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Young artists struggle with insecurity, anxiety, and isolation…which can derail them from their creative journeys and deter them from working with others. How can educators support them? Collaborating, especially in mural making, can help. The opportunity to collaborate with peers through Artnering promotes teamwork, positive empathy, and connection. Contributing large scale public art in their community builds confidence and a sense of possibility. How else can we impact and cocreate the world around us?

Image courtesy of Brielle DuFlon and the McGuffey Art Center.

What is Artnering?

Artnering is a collaborative model that values artists’ wellbeing in addition to the creative works they produce. It encourages peer support and positive relationships. It also honors the shared vulnerability and emotional intimacy inherent in the collaborative process, celebrating creative partnerships as a form of Artner love.

The concept was cocreated by Laura Lee Gulledge and Lauren Larken Scuderi in 2012 during a collaboration seeking connection through crisis, as they were curious how their creativity could be used as a vehicle for shared healing. How can we encourage each other through individual creative journeys—as well as hold space for healthier collaborations?

They first identified the top obstacles that cause stress for creatives: mental and physical illness, unrealistic expectations, isolation, financial insecurity, and burnout. They then chose founding Artner tenets designed to counteract those obstacles: healing, flexibility, connection, success, and whimsy.

These values are incorporated into Artnerships to promote healthy sustainable practices. In a culture that often promotes competition and comparison among peers, Artnering is a way to cultivate webs of connection supporting creative community.

It can be intimidating for young teens to work more visibly because they are dealing with loud inner critics, anxiety, and perfectionism. They also face increased negative self-talk and can have anxiety about working with their peers. How do educators help build a feeling of security? This is where the Artner tenet of healing comes into play, seeking supportive ways to meet students where they are. You can try this with some safe warm-up exercises free of expectations and pressure to help ease students into larger collaboration. These can act as stepping stones to build confidence before working on the final mural itself.

• To help students first build trust in themselves, try making large paper murals to get them into their bodies. Draw abstract designs along to music, practicing moving from their shoulders.
• Rotate every couple of minutes so that everyone draws on each other’s papers, encouraging them to play off each other’s designs as they go.
• Upon returning to their paper, hold a round of peer praise where students celebrate designs in their mural drawn by others, instilling a culture of appreciation.

*Playful closing option: students can fold their murals into giant paper airplanes and launch them…or ball them up and hurl them into recycling!

• To build trust between students, try pairing them for making spray paint stencil sample boards. Have them work independently where each pair takes turns acting as supporting “assistant” to the other. Demonstrate with an assistant, modeling how to communicate your needs. Asking for and offering help is often the first step in an Artnership, but can make you feel vulnerable. Having a “script” to follow in a low-stakes collaboration is great practice. An example script could be something as simple as, “How about we....Let’s try....Could you....? That’s great...thanks for your help!”

*Bonus prompt: If students need extra support with combatting their “inner critic,” you can also try an extra activity making word art. The Inner Critic Sketchbook Dare is one example.

As you design your mural, hold space for student input each step of the way. It’s that ongoing conversation that sculpts and refines your vision for the better. Begin by introducing the thematic container they’ll be working within for their mural design, decided with the wall owner. This container is defined by any underlying intention, imagery preference, or desired impact that will give focus to your design inspiration—plus any additional limitations or needs to be considered.

Share a variety of visual references inspired by your theme as a springboard for brainstorming and problem solving. Set the intention to stay flexible and avoid becoming too attached to ideas or expectations as things will change. Students sketch and share their ideas with the group. Discuss with active listening, highlighting the strengths of all suggestions. Vote anonymously on which direction to proceed, making adjustments as a group along the way. Explain the logic behind every decision, like considering how your design will read from far away and factoring in level of achievability. Finally, revise your design with constructive feedback from the wall owner. Celebrate how the design evolved as it bounced between multiple viewpoints!

How can you tell an engaging and dynamic story in one single image? Try depicting a moment of action or a moment between moments, like the middle panel of a comic where the reader subconsciously completes the sequence. This is why Michelangelo’s David continues to captivate: it’s the quiet beat before the rock is thrown. Having a character helps give focus for engagement. A good title can provide context. A smart color scheme can amplify tone. Visual movement creates a sense of action. Is the story clear or does it need more visual information? Also consider rooting inspiration in what feels personal and meaningful, as that feeling of connection is often what can make artwork feel more universal. What feels important to make visible? What does this theme mean to you?

*Tip: You can take an anonymous poll of students’ needs or values to see where they share the most overlap to help give focus. Such lists are available online to print off for students to circle their answers.

The accessibility of your design is also key. Consider who will see this in everyday life. Is it relatable and inclusive for people in that community? Does it show empathy and sensitivity for diverse perspectives? In more visible public spaces especially, artists have a responsibility to tell stories with integrity and intentionality. Public art has the potential to contribute positivity, beauty, and value. Take a look at these two lists for further ideas and inspiration.

