We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Julian Kennedy a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Julian, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?

Taking care of my physical health and fitness has a huge effect on my productivity and overall mood. Only eating Whole Foods, exercising daily, and getting proper sleep has helped me stay focused every day. Learning the discipline it takes to have a healthy and fit body also taught me how to stay disciplined with my career goals as an artist.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a visual artist from Austin, Texas. I am represented at Laura Rathe Fine Art in Austin and Houston, Texas as well as Kelsey Michaels Fine Art in Laguna Beach, California. My art has a central theme of the human figure. There is an elegance in the figure that I have always found fascinating since I was a kid. It all started with my comic book obsession when I was around 8 years old. The way all my favorite superheroes had these dramatic and powerful poses in every panel was always striking to me. The way that the illustrators were able to convey so much energy and emotion through the figure pulled me into an obsession with drawing the human figure. Over the years, I have always found myself coming back to the figure, so over the past 6 months, I have decided to completely lean into it. All my work is available on my website, juliansargentkennedy.com, if y’all are interested in viewing my work.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Skills that I found most useful in my career so far are learning a strong work ethic and allowing for creative freedom. I learned a lot of my work ethic from my mother. She has always been the most hard working and accomplished person I know. She taught me how to stay consistent and work efficiently. Most importantly she taught me to balance efficiency and productivity with creative expression. These two skills, when combined, are what make a successful artist. Learning this has enabled me to make a living as a visual artist at 21 years old, and I am super excited to see what the future holds.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?

My mother, being a visual artist herself, has helped me navigate these beginning stages of my art career. She has helped me avoid obstacles that I would have ran into if she wasn’t there. She has guided me through the wilderness of the art world and helped me build myself a launch pad for my career.