Finding Voice, Community, and Confidence Through Art
Julian Ozers was just beginning his college journey at Oakton and finding his sense of footing when COVID‑19 arrived. The pandemic paused more than just classes; it froze the budding artistic community and creative energy he was drawn to. "One thing that I came to realize was how much of a sense of community I had while I was here at Oakton, mostly by the fact of losing it through the pandemic. It was kind of an eye opening moment of realizing how important it was to have an actual, physical space where you're working alongside other people doing interesting things." After the height of the pandemic Julian refocused his journey by re-enrolling at Oakton to pursue his passion.
A Creative Foundation, a Spark Ignited
Ever since childhood, Julian’s life revolved around the arts. With two artist parents and a home full of paintings, photos and stories, he grew up creatively curious. “It is honestly where I feel that I am actually living my most interesting life,” he says, describing how visual and written arts allow him to connect with others.
Today, Julian is pursuing his associate in fine arts, focusing on drawing, painting and photography. He also earned an AutoCAD certificate, “one of the best decisions I’ve made,” which has opened professional doors while fuelling his creative spirit.
“I consider myself first and foremost to be an artist,” he says. “Setting myself up with the AutoCAD certificate here is going to carry me on as I continue to pursue a stable career that pays all my bills, while leaving me with the time and energy to pursue my creative interests on the side; you know, kind of get the best of both worlds that way.”
Mentorship That Moves You
Julian credits much of his growth to the dedicated art faculty at Oakton. “Jeremi Bialowas has driven me to create some really incredible work,” he says, recounting playful yet challenging critiques. And then there’s Marc Palmieri: “One of the most fascinating people I’ve ever met,” who recognized Julian’s potential early and encouraged him to refine his artistic voice.
He’s also learned from Vesna Jovanovic’s life‑drawing class “absolutely wonderful” all of which he says “helped me figure out exactly what my next steps are going to be after I’m done here.”
Learning by Doing—Sometimes Failing
Julian also works as a darkroom lab aide, where he helps keep the photo lab running, keeping things organized and providing insights on things like exposure, composition and prints for his peers.
“One of the most important things to creative work is learning through trial and error. One of the main things that I have done here is fail, and screw up and make really dumb mistakes. But through every one of those mistakes that you make, you learn something new, and it makes you that much better every time. Because of that - and because of the fact that I'm working with other creatives - I'm getting to see different perspectives and different ways of tackling problems than I would have come up with, had I been totally on my own. This sharing of ideas and everything—it helps round everything out and brings everyone up together.”