Meet Julissa Vargas

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julissa Vargas.

Julissa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I grew up in Azusa, CA. I am 29 years old. I moved around a lot due to my parents being separated since birth. A lot of that time was with my grandmother. My mother married my sibling’s father and my father was in Northern California. I was exposed to a lot of abuse as a child which led me to making choices that I thought would ultimately lead me down a path of destruction but ended up making me the person I am today. My grandmother was verbally and physically abusive most days living with her which I started normalizing. Pain seemed to be a regular part of everyday life even as a child. I was 1 of 6 kids, third born. Growing up, music was an escape and always around. I remember as a child, writing was easier way to communicate because I could write exactly how I feel in my own words without judgment. I would collect CDs that had the lyrics written on them and wrote them down so I could remember them word for word. My older brother Joseph and I would always give live performances and set up chairs even though no one was sitting in them. I walked away from music when I got lost as a teen and landed myself in juvenile hall at 15 till I was 18. When I came out at 18 1/2, I was trying to find myself again but music found me, it kept me grounded and has taught me more than just music itself, but it has taught me how to become a better me. In the almost three years I have been doing music, I have made incredible relationships, cut toxic relationships, found value in myself and others more than I should instead of people who don’t value me at all, learned how to engineer music, learning photography, and overall gives me genuine happiness that can’t be replaced. To me, this journey wherever it leads will never be wasted time… 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My biggest struggles were incarceration. I am not perfect but as a kid, I blamed everyone else for my problems instead of taking responsibility for what I was doing because regardless of my past, my present and future was up to me to decide. I was incarcerated for about 2 1/2 years and promised to change my life around. It hasn’t been perfect but I am nowhere near the person I could of became and am exactly who I feel I should be. Everyday is a new day to learn something that could benefit my future and I want to be here for it. Music has kept me out of trouble a lot.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am most proud of me graduating college because I graduated high school from juvenile hall and hadn’t walked a stage since middle school 8th grade promotion. I always enjoyed basketball so I walked on to a junior college team and ended up with a scholarship to a private Christian university in York, Nebraska. I gained a certification in child development and Associates in Sociology. It was a huge accomplishment. When I came back from school, I started working any job I could find and was a laborer on a construction site applying to jobs. In that time, I became close with the plumbing company and was hired on learning everything hands on and have now been doing it the last four years being the only female that was hired by my first company I worked in 15 years. Plumbing has ultimately helped me chase my dream as an artist.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
People can always contact me on Instagram.
My artist account is @jewelz______
My photography account is @j62sixfliks
My YouTube channel is https://youtube.com/channel/UC4E9dd0cqTr3HFu6M6D__DQ.

Pricing:

• Collabs – $15o
• Photoshoots Edited/1 HR, 2 outfit changes – $150
• Photoshoot Edited/ 2 HR, 4 outfit changes – 250
• Music video —1 location—$ 200
• Music video —2 locations— $300

Contact Info:

• Email: Julissav299@icloud.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jewelz______?utm_medium=copy_link
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC4E9dd0cqTr3HFu6M6D__DQ
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-269131797?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
• Other: https://instagram.com/j62sixfliks?utm_medium=copy_link

Image Credits:
@estabanphotgraphs @visionby_bs @westcoastcontent @j62sixfliks