Meet Julie Hamano | Owner of Ikigai with Julie

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

Hi Julie, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
As someone who runs their own business, it’s so important to understand your own capacity. It has taken me years to even come close to having a schedule that’s right for me. I’m currently shifting to a 4-3 work week, meaning four days on and three days off. I have found it keeps me from burning out quickly and also keeps the creative juices flowing.

Mondays are my potato work days. Emails, week planning, and I also allow myself to dress however I want, yay for blanket hoodies! Tuesdays and Wednesdays are my meeting days so I get a little more dressed up. Those are also the days I try and do most of my photo/video shoots since if I feel good about my appearance my content will reflect that. Thursdays are my editing days. I like to work in coffee shops and coworking spaces on editing days because I like people-watching as I work. Fridays are my flex days as of right now. If I need to tie something up that is leftover from the week I can take the time to do so or if I’m caught up, the weekend starts now! Having more set things to do on days really helps me stay on track and hold myself accountable to stay on top of my projects. On my off days, I really try and stay off my phone as much as possible and do things that I normally don’t have time for during the week. Since it’s summer, I have really been loving picnics from the back of the car with my partner and my dog, as well as. walking around new cities that we travel to.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I specialize in custom Lightroom preset packs and short-form media. I draw a lot of my inspiration from Japanese media and graphic design. I find it really fun to incorporate into an American palette because of the simple playfulness and clean colors. I started out my “career” if you will back in the glory days of Youtube. Yes, I was one of those kids, don’t look me up. I’ve definitely always had a passion for video and editing but really didn’t know how to make something for myself until Covid lockdown hit. My partner and I have owned our own business since college but never relied on it until we realized that for his health, we needed to be able to do remote work asap. This is when I really started taking on clients. Over the last three years I’ve worked with brands ranging from the beauty industry to the food and beverage industry. My favorite type of client is definitely within the coffee industry since I used to be a barista myself and love craft coffee. Bringing unique visuals and fresh takes to a brand is what I do best and I’m very grateful that there is such a market for social media branding that I get to call this my job.

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?
For a cute getaway, I would 100% recommend booking a night at Hotel Joaquin, this cute tucked-away hotel offers beachfront views and reset from the busyness of life. They not only have Le Labo toiletries but record players in every room. Such a vibe! Growing up with a surfer dad I have a ton of secret beach spots but most of the time when my friends visit I take them to one of the many beaches in Laguna, sorry you don’t get my favorite secret beach. I definitely have a mile-long list of coffee shops, some of my must-sees are Neat Coffee in Costa Mesa, Coffee Dose (Irvine and LA locations), Work in Progress in Costa Mesa, and Daydream Coffee just to name a few. Cream Pan bakery in Tustin is a must for their fresh pastries and their curry is the bomb! No trip to SoCal is complete without a good taco stop and Hole Mole is just that. I love their fish tacos and their beans and salsas are to die for. I’m a slice-of-life tour guide so if you’re visiting, I’m going to treat you to all my favorite local spots. I like to go hiking in Newport Ridge and stop for poke after at Bear Flag Fish Co. Pro tip, get a side of guac and chips you won’t be disappointed.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to thank my partner Nick for always believing in my many many many ideas. He has always encouraged me to go for it and I doubt I’d be where I am today without him.

I also want to thank my friends for putting up with my chaos and late night facetime calls when I get my next big idea. I woud not be as grounded and organized without them.

Website: https://ikigaiwithjulie.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliesan_/