How Five Golden Brush Award Winners Turned Creative Risk Into Confidence

One artist joined the voting push with 26 votes while another submission had more than 300. Another almost skipped the application altogether. In this Golden Brush Awards roundtable, Eugene O’Neill, Sophie Groenstein, Julia Kenyon, Sydney Rae, and Sabah Bardhan unpack the decisions behind five winning pieces: painting a monumental portrait of Buddhist nun Jun Son while working until 2 a.m., layering exterior house paint to create a saturated hometown portrait, earning a client’s trust for bright orange-and-blue peacocks, experimenting on the wall to recreate coffee-watercolor texture, and wrestling with a human figure and one particularly stubborn set of hands inside a Denver restaurant. The recognition gave each artist fresh evidence that the risky idea, unfamiliar technique, or last-minute submission was worth following through.

Eugene O’Neill, Sophie Groenstein, Julia Kenyon, Sydney Rae, and Sabah Bardhan are the artists behind five winning projects from Zibra’s 2025 Golden Brush Awards. Their work spans large-scale community murals, portraiture, restaurant interiors, coffee-inspired realism, and a peacock-covered anniversary chest.

Connect with the 2025 Golden Brush Award winners:

Eugene O’Neill – Transformation of the Year

• IG
• Website

Sophie Groenstein – Color Crush

• IG
• Website

Julia Kenyon – Vision to Reality

• IG
• Website
• TikTok

Sydney Rae – Stroke of Genius

• IG
• Website
• Facebook
• My Mural Studio

Sabah Bardhan – Detail Devotion

• IG
• Website
• Facebook

Creative finds:

• The 2025 Golden Brush Awards
• Muralgarten
• Sunny Dayz Mural Festival
• My Mural Studio

A Quick Note from Zibra:

🚨 Zibra’s most-requested brush size drops July 30… The NEW 1/8-inch Detail Brush will be available in square, triangle, and round. Use code BANTER10 for 10% off when you shop the launch at enjoyzibra.com!

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Eugene rallied real-life community groups after seeing his 26 votes next to another entry’s 300-plus
• Why full creative freedom became its own challenge when Eugene chose to paint Buddhist nun and peace activist Jun Son
• How Sophie layered exterior house paint to give Tulsi its saturated color and velvety softness
• How sample swatches helped Sabah earn a client’s trust for a bold orange-and-blue peacock design
• Why Sydney spent extra time experimenting with coffee-inspired texture instead of falling back on her usual crisp lines
• How Julia used a human figure, difficult hands, flowing smoke, and white space to create movement inside a Denver restaurant
• How recognition helped Sophie advocate for bolder color, Julia pursue travel work, and Sydney seek more textured commercial murals

Welcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. 

Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.

Connect with Zibra: 

• Website
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook 
• YouTube
• Blog

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:00

I open it up, I see it, and literally my hand was like shaking.

SPEAKER_02 0:04

I think I screamed.

SPEAKER_04 0:06

I was like truly shocked.

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Someone had like 300 and something votes, and I had 26, and my heart freaking sank. And I was like, Do I give up now? Right? Did it did I already lose, or what do I do?

SPEAKER_03 0:19

I almost didn't apply. And it just goes to show you that you just have to put yourself out there because you never know what's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_04 0:26

Suddenly there'll be some plywood flying out from somewhere, or there'll be a veneer that's chipping from somewhere.

SPEAKER_01 0:33

She's a Japanese Buddhist nun. She would never allow me to do this if I asked permission.

SPEAKER_05 0:39

Welcome to Brush and Banter, podcast where creativity meets real life hustle.

SPEAKER_06 0:43

Brought to you by Zebra. We go beyond perfect brush strokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. I'm Bree Hansen, crafter at art, creative cheerleader, and president of Zebra.

SPEAKER_05 0:57

I'm Annie Bolding, muralist, designer, lover of all things that sparkle, and founder of It's a Disco Day Designs.

