We recently connected with Lynnster and have shared our conversation below.
Lynnster, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
During my senior year, I was feeling a lot of anxiety in regard to my plans after high school. I knew I wanted to be a full time artist, but taking on debt to study art in college felt like more of a risk to me than just jumping into the field and seeing where I ended up. I had an english teacher during this time who acknowledged my artistic spark and asked me a to paint a large mural in his classroom. Despite not having any experience with painting large scale at the time, the trust that he put in me meant the world. I spent WEEKS on this piece until I felt it was perfect. Soon enough, in the back of the classroom stood King Kong proudly hanging off the empire state building while reading Catcher in the Rye.
That experience along with the feedback I received, truly awakened something in me. Looking back, I believe this is when my love for murals was planted. Only a few years (and a myriad of artistic jobs later), I would be painting murals professionally.
Lynnster, 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?
My name is Lynn Occhiogrsso or “Lynnster” and I am a muralist and fine art painter. I first started my artistic career instructing at paint and sip studios, painting pet portraits for Chewy, and finally working my way up from studio assistant to full time artist for a hand-painted aisle runner company. As a result of Covid, I was pushed into working for myself full-time. While this was confusing and difficult, It gave me the opportunity to get clear on what I wanted from my art practice.
Thankfully, while I was working these other jobs, I was also painting smaller commissions on the side and slowly learning how to run a business. It wasn’t until I dipped my toes into murals that I learned how fulfilling and lucrative an art career could be. I am also very blessed to have a strong support system around me to help navigate the difficult parts of running a business.
Alongside murals, I offer pet portraits, painted apparel, and have been experimenting with live wedding painting as-well!
Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
Social media has played a huge role in my business thus far, and part of me wishes I started sharing my work sooner. I remember being in an airport one day and spontaneously creating an instagram art account. Little did I know, this would be the catalyst to receiving a large portion of my commissions, creating a brand, and having people familiarize themselves with what I do.
When people invest money in an artist’s work, they are not only buying the physical piece of art, but a piece of the artist’s creative journey as-well. Connecting with and feeling like you know who you’re buying art from is a huge piece of the puzzle. Social media is also a fantastic way to show social proof- especially in a day and age of internet scams.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist is creating joy. The way a client’s face lights up upon seeing their space completely transformed with a mural, or the happiness brought on by receiving their portrait of the family dog is so refreshing. I am self aware enough to realize that a part of this feeling is driven by my need for external validation, but hey, whatever gets the job done.
Being able to make my own schedule is pretty cool too!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Lynnsterart.com
- Instagram: @lynnster.art
- Facebook: Lynnster Art
