Brush & Banter | A Zibra Podcast

Before Zia Sherman engineered Zibra paintbrushes, she formulated lipstick and foundation at Estée Lauder. In the first installment of Behind the Brushes, Zia sits down with her sister, Brie, and their dad, Zibra founder Mike Sherman, to explain what actually makes a brush hold more paint, release it smoothly, and maintain a crisp line. They get specific about filament shape and diameter, why Zibra has used the same proprietary formula and manufacturing process since 2005, and how Zia tests paint pickup, release, run length, stiffness, and flexibility before a new brush makes it into an artist’s hand. Zia also shares the near-disaster of finding a factory capable of producing brushes smaller than one inch and the Cut-In Brush prototype she shaped on Brie’s front porch with her husband’s electric razor. Mike brings up his secret two-and-a-half-inch Palm Pro, everyone defends their favorite brush, and rapid fire confirms that ranking your daughters is considerably harder than designing a paintbrush.

Zia Sherman is the engineer and product designer behind Zibra’s paintbrushes. After developing cosmetics and managing manufacturing processes for Revlon and Estée Lauder, she joined the family business and introduced new testing standards, quality controls, and product-development processes.

Mike Sherman is the founder and CEO of Zibra. He started the company more than 20 years ago with a simple question: Why were painters being asked to choose between so many brushes that all claimed to do the same thing? That question led to Zibra’s proprietary filament, application-specific brush shapes, and a family business now run alongside his daughters, Brie and Zia.

Learn More About Zia, Mike, and Zibra:

• Explore Zia’s product-development work at Zibra
• Connect with Mike on LinkedIn
• Read the Zibra Story

Creative Finds Mentioned in This Episode:

• Chiseled Wedge
• Cut In Paintbrush
• 1/4" Artist Brush Set - Medium
• 1/8" Artist Brush Set - Medium
• Artist Brush Set - Large
• Artist Brush Set - Small
• Artist Brush Set of 3 - 1/2" Round Brushes
• Artist Brush Set of 3 - 1/4" Square Brushes
• Artist Brush Set of 3 - 1/4" Triangle Brushes
• Square Paintbrush 
• Round Paintbrush 
• Triangle Paintbrush
• Palm Pro Paintbrush
• Palm Artist - Flat Paintbrush

🖌️ Grab your brushes and creative tools at enjoyzibra.com and use code BANTER10 for 10% off.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Zia turned her experience formulating cosmetics and managing manufacturing for Estée Lauder into better quality systems for Zibra
• Why the Cut-In Brush began with an electric razor, a test wall, and Mike trying to turn the Chiseled Wedge into something else
• What nearly went wrong when Zibra needed a new factory capable of producing artist brushes smaller than one inch
• How filament shape, diameter, packing, and processing affect paint pickup, release, durability, and line control
• Why Zibra has used one proprietary filament formula across its brushes since 2005 rather than asking painters to choose among confusing blends
• How Zia weighs paint pickup and release, measures run length, and adjusts filament length to find the right balance of stiffness and flexibility
• Why the Square and Chiseled Wedge brushes hold so much paint—and how factory partnerships have helped Zibra protect that performance without dramatically increasing prices

Welcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. 

Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.

Connect with Zibra: 

• Website
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook 
• YouTube
• Blog

Lauren Cooper has breaking news: after years of announcing that she hates painting, she likes it again. In the first banter episode of Brush & Banter, Annie Bolding and Lauren Cooper skip the guest and catch up like the mural besties they are. Annie, 28 weeks pregnant and about to leave a rental full of gray walls, talks about the artist version of nesting, the nursery mockups piling up on her iPad, and a Disco Day aesthetic that's growing up a little. Lauren shares baby news of her own, confesses that her toddler's room still has no mural, and makes a case for the hustle phase, including why she'll still go below her minimum five years in. They trade working-mom advice, get honest about comparison once your business hits a comfortable plateau, and rapid-fire their best studio habits before dreaming up tribute murals for Dolly Parton and Bob Mackie.