SPEAKER_06 1:03

And I'm Lauren Cooper, muralist, designer, creative mama, and founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio. We're here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. So grab your favorite zebra brush, pop in your headphones, and let the banter begin.

SPEAKER_07 1:27

Hey friends, and welcome back to Russian Banter. I'm Lauren and today's episode is a really special one because we're celebrating the 2025 Golden Brush Awards.

unknown 1:37

Woo!

SPEAKER_07 1:38

For anyone new here, uh the Golden Brush Awards are Zebra's way of spotlighting the artists, refinishers, mirrorists, the DIYers, and creative risk takers in our community who are truly inspiring work with paint. This year we saw so much talent across every category, old color choices, tiny details, huge transformations, and projects that felt so personal and full of heart. So today we're bringing a few of our Golden Brush award winners together for a roundtable conversation about what goes into creating standout work, the process, the risks, the doubt, the decisions, and the moments that make the piece feel award worthy. So before we dive in, I'd love for each of you here to introduce yourself, tell us what kind of work you create, and share which Golden Brush award category or project brought you here today.

SPEAKER_01 2:34

Wonderful. Well, thank you for having me. My name is Eugene O'Neill. I'm a muralist and art educator out of New York. I won Transformation of the Year. Let's get it. So I'm really grateful. I do a lot of large-scale murals, immersive narrative storytelling, uh, a lot based on wellness, but ultimately sharing stories from marginalized peoples, uh, areas that need to be highlighted and seen more, and making spaces feel a lot safer than they were before.

SPEAKER_07 3:06

Your work evokes such emotion, um, but as raw and deep as it gets, it always to me feels like this calming presence. And so I can't wait to hear more about how you have such like a full-bodied final product and all that goes into that because I just know that your mind and your heart and your whole soul is into each brush stroke. So I'm so excited for you to be here. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 3:33

Thank you for noticing that. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02 3:35

My name is Sophie Grohnstein, and I'm a professional muralist and illustrator based in Connecticut. I've been painting murals professionally for about four years now and doing editorial illustration on the side, but primarily just painting murals as a career. And I won the Color Crush category for the Zebra Brush Golden Awards. Thank you. And it's such an honor and to be recognized through this and to have my color that I use in my work to be represented as well. A lot of the things that I represent in my paintings and my murals are specifically portraiture, vibrancy, and femininity. And I'm currently on my studio right now, and something that I'm studying is femininity, womanhood, and doing it through color. So I feel like all of this is connected and definitely connected through the color crush category.

SPEAKER_07 4:30

So that's amazing. We're so glad to have you here.

SPEAKER_02 4:35

Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 4:36

Yeah, hi. My name is Julia Kenyon. Um, I am a muralist based in Bend, Oregon. I have been painting for about five years now, um, but my background is in graphic design. So that's kind of how I got into the design and art world. I had an opportunity to paint a mural for a business I was working with. And that was kind of end game. I was like, wait, I love this. I need to do this forever. Um, I love bringing color in life to you know, blank white walls in businesses, restaurants, Airbnbs. Um, really just trying to push myself creatively, grow kind of the style of art I do, being a graphic designer by trade. Um, I definitely have a unique approach and just inspired by the other muralists. So trying to grow in that aspect. I won the vision to reality category for my mural.

SPEAKER_07 5:35

It was awesome to see everything come together. And I love the movement and the flow and also the white space that you worked with within your art. I think that that's like an added level of intricacy and really shows your design background for sure within that of how you were able to fill the space, but not every spot has color and how that flows together. There's a lot of good movement there.

SPEAKER_08 6:00

Hi, um, my name is Sydney, and I'm the owner of Art Made by Sydney Ray, and I'm located in like Northern California area. Um, and the award that I won was for the Stroke of Genius Award, which was for a coffee shop um locally to me. And basically I just painted it with like all sorts of browns and coffee stain style. It's definitely like given me the confidence to go and try to get more restaurants and businesses who want a little bit more realism instead of the the schools and the crisp lines that I typically work on. Because my confidence there is pretty set, but finishing this one and getting recognition for this one has given me like confidence to try to get more jobs similarly to it.

