i’ll try: mural design and illustration
creative direction and fine art/painting
i’ve always wanted to paint a mural so one day i thought, “i’m just gonna try it here” and proceeded to plan and paint a wall and a half in a friend’s home gym [with permission] to transform what was a gloomy and uninspiring space to create a space that was much more uplifting as a home gym space.
the first one worked out okay, but not everything we try does, as is often the case with strength sport pursuits for example, but it’s important that we keep trying even if we fail.
skip the process, take me to the final look
before:
[felt like an actual cave]
step one:
a very quick mock up
step two:
prime the very old brick wall [this was already a huge improvement]
step three: paint the image [the background + the black plant]
i didn’t have access to a projector so i kept the details to a minimum while referring to various mock ups.
step four: paint the words
i did one final mock up [right] to decide one exact wording and placement based on the final image already on the wall
“i/you got this” may be a good, encouraging message for the gym [or life] but in my opinion, this sets us up for disappointment if [and inevitably when] we fail.
most don’t win on their first try.
this disappointment leads to self doubt, which makes it harder to get up try again; the more times we fail, the harder it is try again.
so, instead of saying “i/you got this” say “f*ck it, just try it” with less expectations. with less expectations, we might feel less afraid to fail. when we are not afraid to fail, we will be in better shape to try again and again… and have a better chance of one day winning.
anyways, here’s the final result.
