Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Smith.
Hi Julia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a native Washingtonian, I grew up in an environment of power and politics which my imaginative self – who loved make-believe, creative writing, fashion and films – often found intimidating and stifling. My parents were active local volunteers and passionate about social justice, and the importance of non-profit service and community-building were ingrained in me from a young age. I struggled with shame about my “superficial” interests, feeling like my love for aesthetics and storytelling meant I wasn’t smart or thoughtful.
Fast forward to 2008, when luck was on my side and I landed my absolute dream job after graduating from Colorado College (with a Political Science major no less) as a buyer for bedding, pillows, curtains, hardware, lighting and wall decor at Anthropologie. I was thrust into the creative world I had dreamt of for years but after eight months found myself completely unfulfilled. I was working around the clock for very little pay, and there was so much bureaucracy that prevented me from actually being creative. It was also during the time when Obama was running his incredibly inspiring and historic Presidential campaign which invigorated me outside of work and left me feeling lost and empty at work. Young and naive, instead of thinking this job wasn’t the right fit for me, the shaming voices in my head took over and pushed me out of creative industries entirely for the next eight years.
Thus began my career in non-profit social service operations, fundraising and program development. I worked in three nonprofits in Philadelphia and New York, starting as a Program Assistant and ending as a Director of Program Operations overseeing 15 supportive housing residences for youth who had aged out of the foster care system, families, veterans and individuals struggling with mental illness and/or living with HIV/AIDS. It was important, tangible work and I was proud of it, but it also left me wanting more creatively. I had exhausted all of the opportunities within my roles to take on projects that allowed me to express my aesthetic vision and apply my creativity. For example, I oversaw social impact interior design initiatives; the build-out, outfitting and move of our administrative headquarters; and the rebranding and overhaul of our website. It wasn’t enough, and I sought adventure and a new career that would combine my operations expertise with my creative and visual talent.
Long story short, in 2016, I joined Border&Fall, a 360 creative agency in Bangalore, India working at the intersection of fashion and craft to shift global perceptions of ‘Made in India’. I worked with them to project manage and produce from ideation to execution The Sari Series, a non-profit digital anthology of India’s regional sari drapes through 89 short films, free and accessible online and showcased around the world including on Google Arts & Culture and in The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)’s 2017-18 exhibit, ‘Items: Is Fashion Modern?’. I also managed social media creative direction for Border&Fall and two of our agency clients – one in textiles and one in handcrafted jewelry.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I’d finally found a career path that I found both fulfilling and invigorating: creative content production and project management with a social impact focus. However, after living and working for 2.5 years in India, I started looking for similar jobs in Los Angeles and found it was incredibly hard to break into America’s established and competitive creative production industry. My non-linear background and transferable skills, which I thought made me more interesting and unique as a candidate, were proving difficult to communicate to prospective employers. After an entire year of searching, I finally landed a job as a Producer in the Global Creative Operations department at Smashbox Cosmetics, an Estee Lauder company, where I stayed for the next 1.5 years. While working for a corporate, revenue-driven beauty company with a different aesthetic than my own was not exactly what I was looking for, it proved to be an incredible opportunity, stepping stone and educational experience, and I honed my production skills, made lifelong friends and started to build a creative community in LA.
After being laid off from Smashbox in January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself newly interested in freelance opportunities that would allow me to pursue different projects on my own terms and schedule. But it was scary! I had always relied upon the stability and consistency of full-time jobs, and the freelance world was freeing but full of its own set of new challenges.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
After Smashbox, I landed an incredible contract job at Parallel as the lead producer for This Little Light, a music education podcast hosted by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Proceeds of the podcast benefit the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, a non-profit music school in Los Angeles that Flea founded in 2001. On the podcast, Flea invites musical guests from all genres – ranging from legends like Patti Smith to rising stars like Cynthia Erivo – to talk about how they fell in love with music. The podcast launched on March 30, 2023 and new episodes drop every Thursday through June. In addition to producing the podcast with Parallel, I also worked as a project manager for them, incubating a clean beauty brand with celebrity sisters until a founding CEO was hired.
On the side, I also produced print and digital campaigns for Vegamour, a vegan and cruelty-free hair growth product company, where my old colleague from Smashbox is now the Creative Director.
Now, I’m on the hunt again for new creative production and project management opportunities, and I’m open to both freelance and full-time. While projects with a social impact focus are my priority, I’m open to exploring projects that align with my other interests and values. I’ve now produced in film, print, digital and podcast formats across many sectors: non-profit, corporate, venture and start-up. My focuses have included beauty, wellness, fashion, textile, craft, music and education, and I’d love to get more involved in producing within the architecture and interior design industries. I can confidently say I’m extremely detail-oriented, versatile, resourceful, reliable and hands-on. I bring an elevated eye for design to all my projects and am truly equal parts left- and right-brained.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
Being laid off from Smashbox during the pandemic was definitely scary, but it was also liberating! I was lucky to have severance and unemployment support that gave me time to breathe and reflect on exactly what I’d like to do next. Working on freelance projects taught me a lot about risk, about running my own business, budgeting and taxes and also brought up challenges with imposter syndrome that I think we can all relate to.
But most importantly, the COVID-19 crisis taught me that maintaining a work-life balance doesn’t make you unambitious or lazy (which were toxic values former bosses had ingrained in me), pursuing physical and mental health is always worth the effort and sustaining strong personal, professional and familial relationships leads to a richer life.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.juliafgsmith.com
- Instagram: @honeyortar (personal) and @salt.aire (professional)
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliafgsmith/
Image Credits
This Little Light by Gabriella Lamb, The Sari Series by Rid Burman, St. Elmo Village by Julia FG Smith, Smashbox Cosmetics by Bee Gutierrez, Little Dume by Julia FG Smith, Catalina Island by Julia FG Smith
