First Mural And First Corroborative Work

My neighbourhood friend, Wylie, a clothing and window designer, approached me to do a window display for a first Friday. I have not done a first Friday for a couple of years, so I was nervous. To to top it off, he wanted me to do a small mural, and I have less than three days to pull this off.

I had no idea how I was going to do this. I was not confident if I could do it, and I have unrealistically high expectations of myself. After being an adult for decades, I try too hard to please, to be perfect, and I forget how to “child”. Pablo Picasso said, “Through education comes understanding. Through understanding comes true appreciation. All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

We played with a few ideas and I went home to muse over what we had talked about. I made a digital sketch of the mural and presented it to Wylie. He liked it. Still nervous about if I could pull this off or not, I went to the shop the next day and jumped right into it and, well, just do it. It turned out better than we have imagined. “It’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood.” — Mister Rogers