I create art to help people embrace that life is messy and heal from trauma together and love ourselves more each day.
You decide who will appear in Artforum Magazine, take home $25,000, and display their work at The Art of Elysium's Salon!
Writing, acting, poetry, performance art and standup comedy.
Where do you find inspiration?I find inspiration through my own experiences and often transforming trauma into art. It's my first time talking openly about sexual abuse, grief, loss, and embracing that life is messy, but we need to love ourselves anyway. I couldn't keep up with the image of perfection, and my show is a vulnerable step to break through perfectionism. It’s my most vulnerable work that I’ve ever done and it’s about courage. That's why I wrote #Messy to be able to heal and help other people heal along the way.
What would you do with $25,000?I would invest it in my solo show #Messy that opened at the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2025 and talks about embracing that life is messy to have a theater run and promote it to tour all over the word. I'd also make it into broadcast quality with live cameras and live stream it to reach a wider audience and turn into a series. I'd love to create a podcast about embracing that life is messy and having other people share about their own messy experiences to help empower more people as well.
Vote for Julia Melim to become The People's Artist while supporting a great cause! Cast your free daily vote or make an even bigger impact when you vote by donation, supporting The Art of Elysium in their mission to use art as a catalyst to help people triumph over difficult life challenges.
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