We recently had the chance to connect with Julia Calvin and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Julia, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
I love to go for walks at the park & hikes in nature (when possible). Being around trees and plants, and natural beauty just feels so calming. It also calms the constant chatter in my brain. If I had to choose one healing practice of the many things I try to do for my mental health, it would be wandering in nature.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Julia Calvin, and I’m a Costa Rican/American singer-songwriter. I write indie-pop songs in English, Spanish & Spanglish, with occasional flares of Latin rhythms. At the end of last year I released my Sophomore EP “Everything to Gain” which I am very proud of, and I’m currently working on my next set of releases.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I was very creative as a kid – I was in a dance team, I took art classes, I was in music classes, I did theater, I loved knitting, sewing, crocheting, etc. I loved anything that had to do with creating something of my own, whether it was a physical product, or a performance.
Later on, when I went on to study music in college, I was advised to focus my time into practicing my instrument/writing/performance, and I felt a lot of pressure to only pursue one art form. At the time I had a theater minor, and I dropped it. I also felt that I had to use any free time to be bettering my craft – this feeling has continued for years.
Now I’m trying to find my way back to the joy of creation – whatever art form it may be.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
When I discovered my love for songwriting towards the end of high school, I realized I had an outlet for all of my anxieties. I realized any painful event now had a silver lining – I could probably write a good song about it.
I’m a people pleaser, so I’m not very comfortable asking for help, or expressing super strong emotions, like anger, and loneliness – but somehow it feels different when these thoughts are placed into a song. Somehow, it’s a lot easier to share that way. I’m not sure why, but I’m so grateful to have found this strength in art.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Is the public version of you the real you?
The version of me that is in my songs, especially my most recent project “Everything to Gain,” is definitely the real me. I really wanted to be as authentic as possible, because I felt that was the only way to proudly share the work, and thankfully I can say I’m still happy with it, almost a year after its release.
I am still trying to find the “real” version of me on social media. For the most part I do try to be myself, but my personality does not align well with what seems to be necessary to keep up with the algorithms. It takes a lot of energy for me to try to keep up, and when I was trying to follow trends for the sake of creating content, it felt inauthentic and embarrassing. I think there is a way to have fun on social media and pick and choose what resonates with you, and I’m working on finding that for myself. This is something I’ve been actively thinking about.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would stop worrying about curating and being a perfectionist, and put out as much art as possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.juliacalvin.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliacalvinmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/juliacalvinmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JuliaCalvin