SPEAKER_07 6:52

It's beautiful. I love that piece so much. I've seen coffee art before, and it yeah, you like literally did exactly that, and it's so like soft but enriching at the same moment. It's I can't wait to hear more about how you created it.

SPEAKER_04 7:11

Hi everybody, my name is Sabah, and I'm the founder of Just Restore, and I love painting with extremely bright, vibrant colors, very eclectic stuff. I can swing from just a plain color to like a multicolor thing. And I decided to apply for the Zebra Brush Awards in the detail devotion category because that's what I love doing. I do detailed artwork, and I thought that was the only way to go. This piece I actually painted for a client of mine who was celebrating her wedding anniversary. This was a gift to themselves, and I said, Because it's your anniversary, let's do something that would show some type of togetherness. And they're from India, so I thought, why not Peacocks? Because you know, it's the national bird of India, and it just kind of you know adds to the whole thing. I just love the combination of blue and orange, so this just fell into place. So, all in all, I think it was great composing this artwork. It had that level of detail in it. At the same time, it was the the thing, the lucky thing for me was that the chest of drawers was quite large, so I had enough space to kind of do that.

SPEAKER_07 8:24

It's so vibrant and I love it so much. The way that the orange and the blue complement each other and just have the peacocks really popping out at you. It's so visually just like tasty. Our first question is what did it mean to have your work recognized through the Golden Brush Awards?

SPEAKER_02 8:45

I think I screamed. I was like truly shocked. And even though it was one of those awards where you know, like your community comes out and votes for you, it was still such a surprise. And I truly was not expecting it. There was so much talent, and it's really hard to keep up that confidence when it's uh an award system like that. But um, I think deep down I knew that it was gonna be really exciting either way, what whatever happened. And uh it was it's such an honor. I mean, there were so many people that applied and um to even also as a muralist see who else is a muralist who applied for this and all around the country. It's really cool. So it was really neat, and like I was saying before, of having it be a part of the color crush category and really representing that's what I do in my work personally, um, really like honing in on color theory and vibrancy and colors that make me feel comfortable and also um I how I want those colors to feel for others as well. Um, it's something that I studied a lot uh my senior year of high school, and I feel like that's where I really started to appreciate murals and public art. And yeah, it's just such a full circle moment though, like to be able to say that I won something and at like a national recognition and level. And the the merge in apparel was very cool too. So I really appreciate all the brushes that Zebra also gave for us too. So I'm currently using them in my studio and and for like exterior murals as well. So very, very cool.

SPEAKER_01 10:28

For me, it was one, it was a it was a shock to be picked because you know I don't usually do contests, but my program partner, Jade, she always sends me things on Instagram. But getting picked out of so many submissions, it really makes you step back and appreciate your own flowers for a second. When I did the contest, I was on a mural site. So for the first like four days, I wasn't participating whatsoever. Finally, the next week got into it. It was like someone had like 300 and something votes, and I had 26, and my heart freaking sank. And I was like, Do I give up now? Right? Did it did I already lose, or what do I do? And um I had to regain my composure and put myself out to a few of my community groups.

SPEAKER_07 11:20

That's amazing. I feel like we as artists can all experience this moment, especially when we're doing client work, which I kind of want to touch back to know whether or not this was all client work or if any of these that were the winning pieces not. But um there's just this experience where we don't always get the reciprocation, right? Or if we do, it's a very fast transaction because a lot of what we do is transactional, as much heart as we put into it, and then you are moving on to the next thing because we always have things in motion. So to be able to like stop and celebrate a piece for a long period of time and connect to it even more on that end, I feel like is a unique experience.

SPEAKER_08 12:04

Um, it was really cool to be recognized. Um, Zebra is a company that I've you know followed and looked up to for so long. So it was cool to have the recognition from them and so many artists that follow them and um support them as well, see my work.

SPEAKER_07 12:21

So that was pretty cool. What about you, Saba? How did you feel when you came to realize that you were the winner?

