unique and involves illustrations that generally determine the flow of the maze. The mazes revolve around various themes such as love and connection, animals and nature, food, family, and geography. What I love most is creating custom artwork for people’s loved ones. Recently I’ve been creating portraits of people and their pets, which has been so rewarding. I enjoy creating the artwork, but definitely love the reaction people have when they first see a sketch before I take it to color. To be able to capture someone’s emotions or an animal’s personality is extremely fulfilling.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
I was lucky in the fact that I had a built in network from attending Emerson College. I have so many friends and former classmates here in Los Angeles. It was helpful to have that safety net when I first moved out here – not everyone has that. However through the years, I’ve also gained mentors through working on various tv shows and film projects. I’ve kept in touch with nearly all of them and they have proved to be supportive and generous with their knowledge and time throughout the years I’ve lived in LA. It’s probably against the rules to count your parents as your mentors, but I’m going to do it anyway. They are by far my strongest mentors and cheerleaders. I grew up with an art background; my mom is a theater actress and an advertising executive, and my dad is a graphic designer and illustrator. Growing up, my parents enrolled me in art classes at Rhode Island School of Design, we sat and drew together, and I even went to theater camp. The arts were all around me. So when I decided I wanted to study film in Boston, they were behind me the whole way. My maze-drawing abilities stem from my dad who would draw me mazes on the backs of diner placemats as a kid to keep us occupied while we waited for our food to arrive. I learned that from him and I feel grateful every time I pick up a pen and draw. My mom’s passion for theater and the arts drives me to push myself in my career in film and television. I truly could not have been doing what I do if it weren’t for my parents’ endless support in my career and my art.
Pricing:
- Custom wedding/engagement maze $95
- Custom every-day maze $85
- Maze postcards $22
- Digital coloring books $5
- Wall Art Prints $18-$28
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: http://jujydesign.etsy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jujydesign
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jujydesign
Image Credits:
Colin Duffy
