Meet Julian Alicea | Graphic Designer & Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Julian Alicea and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Julian, what makes you happy? Why?
Life as a whole brings me true happiness. There is so much beauty in every day life that it almost forces me to appreciate every moment & find happiness lying within life itself.

Making good art that connects with my soul also makes me really happy but that comes from enjoying life hahahah.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Being that I grew up on Lil Wayne, who never failed to shout out & represent his hometown in almost every song he made (shout to Hollygrove), I have always been inspired by this mindset. I pride myself as an artist who showcases his love for his city, which is Miami, in everything I create. I find that as a bit of a differentiation factor as an artist because I find that most people don’t appreciate or adore their hometown as much as they should.

I find the main thing that has led to my success is just being as organic & authentic to myself as I possibly could be in all the work I create. I find that authenticity is imperative to create substantial art & connect with others.

Each step of my creative journey has not been easy whatsoever but anything worth it life never comes easy, so I’m happy & okay with the hardships at times. Plus, I find all aspects of life to be cyclical, so all the bad matches with the good & vice versa.

My next project, titled Test Of Time, is by far my favorite piece I’ve ever created & I can’t wait for people to lay their eyes on it. It’s a book & a mini-documentary series that highlights restaurants & bars in Miami that have survived for over 30 years. It’s my first project with my sponsor, Perrier, so it’s overall, incredibly exciting. Should be released at some point this year.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The second we start chatting after you land, I am opening my phone & booking us the earliest reservation at TAM TAM in Downtown, I think it’s such a beautiful experience for anyone wanting to learn where the current state of the Miami food scene stands. Then, of course, we are hitting Islas Canarias for a colada & a croqueta, if it’s too far, we are going just hit a Pinecrest Bakery since they’re everywhere in the city. After food & stuff is out of the way, we’re gonna stop by Dale Zine, Andrew & Lower East Coast to do a little shopping and to showcase sick brands doing cool stuff in the creative scene of Miami. After that, we can hit a happy hour or grab a couple of drinks at Over Under, Margot Wine Bar, or even Thorn to just end the night & chill. I’ve done this routine a handful of times for out-of-town friends & it never fails.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The first person that comes to mind is my older brother, Shawn.

As far as my memory serves me, my brother has always been my guiding light to seeing things from different perspectives. He’s never not supported anything I’ve done & has always been the greatest person to get honest & constructive feedback from since we were practically infants. Most of my favorite music & fashion styles were first introduced to me by my brother, so thanks to him, I have grown a larger appreciation and fondness for these mediums.

Being that he’s opened my eyes to many different points of view, I amount a lot of my ideation process to this man, I wouldn’t be the same artist without him & for that, I’m forever grateful to him.

I also would love to shoutout my beautiful mother who is the captain of the ship, my dad whose taught me to never give up & to work hard every single day, my step dad whose shown me how to look at everything in life from a positive perspective & lastly my lovely girlfriend, Maytte, who provides me with pure joy & smiles each & everyday, no matter the circumstances.

Website: https://Julianalicea.com

Instagram: @thebrainwave

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@testoftimemiami?si=XZDQJsJalmCni6tI

Other: @testoftimemiami on instagram

Image Credits
1. Photo of me holding Time Flies Calendars in front of Dale Zine — Shot by Ian Ritter
2. Photo of me in black shirt — shot by Rachel Miller
3. Photo of me holding watch in the living room — shot by Daniel Zulianni
4. Poloriod of me – Shot by Glisabeth