SPEAKER_04 12:28

So I was actually, yes, scrolling, checking my emails, you know, just just on my phone. And then I I see this email and I'm like, wait, what is this about? With the congratulations, and I'm like, it can only mean one thing. I open it up, I see it, and literally my hand was like shaking. My hand doesn't shake often, but this I was like, whoa, it just meant everything because I've always maintained that zebra ever since I started my furniture restoration journey, I knew that zebra brushes are just top-notch, as I always say, the roll choice of brushes. So for me to be able to apply and then win in this in this product is just it was just the bestest feeling.

SPEAKER_07 13:16

Where were you, Julia, when this all went down?

SPEAKER_03 13:19

I remember getting the email that I was chosen in like the morning I was getting ready to go somewhere, and I definitely like screamed too. It was definitely a pinch me moment. Um, and it was just really funny looking back because I almost didn't apply, and it just goes to show you that you you just have to put yourself out there because you never know what's gonna happen. Um, so really glad looking back that I was like, you know what? I'm just gonna apply and see what happens, enter my work. And it was a piece I'm incredibly proud of, probably not that we have favorites, but maybe one of my favorite pieces. Um yeah, so really, really rewarding.

SPEAKER_07 13:57

Amazing. And when you think back to winning to your winning piece, what was one creative decision that really shaped the final result for you? How about you, Sophie?

SPEAKER_02 14:08

Yeah, I mean, I would say something that really shaped that piece, what that was selected as the color crush category, I would say it was the it was the color. And same thing with Julia. I also almost didn't apply. I almost missed the deadline too. And it was one of those things that I've just been seeing for like a couple years of it being put on. And I think this one, which the title of this piece was called Tulsi, and it was in collaboration with a restaurant in my hometown, and for it to be something so meaningful for my hometown and something that I really resonate with. It specifically being somewhere that I've lived my whole life and it being not only just like a client piece of work, but also we it was a very collaborative um mural. So it was really great to see my personal input and seeing uh what I love to do is portraiture. So portraiture, my town, and color. So I definitely think those three things combined uh truly made this piece shine.

SPEAKER_07 15:19

I love how soft the blending is in her face and also like the amount of layers. I'm just from an artistic perspective, wondering like how much evolution her face went through until you got to that final moment and like what is hiding underneath that tells that story. That's what I love about painting. It's like it's not just the top layer and it's everything underneath that is also necessarily so emotional, which maybe connects you to like that feminine side of your creativity and the flow of it rather than it being like harsh, it just is so soft and it looks like velvety almost the texture to it.

SPEAKER_02 16:00

Yeah, I think that's something that I really appreciate doing in my paintings. I think I I create so many layers as well, and it's so unintentional. It's just one of those things that I feel like I have to get towards. Like I just have to keep layering until the color is as vibrant as possible. I use exterior house paint, so maybe it's uh the kind of paint that I use that makes it so vibrant, and the like saturation um that I use through bare paint. Um, but yeah, I would say the portrait really was, I think, the the number one thing that made that piece pop. And the my hometown is Windsor in Connecticut. And I feel like there's so much diversity there. So I wanted to make sure that everyone saw themselves in that piece specifically. And maybe it was just a broad representation of a woman that could be like a motherly figure or a sister, um, or just a very welcoming, nurturing figure that a lot of people might see in Windsor. And something that I also found out, too, was the superintendent of Windsor for all the public schools there, saw that. And she recently just became the superintendent. And when she saw this piece, she actually started crying because it looks like her and it the representation was there, and the fact that she had almost like a hijab like uh head covering or like a scarf, which I thought was really important. So I think even just that aspect of a very diverse portrait in that piece truly made that piece come to life. I love that.

SPEAKER_00 17:44

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SPEAKER_07 18:04

Eugene, I know I'm skipping to the next question a little bit, but it reminds me of like the scale of yours. So kind of mixing two questions that I have coming up. What was one creative decision that really shaped that final result? But can you also kind of go into like the risks that you were taking creatively in terms of scale and how you brought it to life?

