5 minutes with… Book An Artist Founder, Gaurav Kawar.
A conversation starter, a burst of inspiration, a political message or a reminder of the beauty of life. Art is many things for many people and for Gaurav Kawar, it’s a way to bring communities together. Book an Artist is his way of bringing the world of street and mural art into day-to-day life.
Originating in London where Gaurav lived for 2 years, Book an Artist now operates across the UK and Australia. The platform offers street/mural artists and illustrators the opportunity to commission custom artwork, and anyone searching for custom artwork, a place to find an artist that suits their brief.
How do you usually start your day?
A strong cup of coffee
How do you manage to be productive when working from home?
Luckily this hasn’t been an issue for me (yet!). I find working from home is somehow more productive since there are less distractions. It’s kind of a double-edge sword since less distractions means less downtime throughout the day.
What inspired you to start Book an Artist?
After years in a corporate lifestyle, I wanted to do something that I was passionate about and I love street and mural art.
Do you have a favourite project that you’ve worked on?
Betsy (pictured below). It was our first commission. We painted a mural on some demolition equipment that goes out and “eats” buildings.
Book an Artist is already operating internationally with artists in the UK and Australia. How have you managed to grow so quickly and where’s next?
We’ve been able to grow organically which is fantastic. The first group of artists we had on the platform recommended their friends to join the platform. We really want to grow our customer bases in our current cities before expanding further. We’ve had some impressive corporate clients (Netflix, Jimmy Choo, Sony Music, Mercedes Benz, Premier League Production and One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson to name a few) and I’d love to see our artwork transform households.
Highlight of 2020 so far?
We recently organised a pro bono mural (below) to give thanks to the frontline and essential workers in Australia through the bushfires and now COVID-19. The mural was painted by artist Mase CB. Channel 7 picked us up for their 6pm news which was really exciting. 26 seconds of fame :)
What are your goals for 2020?
Personally, I’d want to schedule in some time to have a break from technology. Professionally, I want to learn as much as I can in the Skalata program so I can build the business into something significant.
What are you reading at the moment?
Right now I’m stuck into a lot of business articles and blogs. I’m itching to read something fun again —I would recommend The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud for anyone who enjoys fantasy novels.
Book an Artist is a Skalata Ventures portfolio company.
