Meet Bracken Hermansen

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bracken Hermansen a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Bracken , thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?

I would say my work ethic developed as a child. My parents are both very hard workers and instilled in myself and my siblings an endurance to finish a job and to do it well. My father owned his own business as a General Contractor building custom homes, and in high school I would clean the homes through the construction phases which taught me endurance through physical discomfort in the Las Vegas heat. Both of my parents are creative people and were always encouraging my artistic skills. By 8 years old, apparently I proclaimed I wanted to be a famous artist, and by 11 I noticed a skill difference between me and my peers. So I kept pursuing it, each year in school and then as a major. My focus was Illustration at BYU and because of the vast range of media required to master to acquire that degree, I was able to do so many things the last 25 years. I wouldn’t say I am a goal setter, but I do like to finish things I’ve started, no matter the result. I’ve spent 25 years painting oil portraits on commission and the most recent 12 years doing murals. I have had to learn new methods, trial and error, teach myself to use lifts at very high places, push through heat and cold, and learn to communicate well in collaborations with clients. It’s important to show up when you say you’re coming, communicate when you’re not, and do a job well. You as the creative usually know what will look/work best, but it takes pushing ego aside to listen to clients and their requests. Work ethic means not skipping steps, cleaning up after yourself, and having pride in a job well done.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

My name is Bracken Hermansen, owner and operator of Bracken Hermansen Murals and Design, LLC. Myself and my team focus on creating mural spaces that are clean in design and execution. As a team of women, we find it important to encourage girls to pursue schooling and their passion in the arts. The starving artist is not a stereotype that should be fostered, nor the trope of an artist being a mess and unreliable. We provide beautiful murals on any scale, any surface as well as logo design and other graphic design needs. Our clients include The Mediterranean Greak Greek, Western Elite, pediatric offices, Clark County School District and Taps & Barrells, SNS Diner, and many more.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Looking back, I believe the things that helped me most to get to where I am now are my figure drawing classes, the work ethic my parents instilled in me, and the drive to want to continue to do better. We can always improve in our field and I love watching other creatives at work, to see how their minds work, what supplies they use and sharing ideas in the community. I will say I am motivated my money, so I will always work if just for that purpose to support my 4 kids. My advice for anyone wanting to start their journey in murals is to take drawing classes, a strong figure drawing background is so helpful, and graphic design background for composition and text skills. Beyond that it’s starting with murals at home, or for a friend and then promoting yourself and asking businesses to hire you. You’ll get better the more you do it, it’s the 10,000 hours right?

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Over the last year, my goal is to collaborate with Sherwin Williams, Frogtape and Werner ladder Co. They are exclusive products I use because they are so good! In the industry I am in, I need reliable products that I can get easily. When I have used other products in the past, I immediately see a difference and it makes my job harder. So I would love to work on projects with any of these companies! And for specific mural projects, a sports organization or food brand collaboration would be really cool. Muralist, will travel!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.BrackenHermansen.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/brackenhermansenart
• Other: TikTok @brackenhermansenart