Meet Julia Hendrickson | Artist

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

Hi Julia, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Reading “Daily Rituals: How Artists Work” by Mason Currey liberated my thoughts on work schedules. He offers the daily habits of numerous artists. Each highly specific, distinct from the others. We are so enculturated in this 9-5 post-war schedule that is hard to consider what might actually be better for us. My schedule now prioritizes rest, as a mechanism of production, rather than a forced march thru the requisite hours. With this priority many people ask how I get so much completed. It is paradoxical, and has proven itself over time as the strategy that works for me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
If someone had told me at the start that relationships were important I would have said, “Oh yeah, I know. Treat people respectfully. Submit work on time. Etc.” Well yes, all of that is true, it does not contain the scope of how crucial relationships have been to my career. All of the opportunities I currently have as an artist are because someone has literally invited me to them. It is not explicit networking, but sustained committed relationships that have enabled other doors to open. My work inhabits a distinct niche of spirituality and practice, along with an unusual media (salt), necessitating some translation for those that are not as familiar with the intricacies of that particular space. This is part of why sustained relationships are so necessary. Those that know and understand the work can bridge with others in ways that I, as the creator of the work, cannot. I would also say, don’t be afraid to try something new, or be afraid and do it anyway. Be interested in observing and exploring. Remain open to possibilities.

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?
Primarily museums and bookstores:
Day 1: The Broad, Grand Central Market, The Last Bookstore

Day 2: The Getty Center and Point Dume Beach

Day 3: Griffith Observatory and Skylight Books and Homestate 

Day 4: Huntington Garden and Vroman’s Bookstore and El Dorado Pollos a la Brassa eaten in Lacy Park

Day 5: LA Cathedral, Paper Plant Co. and Norton Simon Museum with a stop at Ave 26 Tacos

Day 6: Getty Villa and Santa Monica Bike Path

Day 7: LACMA and Highland Park (Triple Beam, Shorthand, Crush & Touch)

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
A Shoutout in Two Parts: I first met Makoto Fujimura while doing a post-bac in New York City in 2004. At the time, he was already an established artist with a keen understanding of the need for culture care, and I was able to be his intern and learn more directly about a professional artist’s life. His books Culture Care: Reconnecting with Beauty for Our Common Life and Art + Faith: A Theology of Making in particular have significantly shaped my understanding of what it is to be an artist. I am now a Fujimura Fellow and on the IAM Culture Care board, and continue to be thankful for Fujimura’s shaping influence.
For a while, Fujimura maintained a west coast studio, and that is where I encountered Dr. Maria Fee. We were given space to co-work in that studio, and she daily encouraged me with reflections on my work and process. After weeks of telling me that my work could go, needed to go larger, she put a large roll of paper in my hands and said, “Use this!” That tangible gift changed the course of my work significantly. She has invited me into opportunity after opportunity and much of the work I do today is because of her. Dr. Fee models what it is to be an artist and a scholar. Her book Beauty is a Basic Service: Theology and Hospitality in the Work of Theaster Gates is a robust reflection on the role of art in culture. Highly recommend!

Website: https://www.juliahendrickson.com/

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

Image Credits
Atmospheric River #19, Rainwater and Watercolor on Paper, 22″x30″, 2024
Prayer Books, Meander Folded Zines, Watercolor and Salt on Paper, 22″x30″, 2024
Droplets, Watercolor and Salt on Paper, 22″x30″, 2024
Folding Prayer Books, 2024