Julian Castro isn’t just painting—he’s building a world. Known for his electric color palette and candid online presence, the Miami-based artist blends introspection, humor, and chaos into something undeniably magnetic. We sat down with Castro for an unfiltered conversation about guilty pleasures, art as therapy (or not), and why the best ideas come when you leave your phone behind.

PULP:
Let's start with what is your guilty pleasure?

JULIAN:
Guilty pleasure. Oh. Playing chess. Playing chess online. I probably do too much of that. Eating burgers. This is usually a food question, so definitely burgers is my latest guilty pleasure. If not mint ice cream, which is the best ice cream flavor.

And no, it does not taste like toothpaste.

PULP:
Be honest. What is the weirdest or funniest thing that's happened on a date recently?

JULIAN:
I don't know. All my dates are really smooth.

PULP:
Who would you rather have dinner with? Kiss. Throw a pie in the face.

JULIAN:
Have dinner with. That's easy. Probably. John Mayer, because of his breadth of creativity. And I would just love to talk to him about life, relationships, the creative process, everything. So, yeah, let's have that happen.

Who would I kiss? Obviously, my girlfriend.

Throw a pie in the face? I don't know. I'm not really that much of a violent person, but, yeah, I would say maybe some of the haters online when they, like, say, just like stupid stuff like, this is not art or this is thoughtless garbage, or you clearly don't know anything about color or art.

Like what? That's like actually a stupid comment and I don't, I like, try not to be mean, but some comments just don't make any sense. I don't know if I throw a pie in their face, but if I had to choose, I'd probably be them. Or actually my real answer for who I'd like to throw pie in the face is probably some of my best friends.

Like as a prank. We like to mess with each other. So. Yeah.

PULP:
Your color palette is such a signature part of your work. What does it say about where you're at right now, personally or emotionally? 

JULIAN:
Oh, that's interesting, because the last few years, a lot of my art has been, a little... So some pieces have been kind of moody.

And like, similar colors. A lot of blues, a lot of dark blue. I did a series of four pieces called The Search for answers, and they're very colorful. And I think recently this year I've where I'm at right now personally and emotionally have been little, a little more positive.

So maybe that's why I'm using more colors. But, you know, in the past, there's this like notion, romantic notion that artists like, use painting and use making art as a way to process their deep, dark emotions. I feel like I've never been able I've tried to paint like my deep, dark, negative emotions, but I've never been able to.

Whenever I start painting, I just it always uplifts me. And whatever I create always has like a positive feeling and positive vibe. So I think the colors that I work with, I'm always trying to create pieces that will make, that will influence the viewer to also feel positive and slow down and connect with themselves and with their art and the world around them.

PULP:
When you're chilling and watching a movie. What kind of genre do you go for?

JULIAN:
My go to I love heist movies. So, like The Italian Job, Ocean's 11. I also really like epic cinema. Lately, I've been going for the classics that are really works of art. Rewatching Lord of the rings.

I recently watched Godfather one. Gladiator one. Braveheart. Like the cinematic masterpieces. Because I also believe that if I'm watching a creative art masterpiece, kind of infusing the vibes of a masterpiece. And then it inspires me to go make my own masterpieces. So lately, those have been my go tos, less the junk food movies and more the artistic masterpieces.

PULP:
What kind of music gets you in the mood to create instantly? 

JULIAN:
It is the 2023 live Coachella set of Skrillex, Fred Again and Four Tet. It's about 90 minutes long. I play that thing on repeat. I've been doing it for the past year. I sometimes will sprinkle in another set that I did live in Times Square. The same three guys and yeah, dubstep.

Specifically that set like I know it front to back now and I just put it on in my studio and it's just like a party in here.

PULP:
When you're not painting, what's your version of unplugging? Like what actually helps you reset?

JULIAN:
Taking naps. Meditating at the beach, going to the beach and jumping in the water. Going to the gym.

Working out for me as a huge mind body soul reset. Going on walks in my neighborhood. Outside. Also a big reset. I've come to find out that a lot of people take their phones on their walk. I thought it was normal to not take your phone on a walk. And, that's a big part of the reset, is not having my phone.

Or recently, the other day, I was in the sauna at my gym. Also without my phone and this guy, I noticed everyone is always, like, on their phone in the sauna, and it was just me and this guy, and he, like, looks over up from his phone and he's like, you're just in here without your phone. And I'm like, yeah.

And he was just like... then we chatted. So unplugging to me literally means unplugging from technology, whether that's, like I said, meditation, going on walks, going to the gym. I think my mind needs time to, like, process everything that's going on. And when I'm not inputting stuff from screens, from my laptop, from my phone, then my mind can actually, like, unplug and reset.

So and then the ultimate, ultimate unplug reset is a good night's sleep. So undisputed goat of resets.

PULP:
What's something small that makes you unexpectedly happy every time?

JULIAN:
I have a collection of fountain pens and every morning I journal in and that just makes me so happy. The the nib of the fountain pen and the color of the ink that comes out wet, and then as it dries on the special fountain pen paper and it kind of changes color as it dries, and the sound of the metal nib gliding across the paper. All of that is just I love it and I journal. Sometimes I even just ramble and like will scribble just to keep watching the ink and the water and that flow and the color change and the shimmer and the sound.

So good.

PULP:
Got any advice for future artists? 

JULIAN:
That's a big question. We could be here for hours.

In a nutshell, make your art and share with the world. It depends on the goal. Like, if your goal is to make art, then make your art. If your goal is to share it and make money with it, that's a whole different ballgame.

The hardest part for me, for what I've seen other artists, is the sharing it part. Because your art is an extension of your soul, so when you're sharing it with the world, it's very scary and vulnerable to be like, hey, look at this representation of me and my heart and my soul. And then what's even scarier is trying to put a price tag on it and asking people to pay you for it.

It's very weird. But it's just the way it is. So I think the biggest, the most important thing is like doing the inner work, the internal work of building your self-confidence, overcoming your limiting beliefs, and just taking actions that prove to you that you're an artist. You make art and you're confident and comfortable enough sharing it with the world.

PULP:
Last one, what's something people totally assume about you? That's just not true.

JULIAN:
There's a couple things they assume... that I barely work because I don't have a job-job? And they assume that my life is just simple and easy.

And because my art is my life is my work. I feel like I'm working 24/7. Even when I'm resting at the beach. I'm still looking at the colors of the ocean and getting inspired and coming up with ideas of things to do. Or when I'm on my walks trying to unplug, I'm thinking about a copy that I can write an email or whatever. Yeah. I'm always working.

But I love what I do. So it's also like not working. I enjoy it.