SPEAKER_01 18:27

Yeah, absolutely. Creatively, it was a rare opportunity where the art organization that uh commissioned me, shout out to Mural Garden, um, they gave me full creative freedom. So I think that was actually the creative risk was the fact that I had complete freedom. They really pride themselves on giving the artist full autonomy in sharing their vision. They don't want to manipulate it in any way. So at the time, I was doing a series of this woman, Jun San. Uh, she runs the peace pagoda in my area. There's three peace pagodas in the US. She's a world icon. She is one of those people that promotes peace, um, indigenous sovereignty, and she's constantly uh anti-war, anti-racism. She's doing these big movements, and she is a mentor to me and so many people in my community. So to be able to surprise her with such a piece, because she's a Japanese Buddhist nun, she would never allow me to do this if I asked permission. So you asked forgiveness. And uh, I just wanted to surprise her with something so grand because I think uh just like to Sophie's aspect, it's like you want to create representation and diverse representation. The area that it was in is very Adirondack, and all the murals there are very Adirondack themed. So to create something that wasn't it is religious based, it's you know, it's Buddhism, but it's more cultural spiritual in that regard, it was a huge insurgence of something that was exposure therapy for so many people in that community, and it created interest, it created intrigue, and that was the whole point was to raise awareness. So it worked. You know, we have um these events yearly to celebrate Buddha's birthday, and people that saw that mural or saw her go see herself at the mural actually came to the event. So it did what it was supposed to do. The biggest risks are always weather, right? You're outside and there's a huge time frame as to when and how you can work. Luckily, I had this really great headlamp from Home Depot, and I am a night owl, so I was working until like 2 a.m. No one had a problem with the lift being on that late, and that was definitely a big push. I think one of the biggest risks of working that scale is you never know how easily it's gonna be to translate it to the wall. So is your projector gonna work? Is the lighting right? We actually had to use the lift and go tape up a whole light that was like casting onto the building, or I wouldn't have been able to see anything, and I would have had to use the doodle grid or something of that nature, and it would have taken days to just put the complexity of that image up onto the wall. And then I wanted to make sure that there was this little building on top where there was an elevator shaft, and I wanted to find a creative way to connect it to the rectangle of the mural. So I built this lotus flower breaking through the ceiling. That's the creative aspect of her work is that the chant is namu myoho renge kyo, and that means uh glory and devotion to the Lotus Sutra. So it is the greeting, it is the goodbye, it is the prayer, and it's It's everything to connect us to all living and non-living things. And then to also um metaphorically and literally break through the ceiling of your own doubts or beliefs or limitations to then grow that lotus flower and have it shine. So to make it look like they were actually connected was uh a big win for me.

SPEAKER_07 22:23

It is so emotional to hear the words that you are saying and using, which by the way, you're so eloquent. I love all of your vocabulary, but it's it's such a unique experience because I have only seen your work, but the way that you speak into it, it just so makes sense and it's a part of that full puzzle. And it just feels really special to be able to hear the behind the scenes of your experience, how thoughtful you were, and to know that. Well, I'm assuming, did you get to see her experience, the art?

SPEAKER_01 22:59

The day she was doing it, I was on another mural site. But what's beautiful is um a local youth-led uh media company has been uh creating a huge documentary on her. So I got to see video, they sent me video, and it's beautiful to experience it with her later in her home and talk to her about my process and tell she, you know, because she's hearing it from people all around the world. Like people in Japan are like Jun San, you're on a mural. What is this? You know, and so she eventually was like, Why you do that? And it uh so it was nice to share that moment with her. I think what brings it to life is that not only is it an embodiment of the prayer, but I was literally chanting the prayer as I was painting. You know, wellness is the forefront of everything that I do. Murals just happen to be the lens at which they are shown to people. I was listening to like 852 hertz while I painted. So that was attracting people like Moth to a Flame. They were like, what is this piece?

SPEAKER_07 24:09

Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing all of that with us. It feels so special to hear. And go ahead, Saba.