Creative finds:

• Triangle Paintbrush
• Palm Flex
• Palm Artist
• Speed Drop

🖌️ Grab your brushes and creative tools at enjoyzibra.com and use code BANTER10 for 10% off.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Lauren still goes below her minimum five years into her career
• Why the hustle phase deserves more credit with new artists
• How Annie is preparing her business for maternity leave
• How to lean into each season as a working mom without the guilt
• How comparison creeps in once your business feels comfortable
• Why new muralists should track every paint color from day one
• What a Dolly Parton or Bob Mackie tribute mural could look like

The 1" angled brush is finally here! Designed in collaboration with Marilena Madio of WallWear, this brush is the versatile tool artists have been waiting for. Grab yours today at https://www.enjoyzibra.com/products/set-of-3-1-angled-brushes.

Welcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. 

Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.

Connect with Zibra: 

• Website
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook 
• YouTube
• Blog

Marilena Madio didn't start with a business plan. She didn't register her company name for years. She raised three kids while building WallWear into a 20+ year mural powerhouse, and she did it by simply saying yes to work and showing up consistently. In this episode, she walks through how she grew incrementally around her family, priced her work fairly from day one, built a thriving membership community for other muralists, and watched 22 years of daily social media posting finally explode into 75,000 new Facebook followers in a matter of months. She also reveals the unexpected 5-year journey with Zibra behind creating the 1-inch angled brush… the most requested product the brand has ever made.

Marilena Madio is a Toronto-based muralist and founder of WallWear Inc Murals, a 20+ year mural business spanning residential, commercial, and large-scale installations. She built the business while raising three children, grew it incrementally without formal business registration for years, and has since expanded into a membership community for muralists, live masterclasses, and one-on-one business consultations. Her collaboration with Zibra on the 1-inch angled brush has become one of the most requested products in the brand's history.

Connect with Marilena:

• Website
• IG
• Facebook
• TikTok
• LinkedIn

Creative finds:

• WallWear Mural Membership

🖌️ Grab your brushes and creative tools at enjoyzibra.com and use code BANTER10 for 10% off.

In this episode, we discuss:

• You don't need a business plan to start, sometimes slow and steady actually wins
• How raising three kids while building a business forced her to make smarter decisions
• What happens when you post on social media for 22 years and then suddenly get 75,000 new followers
• The day Property Brothers called and changed everything
• Why one high-profile project can shift how an entire market perceives your work
• Client communication skills matter just as much as your paintbrush
• Building a membership community that generates recurring revenue and helps other muralists avoid costly mistakes
• The 5-year story behind creating one of Zibra's most requested brushes

Welcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. 

Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.

Connect with Zibra: 

• Website
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook 
• YouTube
• Blog

Abby Askew hit a massive milestone last year when she bought her first home as a direct result of building her furniture flipping business and content brand, @FlippedByAbby. Now she's been taking viewers along the renovation journey, filling it with vintage treasures and DIY projects. This is Abby's story of how she started with curb alerts and Facebook Marketplace flips as a side hustle, scaled it into millions of followers across platforms, and turned the transformation documentation into income. She believes in spilling the tea, sharing the actual numbers, the strategies, the profit margins, because transparency doesn't threaten your success; it builds community. In this conversation, she walks us through how she actually monetized it, what quality furniture really looks like (solid wood vs. the stuff that won't resell), the brutal reality of comments from strangers, and why she deleted social media off her personal phone to protect her peace. 

Abby Askew is a social media influencer and content creator with a BFA in Furniture Design from Savannah College of Art and Design. Based in Orange Park, Florida, she built Flipped by Abby into a thriving content and business brand across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. She created online courses to help followers learn how to flip furniture for profit and maintains a blog with DIY project guidance.

