>> I ENDED UP GOING TO ART COLLEGE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL AND HAD SOME ROOMMATES THAT HAD DONE SOME MURAL WORK AND I THOUGHT, I'M GOING TO GIVE IT A TRY.

AND LONG STORY SHORT, SOME DOORS OPENED FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.

AND I QUICKLY REALIZED, THIS IS A REALLY GOOD SPACE FOR ME.

NOT ONLY AM I ABLE TO CREATE THINGS THAT HAVE BIG IMPACT, I'LL ALSO ABLE TO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE.

NOT JUST WORK IN MY BASEMENT IN THE DARK BY MYSELF AND BE AN ISLAND.

I REALLY ENJOY BEING AROUND PEOPLE.

SO IT WAS A GOOD FIT.

EVERY PROJECT WAS DIFFERENT.

SUBJECT MATTER.

I'M WORKING IN KIDS' LIBRARIES ONE DAY, A RESTAURANT THE NEXT, SOMEBODY'S HOME THE NEXT.

I MEAN, I LOVE IMPACTING A SPACE.

I LOVE CREATING A SPACE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN WALK THROUGH AND HAVE IT BE A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM.

A PLACE WHERE THEY CAN BREATHE, TAKE A DEEP BREATH.

THE PROCESS THAT I GENERALLY GO THROUGH, FIRST OF ALL, HAVING THAT CONVERSATION WITH THE CLIENT, WHATEVER THEY TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH?

YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE FUNCTIONALITY, I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE DEMOGRAPHIC THAT'S GOING TO VIEW IT, I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT CONTEXT, ALL OF THESE THINGS.

I LIKE TO GO INTO THE SPACE TO FEEL IT OUT.

SEE WHO MY NEIGHBORS ARE, WHAT'S AROUND ME, YOU KNOW.

JUST REALLY PROCESS, LIKE, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE ONLY BEAUTIFUL BUT FUNCTIONAL AS WELL.

THIS IS TWO IMPORTANT THINGS FOR ME.

ONCE WE HAVE DECIDED AND I'VE CREATED SOME IMAGES FOR THEM TO APPROVE, THEN AS FAR AS PAINT ON THE WALL GOES, THERE'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO THAT.

IT DEPENDS ON WHAT KIND OF SURFACE IT IS, HOW MUCH ROOM THERE IS BETWEEN THE SURFACE, PROJECT, YOU CAN'T PROJECT, A GRID, AN ASSEMBLY GRID OR WHATEVER IT'S CALLED.

FREEHAND IT.

SOMETIMES I JUST HAVE TO FREEHAND IT.

THEN YEAH, ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF PAINTS AND SPRAY PAINTS AND LATEX PAINT AND HOW MUCH TIME I HAVE AND START TO FINISH THE BIG PICTURE.

>> THERE WAS A LOT OF SPRAY PAINT INVOLVED WITH THE HILLTOP MURAL.

THAT MURAL WAS PROBABLY THE FIRST MURAL DONE THAT WAS PURE SPRAY PAINT.

AND DEFINITELY THE BIGGEST MURAL THAT I'VE EVER DONE WITH SPRAY PAINT.

WE ORDERED A LITTLE OVER 44 COLORS.

AND EACH COLOR THERE WERE LIKE SIX CANS.

SO THERE ARE WELL OVER 200 CANS OF SPRAY PAINT INVOLVED.

SO THE FREE TO BE MURAL, IT STARTED OFF AS SOMETHING WHERE I'M CREATING, AND PEOPLE ARE WALKING BY BUT THEY DON'T REALLY SEE ANYTHING HAPPENING YET.

THEY JUST SEE THIS GIRL, THIS BIG PIECE OF EQUIPMENT.

UNFORTUNATELY THERE WERE A LOT OF CATCALLS, YOU KNOW.

BUT ONCE THE ART STARTED TO GO UP, ALL OF A SUDDEN PEOPLE WERE ENGAGING WITH ART.

THEY WEREN'T PAYING ATTENTION TO THIS RANDOM GIRL.