SPEAKER_04 24:15

Um, I think it was definitely the contrast because it's not always that a contrast works. Uh, it's not always that it's pleasing to the eye. You know, sometimes your clients have this notion in their head, yes, I want these bold colors, but when they actually see it, maybe they're like, whoa, this is too much. Because I'm the one who's painting it, but they're the one who's who's living with it. So I I I had to kind of talk her through, show her sample swatches. This is how it's going to be, this is how the contrast is gonna look. So that was a bit just just the fact that will she accept it, will she like it? But but she loved it, so it's all good.

SPEAKER_07 24:59

It's so beautiful. Sydney, I feel like you often work in bulge colors, especially whether it's a creative decision of your own or for your clients. When you were working with the coffee shop, what were some of those creative decisions that you were making with using all of the browns and like you said, making it have that appeal and texture of coffee? Was that a challenge within itself? And do you feel like the final result was intended?

SPEAKER_08 25:27

Yeah, so I actually gave them a few different mock-ups, and I'm I typically work with schools, so it's you know, bright colors and crisp lines and all of that. But I decided to send that over to them and I was like, this is my favorite mock-up. Like, I really hope they pick it. Um, because I really wanted to try that style. And so I was super happy that they loved that design the best and went with that. And, you know, I looked up all the Instagrams of like people painting watercolor with coffee, just try to replicate that style. And I think it turned out really well. So just happy with it.

SPEAKER_07 26:06

Was it one of those projects where like you knew how you were going to achieve it, or you kind of were like, let's like all experiment once I get on the wall?

SPEAKER_08 26:16

I had no idea what I was doing, but once I got there, I just experimented, like you said, and I had I probably spent a lot more time than I normally would just because I was not super confident in that style and technique because I it was my first time doing it, but um I just wanted it to be perfect, so I spent super long on it, but it turned out good.

SPEAKER_07 26:42

It's so beautiful, it really is breathtaking. I remember seeing you post it because I've been following you for some time now, and just feeling like it was so shocking how like detailed and textured and just from an artistic perspective, I was like, oh, I know that a lot of like a lot went into that, not just the beauty of the the artistry, but also like the thinking behind it all. Julia, when we're talking about your work, because I personally know your work, I feel like I see so much of you in it, but you also were creating for a client. Can you walk us through some of those creative risks that you went through, your experience of getting to the finished project, and maybe even anything else that you want to highlight on your experience and how it relates to the category as well?

SPEAKER_03 27:32

Yeah, totally. Um, so this project was for a client based out of Denver, and I'm in Oregon, so I did have to travel for that, which was just kind of a dream come true because that has always been a goal of mine to travel and paint around the US and eventually the world. So that feels like the first kind of stepping stone for me. Um, and yeah, it was for a client opening a hand-pulled noodle restaurant. She is a Chinese immigrant and is really passionate about the cuisine, wanted to bring it to Denver. So she came with to me with um a pretty strong vision of what she wanted, but we did get to explore it initially. We were thinking panda imagery or something like that, um, but landed on this woman. And that alone was a big creative risk for me because if you look at my work, I don't paint people. It felt really scary. Um that is just not my thing. But so I found a way to do it in a style that felt true to me and true to what I am confident I can bring to life in a painting. Um yeah, and the hands alone. I know if anyone has tried to draw or paint hands, like you know the struggle takes forever to refine. So that was a huge creative risk. Um, and definitely like I kept painting it, left it towards to the last day, of course. Like I kept painting it, walking back, I'm like, that looks weird. Like I'm looking at my hand, looking at references. Um, so that was kind of a it seems silly and small, but that was a big thing for me. Um, and then yeah, I also incorporated this kind of like smoke that flows around the mural, which I think was a cool way to just like engage the space and create more movement. Um and I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to translate that from my sketch to the wall, just like paint color-wise. Um, so that was a whole problem solving issue, kind of as muralists know, you have to do a lot of problem solving on the job. And yeah, so really happy with how that turned out.

