JEAN JULLIEN JUXTAPOZ.COM (^) | 55
always used by the same mind to express ideas, but it can
be articulated in many different languages, using the same
alphabet. When I think of a chair character, for instance, I draw
it. It exists as such, and works. But then you think, "Why not
actually try to make it a chair?" So you reshuffle your "letters"
and use them to create a different word expressing the same
idea, like a translation. It's a very refreshing way of working
for me, trying to translate the same idea in different creative
languages: furniture, clothing, sculpture, illustration...
But it's also down to my very limited craft. In all honesty, I am
not a very skilled illustrator, and understanding that very early
on has always been a blessing. I am focusing on the ideas and
how to express and play with them, rather that trying to paint
the perfect picture. I'm not very good at making things look
beautiful, which is also why I look more at, again, Seinfeld or
Peep Show for inspiration, rather than the work of great artists.
Don't get me wrong—I love people who make beautiful things,
and I buy tons of art books, but this is not what I'm good at. I try
to make people laugh and react, to connect and play, and that
is facilitated by this lack of a "perfection seeking" burden.
When clients want to get the "Jean Jullien Style," is there
any moment where you present something different and
the client is like. "It's great! But that's not you..." How do
you deal with that? How do you break out of the mold
when you think it's time to move on?
That's something that social media is really great for.
I produce new things every day, as part of this sort of
creative workout that I do for myself, so people and clients
who would commission me see this production and the
spectrum of what I could potentially do. If I always do the
same thing, then, of course, people are going to assume
that's all I can do, and that's what they're going to ask me to
do. So, it's really up to me to show them what I can do!
I also think that a long career is made of many phases that
you identify as posterior, but that notion isn’t very clear at
the time. Some transitions are slow and discreet, and you
evolve out of the mold progressively, rather than break out
of it. Looking back at my earlier work, I think it looked very
different. It was all cut-out papers photographed in complex
sets, almost like theater design. And that was all clients
above
Modern Romance
2014
opposite
Lady Liberty
2012
tuis.
(Tuis.)
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