Extra Paint - The @Muralists Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

You have to work for your art. Odd jobs help a lot of people out along the way. If this has also been your experience of becoming an artist, that is okay.

Include your followers in the products you make because they are the ones who will buy the finished product. Create the art that makes you happy and at the same time remember who will buy your art. Utilize polls to get the best information if you need input!

Try not to simply follow the trends. Instead you can try to adapt or learn from a trend to your own style and audience.

First impressions are important. You can control the experience your customers have, if you run your own shop. Caring about the little details shows your customers you care about them. When you send something from an independent creator, your customer should feel like they are receiving a gift.

There is more than one way to stand up for what you believe in. Your skillset might lend itself well to making posters to help spread the message, while other people’s talents might be in organising or communicating. Standing up for what you believe in doesn’t just mean talking. Consider how you can use your art to show what you are passionate about and to help to make the world a better place.

Get social

Check out Steffi's shop

Follow Steffi on Instagram @haveanicedayy_

1. As an artist, consider the implications of the art you create. Make your art meaningful and intentional. As designers, artists, human beings - have a point of view. Share your point of view on what is happening around you through your work.
2. Products solve problems. Adam sees murals in this way. Murals are a way to start a conversation and get closer to solving a problem.
3. A lot of things aren’t comfortable to talk about but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t talk about them. You might not feel comfortable painting or sharing a political mural but if the work is important to you, you will find a way to do it despite your discomfort.
4. On NFT - Anything that can give artists more agency is a good thing. For years people didn’t encourage their children to become artists because artists don’t have control of their work, they are at the mercy of the market and the buyer. NFT has the potential to give artists more control over how their work is sold and the price paid by the buyer. On the flip side, the possible environmental impact cannot be ignored.

Instagram: @adamfu 

Website: https://www.adamkfujita.com

1. Put yourself and your "weirdness" into your work. What makes you different will set you apart.
2. Exploring in your process is a great way of finding the techniques that best suits your practice.
3. It will take time to get used to a new medium, keep practicing and eventually you will hit a breakthrough that will be worth it.
4. Be authentic and real in your artwork. This is key in making some of your best work, as people will truly recognize that you put your best and full self in the work.

1. Studying in the States can be very expensive. Consider other options, living abroad (like Emily did!) might be a fun adventure which also works out to be more affordable.
2. Figure out what is important to you, what your personal values are and how your art can help to promote this message. This will help to connect you to like-minded artists and people who might like to support your work.
3. Ask other artists to share their pricing with you. The worst they can say is ‘no’ or ‘I can’t share that information with you’.
4. You will make mistakes, you will undercharge but you will learn as you go. Have the confidence in your business to say no to projects that are not the right fit. Believe that more work will come down the line.
5. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Don’t shy away from taking on projects that you are interested in but are outside your lane or the parameters of the work you’ve done before.

Stay Social

Follow Emily on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/emily_eldridge_art/

Check out Emily's website

Join the @muralists community on Instagram

Sign up for our newsletter here

1. Don’t follow trends by creating what you think is popular right now. Make things that are uniquely yours. Remember that it is your experience that you are putting on the paper. The end product will look different for every artist and each viewer of your artwork will take something different from it.

2. Once you paint a mural outside, people will tell you what they like and what they don’t like about it. The street is a place, just like a room. The people who see your mural travel through this place every day and people want to see something they can understand and relate to.

3. Have you noticed something in your community that you want to change or improve? Artists have the power to represent whatever ideas they might come up with through their art. Use your skills and talent to create art that will inspire change.

4. Focus on your personal projects. These are the ones where you get to develop your own ideas and have the most fun, and they often lead to client work in a similar style.

• Richard Haas was a printmaker and painter for many years before designing his first mural. Don’t be afraid to try something new, even if you have found success in your field. You never know where a new project that is outside your comfort zone might lead you.
• Walk through the city with your eyes open. Notice the buildings, streets and people around you. You have the opportunity to discover something new every time, if you just look.
• Consider the building you are painting, it is your canvas. What is the history behind this building? It has its own story that it would tell if it could. How can you incorporate this history into your design?
• Find the best wall you can and give it your best shot. 
• Challenges are second nature to the mural process and you’re going to run into obstacles along the way that you could never imagine.
• The project itself is important, as is the design. Listen to your client but don't lose your creative expression trying to produce what they envision. You are the artist after all.