THEY WERE CURIOUS OR CONFUSED, BUT THEY WERE LIKE, WOW, WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?

THE ART WAS STARTING TO TAKE CENTER STAGE, YOU KNOW, DEMAND ATTENTION.

IT WAS JUST FASCINATING, BECAUSE THE WAY PEOPLE RESPONDED TO ME, IT WASN'T ABOUT THE CATCALLS OR ME OR WHATEVER, BUT IT WAS ABOUT LIKE, WOW, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF ART.

AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THERE WAS THIS, LIKE, AIR OF RESPECT THAN THERE HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY.

ALL OF A SUDDEN I HEAR FROM BEHIND ME, "HEY, IS THIS YOUR WORK?

ARE YOU PAINTING THIS?"

I WAS LIKE, "WHY, YES, I AM."

LIKE, HER JAW WAS DROPPED.

SHE'S LOOKING AT THE MURAL, HER JAW IS DROPPED.

HER DAUGHTER'S EYES WERE HUGE.

AND THEY'RE JUST STARING AT IT, LOOKING AT ME, STARING AT THE WALL, LIKE, THIS IS AMAZING, I LOVE IT.

AND THE LITTLE GIRL WAS LIKE, "MOMMY, CAN I HAVE MY PICTURE TAKEN WITH THE ARTIST?"

IT WAS SO IMPRESSIVE.

I THINK SHE SAW SOMEONE WHO LOOKED LIKE HER, AND THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT.

WE NEED TO SEE PEOPLE THAT LOOK LIKE US.

FRANCESCA MILLER, SHE IS AN ARTIST IN COLUMBUS.

SHE'S ALSO VERY DIFFERENT FROM MINE.

I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF GETTING TO KNOW HER ABOUT FOUR YEARS.

ONE THING I LOVE ABOUT FRANCESCA IS HER RESILIENCE AND THE WAY THAT SHE HAS DETERMINED TO CHOOSE HOPE AND CHOOSE JOY AND CHOOSE, YOU KNOW, ALL THOSE THINGS THAT WE DESIRE.

FOR ME, PUBLIC ART IS A BIG RESPONSIBILITY.

AND I'M NOT TRYING TO JUST CREATE IMAGES THAT LOOK COOL, YOU KNOW, OR MODERN OR WHATEVER.

TO ME, IT'S ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF THE SPACE?

REALLY THINKING ABOUT THE CONTEXT.

AND CREATING IMAGES THAT ARE NOT COMING FROM A PLACE OF ANXIETY OR ANGST, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

FOR ME, PUBLIC ART, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO CREATE IMAGES THAT ARE GOING TO HAVE SOME SORT OF POSITIVE EFFECT ON THE PEOPLE THAT ARE GOING TO ENCOUNTER IT.

WHEN I GET THESE OPPORTUNITIES, I'M JUST OVER THE MOON HONORED, YOU KNOW, THAT I'M BEING TRUSTED WITH SOMETHING THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE HUGELY INSPIRING, IMPACTFUL, INSPIRATIONAL.

AND TO KNOW THAT COMMUTERS ARE GOING TO SEE IT EVERY DAY OR PEOPLE IN THE CLUBHOUSE GET TO SEE IT EVERY DAY.

AND IT ACTUALLY CAN INFLUENCE THEIR MOOD AND THEIR DAY AND THEIR EMOTIONS.

LIKE -- IT'S JUST -- IT'S JUST A HUGE HONOR.

MY HOPE FOR PEOPLE THAT WALK BY WOULD BE THAT THE MURAL WOULD INSPIRE THEM TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD.

THAT THE MURAL WOULD BE A PLACE OF PAUSE AND REALIGNMENT.

LIKE, OKAY, THIS IS ACTUALLY WHO I AM, OR WHAT I CAN BE.

LIKE, MY CIRCUMSTANCES DON'T DEFINE ME, I'M SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.

I HOPE THAT PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT IT AND FEEL SOME SPARK OF HOPE TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD.