DUSA WOMEN | Julia Brenner

I grew up in a small southern town by the Azov Sea in Russia.

I currently live by the ocean in the south of Portugal.

I make a living from photography and handcrafting.

I am passionate about ceramics, painting, walking in nature.

My astrological sign is Leo.

Current Mantra: The Universe is abundant.

Briefly describe your childhood – the city you grew up in, hobbies?

My town was small and boring, and I left home when I was 16 🙂 But I had a happy childhood with a lot of friends, outside activities and also… Barbies! I loved to build homes and make clothes for them.

When did you first discover your creative or artistic spirit?

When I was a kid, I was drawing a lot of portraits of models and actresses. That was a perfect moment for my parents to take me to an art school, but I never went there. Despite this, I already had the idea in my mind that I will connect with design or arts in the future.

When I look at your work, I am immediately overcome with awe and admiration. You have a unique point of view for the simplicity of life. Was it always an important issue in your life? Or did you develop it in the last years?

Thank you. I think I developed it with time and now I see more than ever that life is not simple at all, but our vision for many things can stay simple if we want.

It is noticeable that you have a great love for handcrafted products and unique photography projects, these days, that everyone is used to have it all and immediately, how do you find yourself making these slow movements?

It is hard sometimes to do not run. I keep putting pressure on myself, but I think it is all about self-love. We need to finally understand that our worth does not depend on our productivity, and less destructive stress would only make our life healthier and happier. Unfortunately, society and parents put in our minds that we must be faster and stronger. But I believe, we just need to understand our own rhythms, cycles and respect our nature. If someone is naturally fast, it is great. If the other one, like me, is naturally slow, it’s also good!