1. Look at the work that has been done by other muralists in your city or area. What is different and similar in your work? What would make a client want to work with you? Think about what you like to make and what art is missing, the overlap is where you will find your niche.
2. You don’t have to take the traditional path if you’re interested in a specific niche. In this episode Eric speaks about the traditional route for working in skate board merch design and how he has forged his own path to bring together his art and his hobby.
3. Cultivate community in your area, whether it be IRL or online. Lift up others by commenting, liking and sharing their work.

Stay Social

Join the @muralists community on Instagram

Sign up for our newsletter here

1. Does your art have a mission? Use your art to shed light on unknown or little known historical figures. Painting the history of a person or place in a prominent spot can begin a conversation about something important that might otherwise be forgotten.
2. Murals are a powerful medium that can inspire people and promote change. Think about what you can do with the skills and talent that you have. Your murals can inspire people long after the project has been completed.
3. Is there enough work to go around for everyone? Don’t allow a scarcity mindset to over take your motivation to paint. Every room has at least four walls.
4. Allow your interests to inspire your murals. Bicycles, sport, water, ocean conservation - the more random the better. Where commercial murals might have a brief to fill, educational and informative murals communicate just one message.

Stay Social

Follow Celeste on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/celestialterrestrial

Follow Jonny on Instragram https://www.instagram.com/jonnypucci/

Join the @muralists community on Instagram

Sign up for our newsletter here

1. As an artist, there are some lessons that are harder and take a longer time to learn. Sharing your artwork without fear or anxiety about how it will be received takes practice and patience. But it will be worth it in the end.
2. There are lots of great ways to sell you art, and it is all about figuring out what is best for you and your practice. For instance, a print-on-demand frees up physical space in your home or studio and also allows people to choose an affordable print of your work that fits best in their home.
3. Start your day with a plan but allow yourself the flexibility to flip the schedule if you feel inspired to create. For some artists the morning is their most creative time, for others inspiration strikes later in the day. Figure out what works best for you.
4. Commit to clear and concise communication with your clients. This can really help to minimize problems and helps them to understand your point of view around pricing if there are changes or more iterations than initially agreed. Know your worth.
5. Cultivate a style with meaning that feels genuine to your beliefs. If you are creating art you feel good about and put in the time, opportunities will come your way.

Stay Social

Follow Amber on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/amber_vittoria/

Join the @muralists community on Instagram

Sign up for our newsletter here

1. Create a work space you are happy to spend time in. The ethos in our team is that if you’re going to spend 12 hours a day somewhere, it might as well look nice and be a space you enjoy spending time in. This is a sentiment that can apply to any office or work space or even your home.  

2. Be willing to share your ideas and collaborate. The success of the team at WeWork comes from people being willing to share their ideas and collaborate. Often they get to see their artwork come to life in another city, created by another artist in their own style because they were open to sharing their ideas in the first place.    

3. Celebrate the small wins. Don’t allow progression in your career to overshadow the opportunities to celebrate the small wins along the way. Five years ago you would have been overjoyed to achieve what you achieve today.

4. When people look at murals they want to be blown away, thinking ‘Wow! How did the artist do that?  

5. If you want to create large scale work - create it on your own first. Don't wait for someone to ask you to do it. If that is the kind of work you are trying to attract, you need to show you can do it.  

STAY IN TOUCH

Follow Joe on Instagram -   https://www.instagram.com/joe_geis/.  

Check out Joe's website -   http://www.joegeis.studio/.  

Follow Jeremiah on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/itsjeremiahb/

Have a look at Jeremiah's work online -  http://www.jeremiahbritton.com/.  

Join the @muralists community on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/muralists/.  

Follow @efdot on Instagram - instagram.com/efdot.  

Sign up for our newsletter here -   https://muralists.co/.