Starting a Muralist Business?

You Don't Have to Be a "Starving Artist"!

Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of a muralist business, at least in the beginning, is the irregularity and unpredictability of your work load.

Some months you may have so much work to do, you barely have enough time to eat. Other months, you may find yourself sitting by the phone waiting for a new project to fill your empty calendar.

Although work may be sporadic when first starting, there are ways to bring in income during the dry times. Following are a few of the ways that you can diversify your portfolio to make your new gig a full-time success:

• Commercial Window Painting
• Faux Finish Painting
• Handpainted Furniture
• Volunteer Your Talents

Commercial Window Painting

To grab the attention of potential customers, some shop owners employ artists to paint the window of their stores to lure in buyers. This is especially prevalent in strip malls, where a handpainted window can differentiate a storefront from neighboring vendors.

Because of its public exposure, this is also a great way for you, as an artist, to gain clients. Offer the store owner a discount in exchange for allowing you to display either your business cards on the store counter or a small sign with your contact information in the front window. Before you know it, your muralist business will be taking off!

Faux Finish Painting

As someone who paints wall murals, you probably are comfortable with the tools and techniques used for faux finishes and decorative painting. Faux finishing is very popular, and by offering this as an additional service, you will be able to generate revenue between mural jobs. Using a little marketing savvy, there is a good possibility that you may be able to talk some of your faux finish clients into becoming your mural clients as well.

Handpainted Furniture and Accents

While waiting for the phone to ring with your next project, grab your paints and paintbrushes and busy yourself customizing inexpensive, unfinished wood furniture and other accent pieces. You can then cart your newly painted pieces of art off to a local craft fair or flea market to generate additional income. Make sure you take along a photo album of your wall murals to display. You may even be able to pick up a client or two for your muralist business at these types of venues.

Volunteer Your Services

Although volunteering to paint a mural for a day care or in a nearby school gym may not directly put cash in your pocket, it is a great way to advertise your services.

Many times your efforts will pay off. After completing your project, don't be afraid to ask the school or daycare to put a little blurb about you and your work in their newsletter. Your hard work will pay off when you pick up the phone to hear a voice on the other end say, "I saw the mural you painted at my son's daycare, and I love it! Would you be interested in providing a quote for his playroom?"

Hopefully, this short list will help you think of other ways to diversify your muralist business until the jobs start coming in on a regular basis.