We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Audifax a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Audifax, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When I was young, all I wanted to do was be an artist, but being from a small town and a family trying to make ends meet, art wasn’t encouraged as a career. When it was time to go to college, I didn’t know what to choose and my family didn’t have money to pay for it, so I found random work until I was 25 when I had saved enough money to open a clothing and record store while working other jobs to support it. After four years, the economy shifted and it had to close, leaving me lost once again… But the universe had other plans. While working in an advertising agency and not being able to move forward financially because of a lack of college degree, even though I was told I was doing stellar work, the room became fuzzy and I realized this was a cross roads – a moment of clarity where I understood this wasn’t what I wanted at all. I quit, and using the minimal savings I had, rented a small room and created my first major piece of art as an adult, a life-size (human size) sculpture called ‘Balance.’ Without any assistance or experience, I spent a year making it, and as I stood in front of this finished piece, I understood I needed to create for the world. This is what I was born to do. I sold my things and went to the streets of Europe and began to paint street art. Never before had I felt such a feeling of being home, as I did with a spray can in my hand. Since then, I paved a way for myself as a muralist, knowing that this journey was a miracle; one where I listened to the voice inside my heart. I didn’t give up because that cry inside of all us is there; it’s a flicker of light that begs us to connect. My art, my journey, it means I’m giving you a voice to live your dreams, and I believe in you.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I sold my things and went to the streets of Europe and there I picked up my first spray can. Being an artist since birth, this made perfect sense, but in a society with clear rules about what success looks like, it was rogue. When I felt the presence as I painted, I knew that this was my destiny. I have always loved building, and being a business owner in the past, the rest of what is involved in being a muralist and public artist comes naturally.

After 8 years of painting walls, in my history, I have the raw experience of a street artist, combined with professionalism that provides a grounded sense of reality and allows me to connect with all types of clients and contractors. I offer medium to large-scale murals, art installations and large canvas pieces. I use high-quality materials and have installed murals on historical buildings, interior and exterior walls, including in cold climates. With one returning municipal organization working with me on our 10th mural project, I can confidently say I’m easy to work with. I’ve lead projects with people in schools, jail, a detention center, shelter and those with disabilities, as well as doing solo work for clients in healthcare, municipalities, general businesses and companies. Every project requires management and clear communication for ease and an on-time installation. I’ve grown exponentially in my craft by pushing myself and paying extensive attention to detail, which has honed my technical skills.

To me, this isn’t just a career, it’s utilizing the gifts I was born with and sharing them with the world. I’m proud of every piece I create, and make the best of even the toughest situations. The murals and public art I make continue to bring awe and inspiration to those who see them, which provides the client with the ability to draw people in, and for me, it brings a positive shift to our world through art, which is my goal. I care, and even my logo is a symbol of helping people to see their potential and find inspiration to live their best life.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I began this journey thinking that I was completely alone and for the most part, I was. Believing in myself was the only way to make the dream of becoming an artist my professional reality. The reason I didn’t give up, was because it was in my heart to live this path, and to inspire others who may not feel like they have a choice to become who they know they are and deserve to be. There are several people in my life who saw what I was doing and then had the courage to make their dreams come true, and because of this, they themselves have helped other people. That’s how the ripple effect works. I now do public speaking for youth and adults alike, to help them find inspiration, knowing that someone took a chance and is now painting murals on buildings and making pubic art as a career, when only a decade ago it was a rarity.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

It’s improving, because art is becoming more visible in the public realm and I’m grateful, but only in the art world have I seen a struggle to get paid for one’s time. I’ve often heard things like “you’ll get exposure.” I don’t know any other field where people are expected to work for free, or at a highly discounted rate. I appreciate that there’s a learning curve and know that in my own experience I wanted to cultivate my style and did that by painting on the street first. But even after, I still encounter business owners who want to just pay for materials. Being a muralist is really difficult. It involves a lot of planning, design work, management, insurance and physical labor that not many people can handle, and myself and many of the other detailed professional artists out there deserve and definitely have earned our paychecks.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://audifaxart.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/audifaxart/
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/audifaxart