SPEAKER_07 29:45

Yeah, it's so beautiful. I think that there's an interesting um juxtaposition of like an internal mural because it is internal, correct? Yes, it is the internal mural versus the external mural, where externally you're moving through the mural for the most part as it stays stagnant. Whereas like internally in a space, I feel the mural stays stagnant. And so creating all of that movement and motion kind of evokes a little bit more. So I think that that was really cool what you did because there's a new experience that someone can come who maybe is a regular, but then feels the different waves and the emotion through it. So I think you uh you uh created a lot of layers with it while trying something new, which is also really scary to do. And I also uh love that there's this undertone that all three of these pieces have, which is just like intense, beautiful, feminine energy and important stories to tell, which is such a gift as artists for us to be able to channel other people's stories um and share it within our own perspective and vision, but then also like how other people perceive it. It's just a really cool experience. Um, Sophie, what about when uh you uh won this award? Did it create more confidence in you or any type of shift um since then? And how have you moved through your work after?

SPEAKER_02 31:12

Yeah, I would definitely say there's been an influx in confidence since the award. Uh I feel like because of submitting my art, because of making that push, because of the similar challenges to what Eugene and Julia were even facing as well. I feel like after every project that I do, I just continuously keep growing as a muralist and as an artist as well. I feel like I have just grown to push myself and push myself in ways in the mural community that are just, it's it's just bringing me to like further goals of mine, which is quite amazing. I would say since that, so probably like a couple months ago of hearing back from Zebra, I've been a part of like two mural festivals. I've traveled for work as well. I just came back from Oklahoma through Sunny Days Mural Festival. Oh, I've been following that one. They're great. I'm a part of the Sunny Days uh family now, and it's really beautiful. And it's again just really cool to see how many muralists are really out there and let alone in the country, and there's so many all around the world. So I've I've grown to learn more about myself and my art and my practice. And I feel like since this was not only just a client-based project and it was a very deep collaboration between the client and I, and I finally had this spark of uh almost like individuality in a client-based piece. Um, it was able to allow me to like tell clients that this is what this is what I think should be seen in a mural or how we should represent community and kind of like stand up for myself a little bit better as a muralist with these clients, and also helping me to, you know, let them know like what might be best and who should be represented and how it should be done. And especially through color, I feel like a lot of people are really scared to do that. And I'm just looking at Eugene's background, like it's so beautiful and vibrant, and I think we need more of that. And I think the piece that I did for my hometown, uh Tulsi, I was a little nervous because of how it would be portrayed in my town. I I guess Windsor is the first town or it is considered the first town of Connecticut, uh, circa I think like 1635 or something. So they're usually like in feud with another uh Connecticut town. Um, so I wanted it to be historic. I wanted it to be the right representation. And I think since then I've also gained more confidence on knowing, just as I said before, knowing how to represent a community.

SPEAKER_07 34:13

Saba, when you start a new project, what part of your process do you trust the most? And what part feels unpredictable?

SPEAKER_04 34:21

So I think the prep work for me is the unpredictable bit. Because the minute you start, suddenly there'll be some plywood flying out from somewhere, or there'll be a veneer that's chipping from somewhere. When you're trying to prime, there'll be a stain showing up from somewhere. So that for me is very unpredictable till it's all ready and primed. There are so many curved walls, like the drawer won't fit, or the drawer won't come out, and so all of that. But for me, the one part that is sure short, fun and fabulous is when I start with the artwork. That's where I know this is my bit, this is what I'm gonna do, and for me, that's that's that's my safe spot.

SPEAKER_07 35:04

What would you say to an artist who feels nervous to submit their work or put themselves out there?

SPEAKER_04 35:10

Just do it. There's really no question about that. There are chances you don't get accepted, but then there are also 50% chances that you do get accepted or you win. Just there's there's no harm, there's no pressure, just do it for yourself, put yourself out there, submit it. You don't have to, you know, beat your chest out on social media if you feel uh nervous to do that, but just a quick little slip of the entry in a competition is is all it takes sometimes.