Connect with Abby:

• IG
• Website
• YouTube
• TikTok
• LinkedIn

Creative finds:

• Secondhand Spaces with Abby Askew

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Abby turned furniture flipping from a side hustle into full-time income and eventually homeownership
• The business side of things like sourcing, pricing, and selling, etc
• How to spot quality furniture (solid wood, dovetail joints) vs. the stuff that won't move
• Why her content shifted from "making money off flips" to "documenting the transformation itself"
• Harsh internet comments, unsolicited ADHD diagnoses, and why she deleted social media off her personal phone
• The truth about the 17 to 1 rule, from an actual psychologist 
• Filling her first home with intention, one small project at a time (and loving what you've made)
• Why she "spills the tea" about money and numbers, and why transparency on income doesn't threaten her success
• House hunting for the ultimate fixer-upper in Florida (Where the Crawdads Sing energy)

Welcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. 

Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.

Connect with Zibra: 

• Website
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook 
• YouTube
• Blog

Most artists treat seasonal work as a gamble - feast when demand peaks, hustle for leads when it doesn't. Lindsey Stimpson Lewis - owner of Lindsey Mae Art - flipped the script. By building a loyal roster of clients who lock her in a full year in advance, she's turned seasonal work into predictable, recurring revenue. In this episode, she walks through her "Christmas in July" booking strategy, how she manages capacity with a priority system, and why eliminating the constant churn of new client acquisition is the real business move.

Lindsey Stimpson Lewis is a Winston-Salem–based muralist and window painter who specializes in large-scale custom work for residential and commercial clients. After spending years painting sculptures at her husband's metal fabrication company, she went full-time with her own business and built it around predictable, recurring seasonal revenue by cultivating a roster of year-in-advance clients. 

Connect with Lindsey:

• Website
• IG

Creative finds:

• Zibra's NEW 1" Angled Brush is coming soon! Keep your eyes peeled on enjoyzibra.com and use code BANTER10 for 10% off your order.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Lindsey Mae's "Christmas in July" booking strategy works and how to use it with your own client base
• How a priority system for repeat customers eliminates constant new lead acquisition
• Why capacity planning is actually the competitive advantage in seasonal creative work
• What Lindsey Mae's business coach helped her figure out about strategy and scaling
• How predictable seasonal revenue beats year-round client churn

Welcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. 

Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.

Connect with Zibra: 

• Website
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook 
• YouTube
• Blog

Lacey Hennessy’s art career started with painted fraternity coolers at Clemson and a Facebook business page she named during accounting class. Years later, one Instagram post about wanting to paint a mural led to a taco restaurant project that paid the equivalent of one month of her corporate salary in three days. In this episode, Lacey explains how she grew that experiment into Lacey Does, a commission-driven business with more than 300 murals and a client process built around clear expectations. She breaks down her “box method” for matching a mural’s scope to the client’s budget, why she collects 50% before beginning the design, and how detailed contracts helped other muralists take over her scheduled projects after a colorectal cancer diagnosis. Lacey also shares the hands-on Instagram strategy that grew her audience, her plans to build income beyond murals, and how she protects roughly 10 weeks each year for travel. Plus, why it would take a truly unreasonable amount of money to get her painting fraternity coolers again.

Lacey Hennessy is the Greenville, South Carolina-based artist, muralist, and entrepreneur behind Lacey Does. Her bold, playful work spans murals, custom commissions, originals, prints, textiles, licensing projects, and coaching for other artists.

Connect with Lacey:

• Website 
• IG
• TikTok
• Facebook

Creative finds:

• The 1" Angled Brush officially joins the Zibra lineup on September 17! Save 10% on your Zibra order with code BANTER10. 

In this episode, we discuss:

• How one Instagram goal led to Lacey’s first mural… and $6,500 in three days
• Why she replaced Hennessy in the Home with a personal brand that leaves room for murals, textiles, licensing, and future partnerships
• How the “box method” gives clients clear choices based on their wall, priorities, and budget
• Why painting is step seven in Lacey’s 10-step mural process
• How collecting 50% upfront protects the value of the concept and design work
• Why detailed contracts and a trusted muralist network kept her projects moving during cancer treatment
• How targeted engagement, batch content, and shameless self-promotion helped grow her audience without turning every post into a sales pitch

Welcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. 

Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.

Connect with Zibra: 

• Website
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook 
• YouTube
• Blog

Hannah Eddy has built a career across murals, snowboards, apparel, products, and gallery walls while keeping her bold colors and playful characters easy to spot. Her roots in skate and snowboard culture helped turn old camp connections into collaborations with Vans, Patagonia, Hydro Flask, and more. She opens up about the project choices, business boundaries, and lifestyle decisions that protect her creative energy. You’ll hear how she stays easy to hire while keeping the work unmistakably hers.

Hannah Eddy is a Reno-based artist and muralist known for bold color, crisp lines, playful landscapes, and recurring characters influenced by skateboarding, snowboarding, and the outdoors. Her work appears across murals, gallery walls, skateboards, apparel, products, and collaborations with brands including Vans, Patagonia, Santa Cruz Skateboards, and Hydro Flask.

Connect with Hannah:

• IG
• Website
• Hannah Eddy at Gallery ERGO
• Hannah Eddy at ABV Gallery

Creative Finds:

• The 1" Angled Brush is coming back for good. Keep an eye on enjoyzibra.com for the drop date and save 10% on your Zibra order with code BANTER10.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why a recognizable style can make the right brand projects easier to land – and the wrong ones easier to decline.
• A look at how years inside the skate and snowboard community opened doors no cold pitch could force.
• What Hannah’s camper, six off-grid years, and low-overhead life taught her about protecting creative freedom.
• Why a one-year licensing term can keep an artist’s characters from quietly slipping out of their control.
• What artists often overlook when Instagram starts replacing gallery openings, local art nights, and actual conversations.

Welcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. 

Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.

Connect with Zibra: 

• Website
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook 
• YouTube
• Blog

One artist joined the voting push with 26 votes while another submission had more than 300. Another almost skipped the application altogether. In this Golden Brush Awards roundtable, Eugene O’Neill, Sophie Groenstein, Julia Kenyon, Sydney Rae, and Sabah Bardhan unpack the decisions behind five winning pieces: painting a monumental portrait of Buddhist nun Jun Son while working until 2 a.m., layering exterior house paint to create a saturated hometown portrait, earning a client’s trust for bright orange-and-blue peacocks, experimenting on the wall to recreate coffee-watercolor texture, and wrestling with a human figure and one particularly stubborn set of hands inside a Denver restaurant. The recognition gave each artist fresh evidence that the risky idea, unfamiliar technique, or last-minute submission was worth following through.

Eugene O’Neill, Sophie Groenstein, Julia Kenyon, Sydney Rae, and Sabah Bardhan are the artists behind five winning projects from Zibra’s 2025 Golden Brush Awards. Their work spans large-scale community murals, portraiture, restaurant interiors, coffee-inspired realism, and a peacock-covered anniversary chest.

Connect with the 2025 Golden Brush Award winners:

Eugene O’Neill – Transformation of the Year

• IG
• Website

Sophie Groenstein – Color Crush

• IG
• Website

Julia Kenyon – Vision to Reality

• IG
• Website
• TikTok

Sydney Rae – Stroke of Genius

• IG
• Website
• Facebook
• My Mural Studio

Sabah Bardhan – Detail Devotion

• IG
• Website
• Facebook

Creative finds:

• The 2025 Golden Brush Awards
• Muralgarten
• Sunny Dayz Mural Festival
• My Mural Studio

A Quick Note from Zibra:

🚨 Zibra’s most-requested brush size drops July 30… The NEW 1/8-inch Detail Brush will be available in square, triangle, and round. Use code BANTER10 for 10% off when you shop the launch at enjoyzibra.com!

