Meet Juliet Johnson | Artist, Writer, Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Juliet Johnson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi juliet, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I think about this constantly. Balancing art, work, and life often feels a slippery and wriggling puppy always jumping out of my hands. As a multiply-disabled artist, my body often forces me to prioritize care (rest, bathing, eating, etc) in a way that has composed my life very differently than I once imagined. We often think of emerging artists as working full time (paid labor) to work full time (art practice), but if you’ve only got about half the energy to spend in a day, that’s not really an option. So some days I teach, and eat, and walk my dog. Other days I get to spend a few hours stitching towards the artworks I have planned. Over time I do get closer to a balance that is sustainable, but it’s slow and it’s non-linear and I often feel overwhelmed, baffled at how anyone gets anything done. Some periods are abundant and I can do so much: gardening and sculpting and swimming; sometimes I settle into the long winter and must focus on getting enough food, and rest, and rest.

This is reflected in my work, naturally. Over & over again I look at time, and the experiential, disorderly body, and this question of how to live— much of my current work looks to vegetal bodies, arboreal bodies, mycelial bodies, and bodily periphery: clothing, food. I also look to traditional practices and mythic bodies from my (European) ancestor’s folklore, elves and fae, whose lives and rhythms are out of step with much of humanity, as is mine. It is this queer and crippled identification, and a romanticism, likely, but a little romance/magic/wonder, whatever you like to call it, is integral to life (as is disability).

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Much of my artwork focuses on joys, some ordinary, some less so. I currently have two main bodies of work that are developing themselves slowly, in addition to the (literally) smaller practices. Styling Sick, an ongoing project started in 2020, is entirely invested in the mundane joys. Together, we catalogue the disabled experience of clothing, needs met & unmet, stains celebrated, tips shared, and devices, tools, and comforts as accessories. In October 2023 this work was included in Art in Odd Places, where I showed a series of collaborative, collaged fashion illustrations and held live versions of my virtual workshops encouraging creative play in dressing for rest. One of my favorites, a collaboration with Jessica Floeh, is a catsuit with mesh panels to allow access to common injection sites for diabetes management, which can involve lots of needles, and naturally, blood. The surprisingly lovely pattern on the catsuit was developed from an image Jessica took of an unfolded napkin she had used to staunch some bleeding after changing her insulin pump site. One day these works will be a fully-realized show, but as of now, I’m focusing on the other main body, called redcedar, which includes photographic documentation of performance rituals, textile craft, food as material, and writing that hovers between dream, folktale, essay.

On small practices; I do a lot of stitching and drawing in the slow time of my body, when I can. I make mixed-media works on paper, mend and darn and patch, mix scents & pour candles, stitch and sculpt and dry things to sell in craft markets. Temari Pomanders, quite dear to me, combine traditional craft from Japan and Northern Europe. They’re filled with cloves and textile waste & embroidered to resemble oranges. Encounter and meaning-making from/with citrus in the cold months is found in many places the world over. I’m drawn to the same natural wonders we all are (fruit! In winter!!) and the ways we’re connected by the human impulse to create beautiful & sacred ways to represent, celebrate, and nourish.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The first day of any good trip should be primarily resting and getting accustomed to the time zone and new location. A big sleep in, grocery shop, and cooking brunch – pancakes? frittata? full english? chorizo & eggs? – and an easy walk & talk at a nearby park. Grab boba tea, ideally at Half & Half, then go home to nap before picking up dinner. I live in Baldwin Park, which boasts a lot of great Mexican Food. Garduno’s Taco King has fabulous vegan options.

After this the days are more or less interchangeable, with at least two rest days in there, but here are some ideas:

When I’ve been away from LA for a while, I always want to go straight to Vermont Street in Los Feliz– to see Skylight Books Arts Annex and touch everything in Squaresville.

In summer I like to take folks from out of town to R.A.T. (Right After Torrance) Beach in Palos Verdes Peninsula– it’s SO far from me but it’s so beautiful, with cliffs and super-salty water, tons of bougainvillea and (invasive) iceplant with sticky purple flowers, and if the day is clear you can see up the coast. Lunch/Dinner should be a picnic with sandwiches and snacks from Olive’s Gourmet Grocer in Long Beach. Make a stop to pay homage at Watt’s Towers, even a quick daze up from behind the short wall is well worth the trip.

I’m dragging you with me to the Craft Contemporary on Wilshire, Salt & Straw on Larchmont (relatively) nearby, and Happy Family Restaurant in Monterey Park on the way home, for House “Chicken” (Mushrooms). Another day can hold The Museum of Jurassic Technology, and then Huntington Gardens or LA County Arboretum to discuss how it’s deeply anachronistic and perfect.

Highland Park: Bob Baker Marionette Theater, then Figueroa Street. Kitchen Mouse (absolute best place for anyone with dietary restrictions, they’re so kind and helpful.) Alebrije Mobile Store sometimes parks on weekends, selling handmade folk art and craft goods from Oaxaca. Wild & Tea, an apothecary & tea & gift shop– they have an online store but are no longer brick-and-morter. They have the absolute best teas I’ve ever tasted, everyone is so sweet, and hopefully one day they’ll be back IRL.

Also, Bub & Grandma’s Restaurant. Everything I’ve had there is the best of that thing I’ve ever had. I don’t even like key lime pie that much but I’d swear by theirs.

Anywhere in any of these days, if there’s leftover energy after these events, a trip to the nearest thrift store and/or art gallery is in order. Some enduring favorite galleries are Commonwealth & Council, Tierra Del Sol, Francois Ghebaly, and Tiger Strikes Asteroid.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
It is not an exaggeration to say that my community has stayed me. My partner makes space for me and my dog stays with me in the sickbed. My chosen family: Caryn Aasness, José Gutierrez, Coby Rae Crosbie, Darya Diamond, Wesley Hicks, Charlotte Heather, Sop, Eva Grello, Imogen Blue Hinojosa, and everyone else who has time for my madness & ache & all the extra love I’m always spilling.

There are also a couple mentor/friends as well, Moira Williams is the most incredible insightful artist & disablility cultural activist. Olga Koumoundouros is one of the first artists I met who looked very seriously at the body and its lovely ungainliness. She’s kind of my hero, even after knowing her many years. Katie Grinnan, Michael Parker, and Vishal Jugdeo have all reaffirmed that there is a place for me and other artists to make goopy, abstract, idiosyncratic, vulnerable art.

There are so many books that have changed my life, but I’ll use this space to recommend Crip Theory by Robert McRuer, a treasure of disability studies, and Magic: A History by Chris Gosden, an anthropological, global look at human history & our relationship to magic, and if you still haven’t read Braiding Sweetgrass by Kimmerer, go, run, to your nearest independent bookseller.

Website: https://julietjohnson.art/

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

Youtube: https://vimeo.com/user48606089

Image Credits
Personal Photo: McKenzie Stribich
Styling Sick Street Workshop Photo: Jonathan Bumble

All other photographs mine.