Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Gina Bernardini. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Gina thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
I have -at times- been able to earn a full-time living as a creative. At first, it seemed really easy. The week I graduated college I was installing a donation mural at a busy intersection, and while I was out there I was approached by many people for mural jobs. There were so many great opportunities coming directly to me that I decided to stay in Tampa and pursue the murals. I was able to sustain myself full-time for almost a year just from those connections and opportunities that branched from those. Up until that point, I had done minimal marketing for myself and it was all word of mouth. Once it came to the slower season for murals and I hadn’t made any new connections, I felt very stuck. I started working a service job part time to fill the gaps, and then was eventually there full-time. I forgot how valuable it was to get out there and market myself, and I just let the jobs run out. I thought back to when I first started and how driven I was to get my name out there and meet new people. I started marketing myself at work and putting more effort into cleaning up a portfolio and sending out applications to artist calls, which have gotten me some of my biggest jobs to date. I was expecting the jobs to come to me when I was still so new to the community and once I started showing up at businesses’ doors that have open walls and sending out cold emails, I got so much further. It was scary at first, but as soon as I learned to put myself out there, I felt much more established as a creator.
Gina, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am an Illinois native and graduated from the University of Tampa with degrees in Animation and Mathematical Programming. I’ve been working as an artist in Tampa ever since, mostly focused on murals. I grew up as a traditional artist, and I had planned to use the digital and technical skills I learned in school to find a career where I can still be an artist. I was not expecting that I would have more opportunities right away focused in painting rather than animation. My plan is still to continue as an animator, but it also has helped me so much with my current business.
One of my biggest strengths as a designer for murals, is that I am able to translate motion into still paintings from my work in animation. I love picturing my murals as part of a bigger project or moving picture, and think my art goes hand-in-hand regardless of the medium or style. My work today is informed by this diverse artistic background, exploring the whimsical aspects of highly stylized animation paired with the bold efficient principles of 2D digital design. Executing this style in a traditional manner gives the extra dimension and scale that digital loses, allowing the work to feel more personal and better connect with the audience. All my work is meant to be fun and freeing, but also meaningful for the viewer. I hope that people are entertained and feel as if they have learned something about themselves or their community from experiencing it.
That element of connection is what makes me proud of my work. If I have been able to work with a client who is trying to send a positive message to the community, or animate a character that people can see themself in- then I feel like I’m doing what I set out to do.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
I am still working on this, but the biggest realization that changed it for me was just to share anything. I found that the posts I was putting the most effort into didn’t attract much of an audience, and the off-handed funny posts about what it looks like to be an artist day-to-day are what people respond to best. Just be authentic and don’t overthink what it means to be a social media presence.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Coming out of college was definitely a huge pivoting point for me. I mentioned before that I was not expecting to be where I am at all and I wasn’t even expecting to be in Tampa this long. I had some opportunities right after school that fell through, and I was planning to move home for a bit to create a new plan. When these mural jobs landed in my lap I quickly had to come up with a business, get cards made, research what it meant to be a muralist professionally and changed my career path entirely. It happened so fast, I really don’t know how I did it, but I just went where my skills were needed at the time. I’m still trying to eventually pivot back to film and animation, but this journey has prepared me so much more for that.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ginabernardini.myportfolio.com/
- Instagram: @gina.bernardini @dreamtupmurals
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gina-bernardini-4018381b6/
- Other: Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user108439724
Image Credits
Photo of me in front of my mural holding brushes was taken by Howard Lin