Dare to paint beyond the surface - Stephanie Scott

Stephanie Scott is an artist and designer who creates large-scale murals that transform corporate offices, restaurants, and public spaces across North America. Her work bridges decorative arts history with contemporary design, blending hand-painted and digitally-printed installations that tell stories rooted in community, nature, and timeless symbolism. In this conversation, Stephanie reveals her journey from a supportive arts high school program to becoming one of the most sought-after muralists in the Kitchener-Waterloo region. She discusses the creative philosophy behind designing work that thousands will see daily, the challenge of avoiding trends while staying relevant, and why she deliberately avoids having a signature style. Stephanie opens up about the psychological pull of overwork, the dance-like flow state of painting, and why she believes human creativity will always have something AI can never replicate—the physical, embodied experience of creation itself. Key Takeaways Deliberately avoids having one signature style because she would "lose her mind" doing the same approach repeatedly—her creativity demands variety Research process involves listing obvious ideas first, then discarding them to dig deeper beyond surface-level cliches and predictable imagery Draws inspiration from decorative arts history : antique malls, old dinner plate motifs, Victorian engravings, tapestries, cabinets of curiosities, and historical design books Aims for longevity over trendiness by incorporating nature, history, and universally understood imagery that won't feel dated in five years Says yes to nearly every good opportunity or repeat client because optimism about potential makes her reluctant to turn down work that could lead somewhere interesting Finds painting murals physically and mentally rewarding despite exhaustion—describes entering a "dance" with the medium where she feels the weight of paint and instinctively knows when to adjust Works with tight timelines on international projects that have opened doors to larger clients and more challenging work beyond her local region Refuses to use psychology as a design framework because she knows she'd "never emerge from that rabbit hole"—prefers intuitive creative decisions Creates modular, adaptable designs that can work vertically and horizontally, extracted into standalone pieces—like visual puzzles requiring intense mental energy Most of her large-scale work is hidden inside buildings rather than public exterior murals, seen daily by employees in lobbies, conference rooms, and office spaces Learned to say no to projects she's not the right fit for but struggles to turn down work from valued clients or objectively good opportunities Believes creativity-based work is safer than talent-based work in an AI-disrupted world because creativity requires constant reinvention and adaptation Daring Creativity. Daring Forever. Podcast with Radim Malinic daringcreativity.com | desk@daringcreativity.com Books by Radim Malinic Paperback and Kindle > https://amzn.to/4biTwFc Free audiobook (with Audible trial) > https://geni.us/free-audiobook Book bundles https://novemberuniverse.co.uk Lux Coffee Co. https://luxcoffee.co.uk/ (Use: PODCAST for 15% off) November Universe https://novemberuniverse.co.uk (Use: PODCAST for 10% off)