Meet Julia Frances Vericella

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Frances Vericella.

Julia, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I come from a creative family and have been drawing since I was young, but I started taking my art-making seriously when I was in high school. I was accepted to The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and received an incredible fine art education there. I was encouraged to have a multi-disciplinary practice and quickly progressed from drawing to painting. I took two photography classes, but at the time I thought that I would mostly use camera to document my painting practice.

I am a slow painter and one day decided to submit my college photographs to an art show on a whim. I was accepted and suddenly had to pick up my camera again and create more pieces for the show. I find photography so freeing. I can take my camera and make art anywhere. I fell in love with photography, and now my favorite thing to do is experiment with new techniques.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being an artist today is a challenge, it is difficult to completely support yourself by making art alone. For years, I have dropped in and out of various “day jobs,” and it is very challenging for me to give my fine art practice 100% of my energy on top of my other practical responsibilities.

I always keep one thing in mind to fuel my art practice: my number one job in life is to be happy and creating art fulfills me and brings me joy. I will never regret spending my time creating so I pull all the energy I can together to devote to my art.

We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I am a Los Angeles-based fine art photographer. I specialize in portraits and often utilize the self-portrait in my art practice. I have felt the pull to create art from a young age and use the self-portrait to document my journey as a person. I have struggled with anxiety and depression for over fifteen years, and throughout that struggle, art has been a form of expression, a mode of processing, and a way of goal-setting.

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with Dysthymia, a chronic form of depression. While Dysthymia is not the most extreme form of depression, its ever-presence slowly wore me down. One of the diagnosing features is being depressed for most of the day, most days of the week, for two or more years. I experienced the symptoms of dysthymia for 15 years and made many self-portraits depicting my struggle.

After many years of seeking help any way I could, I finally feel that I have overcome many symptoms of my dysthymia and it has had such an interesting effect on my art. For years, my art was all about my depression, and suddenly it became about experiencing a newfound and hard-fought happiness. Having said that, my artistic vision often pulls on something dark.

My art is now a balancing act of reconciling my artistic vision with much lighter mental state. I am so excited to continue exploring the dichotomy of light and dark and to indulge in a super bright aesthetic when it strikes me. My depressed and non-depressed self-portraits side by side show a noticeable and drastic change. I am proud today that I haven’t shied away from tackling delicate subjects in my art.

In 2016, the day after the election I began a project entitled: “The Good Fight,” in which I took pictures of those who felt marginalized by President Trump’s agenda. It was then that I began to appreciate the platform that my art gave me.

What are your plans for the future? What are you looking forward to or planning for? Any big changes?
I plan to continue creating and raising awareness for mental illness through my art. Being open and feeling seen gets rid of the isolation in which depression often traps its victims. I plan to continue to tackle taboo or delicate subjects in my art.

I am also beginning what I suspect will be a lifelong project about equality. I feel that many people today are blinded by the progress that has been made and don’t see that many marginalized people are struggling as much as ever. In my series entitled “Life as a Girl” I plan to expose women’s struggles from their point of view in a 1950’s setting.

The project is currently unfunded, and the extensive costuming, props, and sets make it a long term endeavor, but I am very excited to create the work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.juliafrancesvericella.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliafrancesvericella/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliafrancesvericella/

Image Credit:
Main Photo: Julia Frances Vericella & Christian Rocha
Julia Frances Vericella

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