How I Got This Gig: Superyacht Marina Mural (and yep, I asked for a boat ride)
How I Got This Gig: Superyacht Marina Mural
(and yep, I asked for a boat ride)
Hot Takes:
How the job came through
The process
What really matters
Inside Secret Artist’s Business, I help artists build businesses that actually support their life.
And one of the most helpful things I can do is show how this works (and doesn’t) in my own business. Not just the good stuff, but the full picture including how clients come through, what I actually charge, where things go smoothly, and where they absolutely don’t.
So here’s how I got this gig: a mural project for Jones Bay Superyacht Marina, which landed in my inbox thanks to a previous job, a happy client, and some classic artist business magic.
How the job came through
You know when someone casually says, “Hey, I saw what you did at so-and-so’s place - could you do something similar for us?”
That. That’s literally how it started.
I’d painted a mural at Haberfield Rowers a while back, and someone connected to this new project spotted it and reached out.
“I know Con Dedes. I liked what you did at his joint. Can you do one for us?”
No pitch. No fancy emails. No "quick call to align on vision". Just my past work doing the talking for me, which is exactly why I’m so big on visibility and positioning inside SAB. When your work is seen by the right people, it does half the legwork for you.
The brief
They wanted something custom for the marina that worked with the space. They were already into my style, which made it a pretty relaxed process from start to finish.
Creative freedom helps — but so does having your process locked in. Which, not shockingly, is something else we sort out inside SAB.
The timeline
We had about a month to turn everything around. The install itself only took one day. (Thank you to the weather gods.)
Who was involved
I handed off the design to two artists on my team, and the install was mostly done by Ann from @loveisa_sign. I wasn’t on the ground painting - just overseeing and making sure things were ticking along.
This is what scaling can actually look like. You don’t have to take on less work to protect your energy. Sometimes it’s just about knowing when to hand things off.
What went wrong
Okay. So. We accidentally designed the mural from the wrong angle.
As in.. we drew the wharf looking out to the harbour... when the client had asked for the perspective looking in from the water.
Oops.
The good news was.. they loved the original version so much they decided to print it on postcards. We still had to go back and redesign the mural, but that’s okay! This stuff happens.
What went right
Honestly, the rest of it was smooth sailing (pun absolutely intended).
The install day was relaxed, the client was happy, the team was having fun, and everything came together exactly how it should.
What I charged
This one came in around $6–7k, depending on how you break it up.
Inside Secret Artist’s Business, we talk a lot about how to quote jobs in a way that feels good and actually pays you properly. It’s not about charging what you think people want to pay. It’s about understanding the real value of what you’re delivering, and being confident enough to say it out loud.
What I posted
You know I had to document the install - tagged everyone, shared the process, made it fun.
And yes, I did get the boat to pause in front of the Opera House so I could film a cheeky Reel. (I’ve got workshops there later this year, so figured why not get a bit of crossover content while we were floating past? Aaaand I nearly fell off, but no regrets.)
This is the kind of content I encourage inside SAB — not forced, not fake, just using real moments in your workday to connect with your audience and show what you're actually up to.
Why this matters if you’re building your own artist business
This job didn’t happen by luck. It happened because of:
Consistent visibility (even when it feels like no one’s watching)
Clear positioning (people knew what to come to me for)
Simple systems (so I wasn’t trying to do the whole thing solo)
That’s the exact foundation we build together inside Secret Artist’s Business.
We go through the marketing, pricing, planning, and content side of things - so you’re not constantly winging it or relying solely on Instagram to do all the hard work for you.
If you're ready to turn your art into a business that actually pays you, without feeling like you’ve sold your soul to the algorithm... SAB’s where we make that happen.