In this episode, we discuss:

• How Eugene rallied real-life community groups after seeing his 26 votes next to another entry’s 300-plus
• Why full creative freedom became its own challenge when Eugene chose to paint Buddhist nun and peace activist Jun Son
• How Sophie layered exterior house paint to give Tulsi its saturated color and velvety softness
• How sample swatches helped Sabah earn a client’s trust for a bold orange-and-blue peacock design
• Why Sydney spent extra time experimenting with coffee-inspired texture instead of falling back on her usual crisp lines
• How Julia used a human figure, difficult hands, flowing smoke, and white space to create movement inside a Denver restaurant
• How recognition helped Sophie advocate for bolder color, Julia pursue travel work, and Sydney seek more textured commercial murals

Welcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. 

Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.

Connect with Zibra: 

• Website
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook 
• YouTube
• Blog

Abby Pawley started by painting surfboards in Virginia Beach, then said yes to a 50-foot mural festival wall that changed everything. Five years later, her work has shown up in Amazon’s main entrance, an IKEA Monet collaboration, local landmarks, and commercial spaces across her community. Abby shares how she left a warehouse job with no perfect plan, followed up until clients answered, handled the panic of large-scale projects, and learned to keep painting through the ugly middle when even she needed to trust the process. She also talks honestly about AI-generated client requests, social media pressure, public rejection, and the kind of persistence that can turn a “no” into the next wall.

Abby Pawley is the Virginia Beach artist and muralist behind Pawley Prints, creating colorful murals, coastal-inspired pieces, and large-scale commercial work for brands and local spaces. Based in Virginia Beach, her work carries the influence of her high school art teachers, who encouraged her early on, and the community that helped her grow.

Connect with Abby:

• Website
• IG
• TikTok

Creative Finds:

• Zibra 1/8" Detail Brush – our most requested size, launching July 30 at enjoyzibra.com (use code BANTER10 for 10% off)

In this episode, we discuss:

• Why Abby left her warehouse job after her first mural, even without a perfect plan
• How steady follow-up helped turn an Amazon referral into a real project
• Why referrals still require persistence, clear communication, and self-advocacy
• What changes when your work moves from small surfaces to 50-foot walls
• How artists can get through the ugly middle of a project without spiraling
• Why Abby’s most effective social media posts are often the simple, honest ones
• How sharing rejection can build trust with your audience and help other artists keep going

Welcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. 

Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.

Connect with Zibra: 

• Website
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook 
• YouTube
• Blog

Every creative starts in “yes mode.” Say yes to every project, every client, every opportunity, because that’s how you grow. But at some point, that pace stops working. In this minisode, Jen Talley, Courtney Wiesel, Alli K Designs, and the Off the Walls Murals team share what changed when they started getting more selective. Turning down projects that don’t fit. Referring work instead of forcing it. Protecting time, energy, and family life. These are the decisions that shape a business you can actually keep up with. If you’ve been stretched thin or stuck taking on work that doesn’t feel like you anymore, this conversation brings you back to what matters, and shows how saying no creates space for better work, better clients, and a business that fits your life.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why Jen Talley shifted from saying yes to everything to choosing projects that actually fit her life and direction
• What changes when you stop trying to be everything to everyone and start building around your strengths
• How Alli K Designs handles out-of-scope requests by referring, delegating, or bringing in the right people instead of doing it all
• How understanding your market helps you say no with confidence, and avoid work that won’t sell or scale
• The mindset shift that helps you price, choose, and operate like your ideal client.
• The Off the Walls Murals team’s approach to setting work hours, protecting family time, and keeping the business sustainable

Hit rewind on these episodes:

• Selling on Marketplace in 2026 with Jen Talley of Perfectly Imperfect Furniture Refinishing
• Coming Back From a Creative Break with Courtney Weisel of Steel Birch Studios
• Setting Your Prices as an Artist with Alli K Design
• Building a Creative Business with Your Best Friend feat. Caroline & Tianna of Off the Walls Murals

Welcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. 

Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio.

Connect with Zibra: 

• Website
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Facebook 
• YouTube
• Blog