We recently had the chance to connect with Brianna Gardocki and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Brianna, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
I was thinking about this over the weekend. I’m proud of the professional artist I’ve become and all the hard work I’ve put in behind the scenes. Self-motivation and perseverance allow me to thrive as a vendor and muralist.
I started vending in 2019 with a simple setup (literally 1 table and a hand-painted sign). Over time, I continued upgrading to better displays, clearer pricing, stronger branding, and a wider range of products. I was vending this past weekend, and I had around ten different items for sale. My booth looked on point: bright, organized, and inviting. That didn’t happen overnight, and I am proud of how much I have improved.
It’s the same story with murals. The first mural I created in 2021, I was learning along the way. My first mural led me to my second, and they all keep building on each other. Each with invisible work: client conversations, site walks, budgets, and design revisions before a brush ever touches a wall. I’m proud of my discipline, reliability, growth, and expansion of my craft. The part most people never see, the self-motivation, planning, and persistence, is exactly what makes all the work possible.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hello! I’m Brianna Gardocki, a professional artist and muralist with 5+ years of experience. I create public art for cities and businesses, design digital assets for merch and events, and sell my art products at markets. My style is bright, bold, and memorable. It’s meant to make you smile, but it also tells a story that connects with people of all ages.
My story may not be too dissimilar from your own. I went to college unsure of my direction. I trialed and errored my way through many classes and majors, and finally landed on film production. After graduating and moving across the country, it finally clicked: my calling had been with me all along. Ever since I can remember, I’ve been drawing (I took AP Art in high school for crying out loud), so I leaned fully into art and never looked back. Art is my identity, my life, and my job.
I’ve painted 20+ murals across four states (NM, NC, FL, and GA) and projects in Georgia cities: Atlanta, Woodstock, Duluth, Chamblee, and Braselton. Most recently, I created a digital mural suite for Burque Brews, a bar and restaurant inside the ABQ International Sunport, celebrating local pride, community, the Balloon Fiesta, and playful aliens.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Exactly who I am today (just a little older)! I’ve always been a little weird, and I like it that way! I guess you could say I’m a bit of a pink sheep with my own style, “natural” pink hair, and a different way of doing things. I’m very present and I dive into what feels right without pausing to crowdsource approval. Overthinking other people’s opinions only leads to inaction. When friends stress about trends, my favorite advice to give is simple: if you wear what you like, it never goes out of style. The same goes for art. I struggled with still lifes and realism; they felt boring to me. I just kept thinking, “photography already exists”. (big props to realism artists, it is incredibly hard!) I wanted to make art that’s fun, whimsical, and colorful. I enjoy taking inspiration from the real world and Brianna-fying it into bold, funky art with unreal color.
I’m grateful for parents who love and support me as I am. They gave me a strong foundation of self-confidence to do art that is meaningful to me. And I am thankful my work resonates with other awesome and unique people out there who like to challenge society’s norms.
It can be easy to lose oneself to what’s considered “normal” or “acceptable”, especially with social media perfection, consumer culture, and a whole lot of beige. Wouldn’t it be so boring if we were all the same?! Embrace what makes you unique and different!
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering taught me diligence and initiative. In slow seasons, when you really need that next job, you can’t just wait around for it. You have to go out and get your next job by pitching clients, following up, creating new products, and/or running clear-out sales. You learn to be resourceful and proactive.
Success is great, but it can make those muscles lazy. Inquiries come to you, products move on their own, and time to experiment shrinks. Struggling times force you to create habits of discipline, outreach, and iteration that success doesn’t always demand. The trick is to keep those habits in every season. I’m grateful for all the stages of my career so far and those that will come in the future. There’s always something new to learn and ways to grow.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The “starving artist” lie has lingered way too long, and it holds artists back. When that lie is normalized, clients undervalue the craft. Artists provide both a service and a product, like any other industry, yet our work is often treated as if “anyone can do it.” AI images have only amplified that devaluation…
Art has real utility and impact. Art brings people and communities together, crosses language barriers, documents culture and ideas, and can actually drive change in the world. That power deserves respect and fair pay. The truth: ART IS A JOB. You can be a full-time artist and earn a very good living.
Murals aren’t easy or cheap: they’re physically demanding, require permits, logistics, often involve heights, a team, and include a ton of pre-production (site visits, client coordination, budgeting, design revisions) before a brush ever touches the wall. That’s worth a lot more than “a couple peanuts.” It’s a major professional service, and it should be priced and treated accordingly.
I had a conversation with my artist friend, Sway Jones, and she brought up another starving-artist lie that is scarcity thinking. The idea that there aren’t enough opportunities to go around, that’s not true at all. There are more calls, commissions, and grants than any one artist could ever chase. Which means we have to help each other: share leads, share artists with your audience, and widen the path. The more art being made, the more doors open for the next generation.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say I brought joy and color into the world. I want people to feel my work is like a small burst of sunlight on an ordinary day, and that it continues to brighten people’s days long after I am gone. The world can feel bleak, especially lately, so I want my murals and designs to remind people that hope and playfulness still exist.
I hope people remember how my work made them feel: kids pointing and smiling, neighbors taking photos, strangers striking up conversations in front of a wall. I want people to say I showed up with integrity, collaborated well, and left public spaces brighter than I found them. If my art helps even a few people feel seen, connected, or sparks laughter, that’s the legacy I want.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.briannagardocki.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brianna.gardocki/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briannagardockiart
Image Credits
Naomi Hopkins
