Painting large scale artwork with confidence
Earlier this month St. Clement Creative were asked to contribute a media wall to The League of Extraordinary Women’s conference ‘Run the world.’ The 2.8m x 3.2m high artwork was larger than we anticipated but it was one of those; say yes now and figure it out later, situations.
We were thrilled to mix it up from balloon arches and flower walls with this large paper roll installation. Chelsea (Cash Full Stop) the MC and ambassador from Brisbane contributed this large roll and the brief was ‘Go crazy.’ Dream brief right!?
From here we made three key goals:
It had to include the words ‘Who run the world?’ on it because hey, Beyonce and it was the name of the event.
It had to bring a bang on the backgrounds of all Instagram feeds.
It had to set the energy and tone for the day; positive, empowering and feminine.
Our creative process went a little like this…
Designed a mockup in Illustrator
Headed to our local paint shop Crush City to pick up a few spray cans. On the way out encouraged by a local writer saying ‘Hope to see your work out there’ assuming we were going to hit the streets with our pastel palette.
Invited fellow painter and general legend Cherie over to help tackle the large format artwork
Cut out the shapes out of cardboard making a series of stencils
Laid the paper roll out and started spraying! Mostly ignoring the mockup and just balancing the colours on the canvas.
Lastly we added a few hand painted lines to the piece to add another dimension and the text ‘Who run the world?’
Stencils needed for the design
Our emotion process looked a bit like this….
It’s going to be awesome. It will probably fail. What if so many people tag it and it goes viral. The paper idea sucks and will be messy. It’s too big to roll out in the living room. I’m the best artist in the world. There is paint on the floor of this rental house. I am living the life I was meant to. Everyone will think it was done by a kindergarten student. Actually maybe this is ok. Wow that’s awesome.
Guess we all tend to ride the roller coaster of self-doubt.
When you design, paint, write or create something that is pushing your comfort zone there is an element a vulnerability. A moment where you’ve put the creation out in the world and it could go either way. You are open to feedback of all kind and although you are not defined by the value of your work, as a creative it can feel like this. It can feel like if they don’t like this then they don’t like me. This is the voice we must quieten in our heads. This is where the scary/sweet spot of growth and opportunity lie and sometimes it’s easier to tap out and just watch another episode of Britain Interior Design Challenge instead.
A few behind the scenes images:
Things to remember when feeling like this:
If it was easy everyone would be doing it.
We grow by challenging ourselves and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable.
Feed the good wolf. Our language shapes our beliefs.
What is actually the worst thing that could happen. If it was a complete failure no one would die, the world wouldn’t stop and another opportunity would come again.
Fake it till you make it. Even the best in the business are still faking it. That never goes away. You just get better at having confidence in yourself that you will solve the problems as they arise.
In conclusion it was a huge success! The colours and graphic shapes created an energetic and positive tone when you entered the conference. The contrast between the stunning, rustic venue Light Space and the contemporary pattern was engaging and inviting. Lastly it was a wonderful conversation piece, not only for us to talk to some of the incredible speakers of the event but for people arriving to the event by themselves, not knowing anyone and immediately defusing any awkwardness.
A few takeaways from the events incredible line up:
Make experiences emotional to make stand out memorable moments. @sqroneau
Take time out to listen to your intuition. Quiet the self doubt, the ego and the fear. @helenjacobs.co
Be mindful you are not living up to labels we deem as success and find your authentic self through joy. @offlinethepodcast @jasminedowling
5 seconds of courage can change your world. It’s the things we say ‘No’ to that shape our business. @pruchapman
Remember the activities you loved as a child. It’s ok to spend time doing what we love without making it a profitable or successful exercise. @spoonful_of_sarah
A big thank you to Chelsea for engaging us to be a part of the event, Sherlyn Thai founder of League of Extroadinary Women and everyone who snapped, enjoyed and engaged in the artwork.