Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jurni Bayoc. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jurni , appreciate you joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

The first time I got a commission through Chalk in the Lou was to do a happy birthday message for a little girl who lived in my neighborhood. I remember getting the dm and thinking it was a joke because there was no way someone would want to pay me for what I was doing and then reality hit me and I was like “woah, this is real”. I had no idea what I was doing in terms of pricing and all that, I was just excited to have the opportunity. When it came down to the actual day, I remember being amazed that my hands were actually doing it, because it was a ridiculously cold, October morning, but it ended up coming out better than the sketch and that was kind of the beginning of everything.

Jurni , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Jurni Bayoc and I run the Instagram account @ChalkintheLou. I started this account in early 2020 under the name @beenewsbzz while I was going to school in Chicago because I wanted to be a part of the street art scene. At that time I was making little cards that I called “Bee Notes of Kindness”, but then when the pandemic hit and I tried to transfer that into chalking, but that just wasn’t working. I had always had more fun with lettering, so after a while I changed @beenewsbzz to @chalkinthelou and started focusing more on the positive statements. Chalking in the park was a great way to get out during the height of the pandemic and to reach other people who also used that space as a way to escape.

I’m not really sure what sets me apart from others since every artist shares their own thing with the world, I just do what I do in a way that I enjoy and hope that it reaches the right person. I’m really proud of all the things I’ve accomplished through this little page and the impact I’ve been able to have on people. Whenever someone approaches me while I’m chalking and asks, “are you Chalk in the Lou?” or “are you the one who’s been chalking those words in here”, it really does mean so much to me because it always reaffirms that these simple letters touch people in a positive way.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect is probably seeing the positive affect it has to the people who see it. I love being able to make a difference in others’ lives even just for a brief moment.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Not everything will be or has to be perfect. I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist and when it comes to posting things for the public to see, it gets a bit worse. So when I would make mistakes (i.e. a crooked line or misspelling a word), I would force myself to just continue on because I felt it was important for people to see that mistakes still happen and that doesn’t make what you created any less special.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @chalkinthelou