SPEAKER_07 35:43

What about you, Sydney? What would you say to an artist who feels nervous to submit their work or put themselves out there?

SPEAKER_08 35:49

Just like Saba said, just do it and you never know what will happen. And whether it's for a contest like this to submit your work, like you never know who's gonna vote for your work or something, or if it's for like a job, you never know who's gonna say yes and hire you and be that first person. So you just gotta shoot your shot, I guess.

SPEAKER_07 36:10

Yeah, I feel like there really is a an abundance of c self-confidence needed in this field, like being an artist in general. My experience personally has been that the moment that I believe in myself and maybe sometimes not so quietly put it out there that uh I am capable of doing it, even if it might be like you Sydney, like the first time that I'm trying it. The confidence that it takes to submit your work and show up and just then try I feel is really um an important piece of the puzzle. And you know, a lot of the times we are maybe playing a little bit of that like trial and error, like you were saying, Saba, like at the end your art could be finished, but then you're having some type of technical uh, you know, difficulty with closing the drawers or whatever it is. But I think uh confidence is usually brought on by you actually proving that you're willing to try and show up. And um I just love the grit that's behind the artistry because obviously there's always such a beautiful product, but we know the blood, sweat, tears that you know can oftentimes go into it. And so like I just I love seeing that full vision of an artist, like knowing how much muscle it went uh you you know, you might go through mentally and physically to get to where you're trying to go. Thank you so much for being here for sharing your work, your process, and the heart behind what you create. Conversations like this are such a good reminder that standout work doesn't come from perfection, it comes from creativity, courage, and showing up for the process. Before we wrap, I'd love to hear each one of you share with our listeners where we can find you, follow your work, and maybe even slide into your DMs.

SPEAKER_03 38:13

You can find me at um Instagram and TikTok both at Julia Kenyon, just my full name. It's mainly my work, but a little bit of personal life mixed in there as well. Um, and my website in my business is juliakeny.com.

SPEAKER_02 38:26

You can find me at Sophie G. Uh, that's my just art name. But then also my Instagram handle is S Growinart, G-R-O-E-N Art. And I also have a website. You can find all my editorial illustration there and murals there at Sophie Growenstein.com.

SPEAKER_01 38:45

Yeah, you can find me at made in truthinc, uh, madeintrutinc.com. Uh that's me on Instagram. I don't always post, but best believe I am present. And yeah, it's, you know, if you got a school, you got a community, I'm there. I wanna I wanna bring some joy.

SPEAKER_08 39:07

So you can find me on Instagram and Facebook. Um, my handle is at Artmade by Sydney Ray. Um, and then I don't know if I'm a lodge chair, but I also just started a new account called My Mural Studio, and it's gonna be a platform for mural artists. So if you want to follow me on both of those and connect, I'd love to meet you with you all.

SPEAKER_07 39:29

Awesome. Yeah, I can't wait to hear more about what you're creating there.

SPEAKER_04 39:33

Okay, you can find me on Instagram at just restore, same on Facebook at just restore, and my website is www.just-restore.com.

SPEAKER_07 39:47

Amazing. Thank you guys so much for your time and your energy and your work. We will definitely make sure that everything is linked. And to everyone who is listening, keep sharing your projects with us at zebra painting. We love to see what this community is creating, and we'll be back soon with more brush and banter. Until then, keep creating, keep celebrating the messy middle, and don't cry over the spilled paint. Thanks you guys so much for being here.

SPEAKER_05 40:16

Thank you for listening to the Brush and Banter Podcast, brought to you by Zebra. We're so grateful you're a part of the creative community. Gearing up for your next project? Head to enjoyZebra.com to grab your new favorite brushes, designed for comfort, precision, and serious creative flow. Be sure to follow Zebra Painting on Instagram for painting tips, artist features, and more. If you enjoyed our banter, subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts, and don't forget to leave a five star rating and review. Now, go make something beautiful. We'll be here when you need a little banter.