How do you welcome magic into your collaboration? By allowing students—and the unknown—to help guide you! This looks like having an open mind and a playful attitude, bringing in curiosity and a beginner’s mindset. These reflect the Artner tenets of flexibility and whimsy, which make it easier to welcome and adapt to change. For example, I find that starting visions only end up being 80% complete. The other 20% is unknown, revealed through the journey itself. Holding space for the unknown and unexpected allows students (and creative geniuses) to have more impact…and shared delight in seeing how things unfold together.

Also pay attention to how students organize themselves when putting together the install vision. Gauge interests, strengths, and areas of emotional investment when delegating responsibilities. Poll their material and added work height preferences…and observe their rapport with each other. Who do they feel comfortable working with? Educators can then thoughtfully pair up students, giving each pair responsibility for a specific part. “What helped me build confidence was making a new friend from similar jobs in the pairing for the mural,” shared student Ava.

With a sense of agency boosting a feeling of ownership, encourage students to share their spontaneous ideas along the way. Prep in advance with ideas for additions, customizations, or magical offshoots. Perhaps it needs glitter? Use superglue to stick on another material? Maybe someone sees the potential to work with the wall's unique features, like a monster face that incorporates a metal grate or some other feature of the wall being painted? Add outlines with paint pens? Consider and discuss ideas with the group, solicit suggestions from students, and meet enthusiasm with enthusiasm. Does each idea delight or detract? Trust excitement to guide student-driven ideas to help weave in surprises.

You might find it helpful to frame your install like you’re the stage manager for a play, where you’re blocking out where pairs of Artners will be positioned during each “scene” of paint layering so that everyone has wall access at different heights. The first day is like Act I, where we fill in the background layer with rollers and brushes. The second day becomes Act II, where we fill in the foreground layer with stenciling and brushwork details. Stenciling is especially effective for working quickly, and it is a fun opportunity to use each others’ stencils collectively.

Encourage student initiative by allowing them space to solve problems on their own with their Artners before stepping in. Encourage peer support, impromptu student self-matchmaking, and positive relationships. And encourage fun so success isn’t just about the final result, but so it’s also about the quality of the experience along the way. Did everyone feel heard? Is everyone’s voice represented? Can students see themselves? Student Leo observed, “It was so nice seeing people come out of their shell and use their artistic abilities as a team.” Celebrate everyone’s effort and diverse abilities as valuable contributions to our cocreated result. And don’t forget to also support students’ physical needs (and yours, too!) by providing a break area, drinks, snacks, and sun-protection if painting outdoors.

Working on the mural itself can cause feelings of perfectionism to flare up, so encourage a spirit of “good enough-ness.” If students obsess over details, remind them that mural art is meant to be looked at from further away. This stepped-back perception is a helpful shift from close-up navel-gazing typical of young artists. It allows us to appreciate the forest over the leaves, the collective effort over individual. This also softens self-criticism when your work is interwoven with others, when success is shared with Artners rather than just your own. Sharing such experiences invests us in each other’s journeys, cultivating loving connections.

Where is your favorite local mural? How does public art help spaces feel more accessible, vibrant, safe, and welcoming? It’s important for young artists to experience how creative placemaking like mural making can sculpt spaces to benefit their communities. According to latest mural recipient Rahimah Wright, it has “lifted up the spirit of the neighborhood.” She added, “The response has been quite remarkable—people stopping us on the street, texting us, reaching out to tell us how much it has inspired them.”

The opportunity to contribute to a broader cultural conversation initiates young artists into a community, confirming they are connected and that their voice has value. Being entrusted with painting an actual wall out in the “real” world is more than a big deal for artists…it’s an honor, especially for young artists. When students feel seen and appreciated by a broader community it’s deeply validating and enCOURAGEing. “It feels good knowing I created something that likely a lot of people will see and think about,” shared student Keira.

Witnessing art appear on a public wall that wasn’t there a few days ago…let alone an idea you helped cocreate? Truly magic to behold. I define magic as a shift in thinking. Experiencing that dreams can be made real sparks a knowing in us that change is possible. It shows us it’s safe to use your voice, and fun working together as a chorus. It confirms that your world is a living work of art, open for cocreation with our peers and community. So, let’s put on our opportunity goggles… How can public spaces be transformed? Where can I imagine positive change? Who could Artner with me on that?

The powerful combination of collaborating and mural making emboldens young artists to dream big…and dream big together!

Mural making shows students that art can make an impact out in the world. It’s evidence that art doesn’t need to be contained to the confines of a sketchbook or gallery…and that ideas can grow bigger and better when cocreated with others. Including the tenets of Artnering in your process promotes healthier creative partnerships, supporting more sustainable collaborations in the long run.

It’s powerful for young artists to experience the shift from “look what I made” to “look what we made,” especially when taking on an ambitious project like a mural. The shared ownership, accomplishment, and meaning forges purposeful connections. Collaborating allows positive empathy and comparsion to replace competition and comparison, finding ways to cocreate that support both artists and the art alike. Encouraging us to think and dream more collectively. Allowing possibilities to shift from what I can do…to what WE can do.