Meet Julia Louise Pereira | Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julia Louise Pereira and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julia, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
When I was a kid, I was always reading. Getting lost in stories with fantastical worlds and relatable characters that inspired me to begin drawing. I started illustrating all of my favorite characters (with their hands behind their backs, of course) in edgy outfits straight from Hot Topic on lined notebook paper. But what took it from a hobby into a career was the decision I made when I was in high school. I was torn between taking arts classes and physics classes, as they were always placed in the same time slots, but eventually I realized that if I didn’t pursue art, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It’s been a really long road to where I am now, and I can really only see the long stretch ahead of me instead of where I started from, but looking back on everything, it was really just persistent stubbornness that fueled me this entire time. Once I decided I was going to pursue art, I fully committed to the goal, even when I had major setbacks, rejections or failures. I figured, if the world was telling me I couldn’t do it, I’d prove them wrong.

I got into OCAD University, but after first year in General Arts, I wanted to switch to Illustration in the Design department. I got rejected my first time applying, and had to take my second year in Publications. This was actually an amazing thing for me, as I learned about screen-printing and publishing and bookbinding, all these skills that I carry on into my practice today.

Then when I got into Illustration in my third year, I had all this extra time in my schedule to pursue my Creative Writing Minor. I feel as if I was meant to have these setbacks, which pushed me into unexpected avenues and opportunities I wouldn’t have had otherwise. I went to Detroit with my Publications core class, hand-bound a fanfiction that’s now sitting in the Merril Collection of Science Fiction, Speculation & Fantasy and made an Art Collective with life-long friends Joyce Jodie Kim and Shirls Shuning.

It’s important to know that I’m not where I want to be, but I’ll probably never reach that goal. I’m always trying to get one more cool comic out, or some cute painting of a fairy finished in time for a show. But regardless, I’m really proud of my journey and my tenacity to keep going. I hope that people can see where I started and where I am now, and know that there’s always space for them. The world needs more artists, and it’s waiting for them to start.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m outing myself here as someone who loves low-key hangouts. I can never resist visiting the Beguiling (independent comics/graphic novel shop), Articulations (best art store!), the Revue (fantastic local cinema), Icha Tea (handcrafted bubble tea!) Snakes and Lattes (board game hangouts with friends) and Cafe 23 (great coffee and good vibes!).

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There were so many instrumental professors in my life who taught me the skills that I needed to succeed, but the ones that stood out in my years of school at OCAD University were Sloan Mitchell, Kevin Bae, Tavis Coburn, George Walker and Blair Drawson and Shannon Gerard. They came from very different practices – painting, bookbinding, printmaking, illustration – but they had something in common. They made me feel like the slog of school was worth it, that making art was important and that there’s always someone out there who will believe in your work.

I’d also love to shout out KAA, the Kensington Art Academy, a non-profit youth arts program in Toronto taught by the aforementioned Sloan Mitchell, and subsequently, my good friend Amelia Stea MacLaurin, I formed such a strong bond with the other artists there. We support each others work, go to each others shows, paint plein air together, offer advice and critique, and send each other opportunities when they arise. There are so many things I never would have been able to do without the community we built there.

And in my personal life, I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in without the support of my mom and family. As first and second generation immigrants from Portugal, they were so worried about how I’d make money and how I’d be able to make a career out of making art, but they were always the first to buy my work, to help me set up at art fairs, to help me through school and to encourage me when I was feeling overwhelmed. My mom in particular has always been my loudest cheerleader and my main pillar of support, and I couldn’t have gotten this far without her.

Website: https://julialouisepereira.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohlordyitsjulia/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julialouisepereira/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JuliaLouisePereira