Me, in bullet points

I'm a former software engineer/product manager turned artist.

I was born in Colombia, but I've called Montréal my home for ten years now. Poutine is one of the greatest inventions ever.

After 20 years working in tech, I decided to leave it all behind and walk this very different path. That might have been brilliant or very, very dumb.

I'm finding my way through this new world by chasing my curiosity and creating the kind of art I'd like to have on my own walls. I'm betting if I make what I like, a) I'll have the drive to keep at it, and b)There's bound to be at least a dozen people out there who'll like it too.

I mainly draw and paint birds and animals. They are great to encapsulate the kind of ideas I want to put out in the world. Also, hands are really freaking hard to draw.

I'm building a sustainable business. I'm too old and too lazy for the hustle culture. I want to work at a rhythm that keeps me energized and healthy.

I want to make money with my art, but I don't need a Lamborghini. That's why I try to keep my prices reasonable; I even offer my mailing list peeps an eternal discount.

Did I mention that I have a mailing list? I suck at social media anyway, and I vastly prefer to have a conversation with my art family without the mediation of multi-billion companies trying to sell us shit and lifestyles we don't need. I'll still use them to some degree to reach more potential friends, but most of the important, pretty, and fun things I have to say and show will be in my emails. You can take a look at them and join the fun here.

I have a brain that goes in ten different directions at ten different speeds simultaneously. Some of my interests and hobbies beyond art are note-taking (Obsidian rules,) mechanical keyboards, self-hosting, alternative movie posters, scale models and gunpla, cryptids and mysteries, alternative history, old science fiction books, new science fiction books, comic books, Stoicism (the real one, not the Bro-icism kind), Legos and action figures and toys, camping and the outdoors, EDC, myths and mythical figures (old and new), music theory and how to cook rice perfectly. If any of this makes sense to you (or if it doesn't and you want to know more), just drop me a line at julian@julianrodriguez.art, and let's talk about it.

My favourite band is Tool. Picking a favourite song is an impossible task, but you can try Pneuma, Lateralus, Parabol/Parabola, 46&2. Pick one. Listen to it. Don't try to tap your feet to the rhythm unless you're a professional drummer or an octopus. Instead, feel it rattle your bones and your brain and your soul. Then, read the lyrics. Listen to it again. Maybe cry a little, in joy and fury and sadness and understanding. Send me an email with your thoughts. Welcome home.

English is my second language. I speak Spanish without thinking, English with an accent, and French with a lot of question marks.

I write better than I speak. In any language.

I always have the weirdest dreams. Let's go for a beer, and I might tell you.

I couldn't be here, writing this, without the help and support of my beautiful, amazing, curly-haired wife, Crespette herself. She firmly believes nothing is crazy if it leads to happiness, and I'm trying to learn that from her. I share a home and a life with her and our two equally fat but otherwise completely opposite cats, Leia and Lola: