Today we’d like to introduce you to Julia Arredondo.
Hi Julia, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Julia Arredondo and I’m an independent artist and the founder/host of QTVC Live! QTVC Live! is a DIY shopping channel that showcases underrepresented artists/makers/hustlers/creatives and the products WE make for sale on various media platforms. The show began as my graduate thesis project in January of 2020. I was attending Columbia College Chicago and wanted to create a project that could exist outside of the institution while uplifting marginalized creative voices simultaneously.
This is not my first small business endeavor, however. My background is in print media and I started both Vice Versa Press and Curandera Press as my entrepreneurial debuts with strong ties to zine and underground arts communities.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When COVID hit in March of 2020 – I was able to continue QTVC Live! safely without serious interruption. I feel like that experience not only solidified my confidence in QTVC Live! as a viable platform, it helped distribute funds and awareness to creatives who were featured on the show during that especially trying time. It feels good to be behind a project that is my creation while uplifting others in the process.
QTVC Live! just finished a six-episode buildout with moCa Cleveland and we are now collaborating with the Lunder Institute for American Art in Maine. The challenges we’re experiencing right now center around funding this project as a traveling entity while building a production team at each location. Promotion for the project is also a challenge, I am very much doing a whole lot of the labor for QTVC Live! on my own and I need some serious help in order to grow sustainably. It’s one thing to be art savvy, but to be both savvy in art and business is a completely new challenge – one that I’m constantly trying to master.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am an independent artist and I feel like I’m most known for my zines (Guide to Being Alone, Guide to Being Broke & Fabulous) and my design aesthetic, which is rooted in DIY culture and analogue processes. This design process is applied to all of the work that I do, even to the logo design of QTVC Live!
What I’ve noticed over time about my work is that I specialize in creative communication. From zines to posters, to communication graphics, and now to video media – communication is at the root of the many things that I do. I even work at a TV Station part-time! What sets QTVC Live! apart from other sales channels is that QTVC Live! believes that visibility of the creative “hustle” serves as a much-needed form of class and cultural representation in the arts. Femmes of color are prioritized on the show as, historically, this is the most underrepresented demographic in the art market to date. By sharing our stories and creative processes, QTVC Live! advocates for the value of creative labor as an irreplaceable asset.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
Consistency is key. I feel like I was at the brink of many successful ‘breakthroughs’ but pulled the plug on my projects too prematurely. I wish I would have given myself adequate breaks to pick up the pieces on past projects in order to keep them going. Self-care is so necessary with self-initiated projects, build in time, and room for rest and recuperation. Eat well, drink water and sleep in if you can. Ask for help when you need it and please don’t forget to pay yourself.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.qtvclive.com
- Instagram: @qtvclive
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qtvclive
- Other: https://www.juliaarredondo.com
Image Credits
TJ Walker
Julia Arredondo
QTVC Live!
Aram Han Sifuentes
