“I met all of the people that live in this building. It’s awesome that I make some friendships every time I do a piece in this area. I have a few pieces down here. I bounce all around. I’m forty two and have been painting since I was seventeen. This has been my career, without having another job, for about three years. It’s been a twist of fate. I lost my job and I’ve been doing art full-time and it’s been great. It’s definitely a hustle.

Everybody’s different and artists are so weird. We’re just so different. You can’t half ass it. You have to be full force. It’s hard being your own boss. It’s a hell of a lot easier to have some other person tell you what to do for a while and you get to go home with a check rather than having to make it happen for yourself. There’s something to be said when you’re able to paint full-time. I’m fortunate. They don’t tell you about that hard stuff in art school. You have to motivate yourself and connect with people. A lot of what I do is word of mouth.

Be kind to each other. It’s been such a mess. I have three damn kids that have to grow up and deal with this. Just love each other and make art.” - Casey, Russell