We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lenny Meriño | Musician & Plastic artist a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Lenny Meriño | Musician & Plastic artist, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear how you think where to draw the line in terms of asking friends and family to support your business – what’s okay and what’s over the line?
I think one of the most important things when asking for help from family and friends when you are starting a business is to be clear that because they are so close to you, not everyone will want to help you in your cause, so you must be prepared for any surprise and be strong because this will only indicate how sure you are of your ideas. Without forgetting that obviously you must have a business plan (the more detailed the better) and thus have a clear idea of how much money you need to invest, risks and profits and then approach these potential investors. Remember to always be respectful and humble as these people could risk their money by investing in your business so let them know how grateful you are for the support and that you work very hard!
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Before offering my services as a muralist artist I was dedicated to work in small formats, in different techniques and portraits on demand; both of people and sometimes of their pets that became popular among childhood friends at school because from an early age I began to draw and attend painting courses at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Atlantico in Barranquilla, Colombia until the age of 16 years, A whole decade training me while I dreamed of one day being able to make a mural, until one day I dared and accepted the proposal of a friend to make a mural of the car of his dreams in his room and seeing his positive reaction convinced me to continue making the rest of murals that I would then make since when I published on Instagram the photos of my first mural they began to contact me. Before starting an art as art I like to ask the client about what he has in mind, themes, colors, styles, materials and as crazy as it sounds I like to inquire about what sensations he wants to perceive, how he wants to feel when he is in front of the work, what he wants to communicate and what music comes to his mind and that he thinks is related and that is something that my clients have let me know that I make a difference among other artists. I like to transform spaces taking advantage of the shapes of the place, the colors that the place offers, the textures of the walls to be able to integrate the art perfectly with the environment in case the theme is free which is the one that is generally chosen by those who seek my art.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
My parents didn’t really like the idea of me dedicating myself to painting or music and they told me many times that I was just wasting my time and that I should dedicate myself to something more serious that could bring me better dividends and those comments discouraged me many times. but my passion for art and the fact of resisting doing something different many times brought me magical opportunities like the day I decided to go paint somewhere on my own and with my own materials and luckily a photographer from a local newspaper arrived to help me. What I was doing caught a lot of attention and I made a small note in the newspaper of my city which I obviously showed to my parents and friends, it was a nice way to make them and myself see that art has an unimaginable value. In our lives, art is passion!
What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?
In my case, I try to make my murals in places where there is a lot of traffic or where people pass quickly, such as restaurants, hostels and tourist places. Sometimes I choose to use social networks asking my friends to share my work or collaborating with other artists.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: lennymerinho , ledibujolivre
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lenny.merinho?mibextid=ZbWKwL