Today we’d like to introduce you to Skyler Nador.
Hi Skyler, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I have been artistic my entire life. I went to school for painting and fine arts and graduated not exactly sure where I was going to go. When I moved home my parents asked me to add a mural to the house and as the years went by I had completed a few along the house. From there my neighbors became interested in a project as well as a client from my teaching job and from there I realized I could make this more into a career instead of just a hobby. I began posting and advertising more and received a lot of attention and began building up a client list. As I continued I expanded into larger projects and more commercial clientele and now it is a full time career. I am so proud of all that I have accomplished in creating my own company and being a self starter in my line of work and I hope to continue my career and expand to a wider audience throughout the US and maybe even the world.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
For the most part my career has been easy but there were some hardships. This career has always been self managed so I have to do every part of my business. I start by posting my work and looking for clients, from there if I find interested parties I have to go the the site and discuss ideas with the client, take measurements, send sketches and estimate of the project, and the if the confirm I have to gather all the necessary supplies. It’s very time consuming and at times over whelming. I have also had to come up with my own rate and with the estimates I have underbid certain projects and lost money. Lastly my largest struggle is the consistency of projects. Some months I would get projects back to back and then some months I couldn’t get a single client. Having this issue and owing money for rent, bills, etc has put a strain on my life and forced me to have smaller part time jobs to cover costs when the mural jobs don’t come through. It is all a learning process though and my company has immensely improved from the start.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a Muralist in South Florida. I mostly do scenic paintings of beaches, ocean life, gardens, flowers, animals, and plants but I have also done a few more graphic and textured projects as well. I have done a variety of murals from nurseries to pool side murals to even an old VW Bus, but my work that I am the most proud of is my recent mural at the Lauderdale Inflatables Marina. I painted a wave of sea life on the entire inside of the building at painting massive creatures such as a sailfish, turtle, manatee, shark and a Mahi Mahi fish that just turned out spectacular. I really see the growth in my painting career with the mural and I am just impressed at the scale and accuracy I accomplished through this piece. I feel like I am complimented by my character and good workmanship. I am always clean, I work very fast, and everyone is also so impressed with the quality of work I create. I believe my murals are full of color and life and really dress up any wall I tackle.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
I have a few people that I look up to as a mentor. Many past teachers have influenced my work as well as artists I hope to achieve similar works to. I don’t specifically have a singular mentor, I like to take inspiration from my surroundings and other artists and self starting business owners that have been thriving in their fields. As far as networking I rely a lot on social media, posting advertisements online or through physical flyers and business cards, and I try to spread the word any time I see an opportunity. If I walk into a business that is lacking art I always try to connect with the owner for a chance to better their space. I try to keep good connections with previous clients as well because I also get a lot of referrals from past projects.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.colorbysky.art
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colorbysky/
