Collaboration not competition
Jerome Davenport, aka @Ketones6000, inspires this week's blog post. An artist, storyteller, curator of @nomoreblankwalls, and founder of @blankwalls_
Jerome posted on Instagram recently about offering free coaching in 2025.
Instagram post by @ketones6000
Instagram post by @ketones6000
Jerome kindly offers his time FOC to anyone who needs advice, support, and guidance. What resonates with me about this, is how he is willing to give up his time (which we all know is precious when you run your own business) completely free of charge, to help and support other artists. This blew me away!
As you know, I invested in a mentorship program in 2024 to help me develop the skills and knowledge to launch Squiggly Ink. I researched who would be the best fit for me as an artist, the content they were sharing, their location, and even how many artists they were already working with to ensure they had time for me. I mean, if I was paying for their support, I wanted to know I was getting the best from them, right?!
I came across a lot of artists, not just muralists, offering their services. Some called it coaching, others a mentorship program, and some offered modules, templates, or digital downloads of specific topics for a fee. There were so many options out there, and to be honest it was quite overwhelming trying to narrow it down to just one! Who do you trust? After all, it was a huge investment for me financially and you always have that risk that you may not get what you need from it.
My business mentor, PJ, aka @muralnomad
I was very lucky with Mural Nomad, and I had all the support I needed. But what struck me about Jerome was how he was willing to give away all his knowledge for free, when others were charging for the privilege. Don’t get me wrong, I do strongly believe if you have a skill or experience in a field and you can make a living from that, then go for it! But I’m also very much up for supporting other artists and just being, well, a really nice human!
How wonderful that someone was out there offering to share all their nuggets of gold with others, so they can learn from him! Kudos!
When I was out in Brisbane last August, I met some amazing artists. It was so wonderful to speak on a 1:1 basis and understand their art style, their journey, and their businesses and to get to know them, as people too. I picked up so many tips just from a casual conversation over a coffee.
Sketching exercise with Jess and Lisa
I gravitated to two individuals quickly, one being my good ‘ol mate Lisa, from @themurallisa. When we met up before visiting Australia, we just clicked. That classic British sense of humour was evident, and we quickly bonded over all things art! Then came Jess, from @mlynncreative An extremely talented, and very dry-witted artist from Florida! (I think her humour was what attracted me initially, she just ‘got it’)
Mural painting during our second week in Brisbane
During our time at the residency, we got to know about each other's backgrounds, partners, life back home, etc. Many a night was spent comparing the UK/USA/Australia. Everything from what we call certain clothes, to phrases, to pronunciation of words. Hysterical conversations and even just our accents! I knew these ladies were my tribe the moment we met!
I found my tribe!
The day we left Australia I was wondering whether we would stay in touch. Like when you go on holiday and buddy up with the other couple at the hotel, adamant you’ll stay in touch when you get home, never to speak again! Well, that didn’t happen with us! In fact, we had already set up a WhatsApp group to continue our mad conversations of randomness whilst we travelled back home. It even started at Brisbane airport!
We have not gone a day without texting or sending random voice notes since! I can’t describe how grateful I am for these two ladies and how they keep me sane! As I previously mentioned, being a mural artist can be very solitary. I’m more than happy with my own company (and Norman) and I absolutely LOVE my job, but it’s also important to have support from like-minded folk. They are my go-to when I have questions about murals that I need help figuring out. I value their opinions; I appreciate their time, and I soak up all their knowledge!
Always chatting about something art and mural related with these two
Jess and Lisa were two strangers this time last year, yet now they have become two of my closest friends. What I love about these two ladies is how supportive and encouraging they are. I have my team of cheerleaders.
I count myself lucky to have found two beautiful people who understand my concerns, my worries, and the art world and still choose to help with words of encouragement. THIS is what art should be about! Supporting others, helping others, educating those less experienced than you in whatever way they need. Collaborating with others, giving them opportunities to thrive if you are in a more fortunate position than them.
Sadly, there seems to be a small number of artists who see you as a competition. Worried you’ll take away their clients, or you’ll copy their art style. I mean, why wouldn’t you help each other out? There are so many benefits to collaborating over being someone's competition.
If you have an inquiry for a mural you can’t fit into your schedule, offer it to another artist!
If you have an inquiry for a style that isn’t your strong suit, or aligns with what you like to paint, suggest another artist to your client who fits their brief.
If you have a super big mural project, or are on a tight turnaround time, why not ask another artist to come and paint it with you? (NB: please always pay artists for their time, I’m not advocating you advertise for free help!)
There are PLENTY of projects out there for every artist to thrive.
I’ve had great help & support from artists on social media, so the above are the minority I must admit. @Tee2Sugars took time during his lunch break to chat with me and answer my questions. @jaystockers was kind enough to answer my hundreds of questions on window art and the best tools for the job.
There are so many benefits for artists supporting artists, and I wish people would do more of it. So, I want to say Thank You to @ketones6000 for inspiring this post. I want to thank @themurallisa and Jess @mlynncreative for listening to my daily waffles and being the amazing, supportive people they are!
While writing this, I’m working on a mural proposal collaboration with @themurallisa for springtime, so watch this space guys!
Catch you all next week,
Kate & Norm x