Creativity is a funny thing. Nothing makes me feel more uplifted than being creative, but when I’m feeling low, unmotivated, fearful, anxious, or just plain “pants,” I can’t seem to do the very thing I know would help me feel better! Why is that?

Earlier this year life got tricky, and I didn’t create anything for six months. Just keeping on top of life’s basics felt hard enough, and there was no ‘space’ for art. Looking back, I wish I’d carved out ten minutes here and there — but the longer I stayed away, the harder it felt to start again.

And then, in June, the universe dropped a big ‘kick up the bum’ into my lap!

Getting the Call:

Out of the blue, Upfest — the team behind Europe’s largest street art festival — emailed me. Did I want to paint a mural on a two-storey building in Weston-Super-Mare for their Weston Wallz Paint Festival 2023?

I’ve been going to Upfest for YEARS, and last year I painted a board 'live' for it which was so much fun. But painting a BIG mural for Upfest had always been on my art bucket list - I definitely wasn’t expecting to tick it off quite so soon though! And after six months of no creativity, the thought of my first creative endeavour being a gigantic mural - my biggest wall ever in fact - was terrifying!

But I said yes!. Then promptly panicked. But just like that, the spark began to return.

Designing the Mural: Bold Colours and New Experiments

Since this was such a bucket list moment, I wanted to go bold and push myself. And as always, I wanted my work to radiate joy — especially after so long in the creative doldrums.

I played around in Photoshop, layering my signature shapes, adding drop shadows, playing with textures and colours. My social media followers were cheering me on so I invited them to help me pick the main background colour through a poll (the darker blue was the favourite!).

Then came the logistics. How the hell do you get giant geometric shapes onto a house wall? My solution was to make templates and stencils with clever foldable sections that I could actually carry. This involved making a scaled down drawing of the house, adding the design, then scaling the measurements of the shapes back up again so I could accurately make the templates out of thin card.  It was fiddly, time-consuming and mathematical - NOT my strong point. But precision matters when your shapes are geometric, mistakes are so obvious — and I did not want wonky shapes!

So, design done, templates done, paints ordered - I was ready!

Painting Process: From DIY Tools to Spray Paint

I packed up my trusty old van and headed to Weston. The amazing Upfest team had already got the scaffolding up and given the wall a fresh coat of the poll-winning blue.

By far the hardest and most annoying part was getting the design drawn out. Walls are never as straightforward as they look, and scaffolding, wind, and giant cardboard templates totally did my head in! But once it was mapped out I felt excited to start painting.

I wanted to create a textured background that would contrast nicely with the flat, clean edged shapes that would be on top - much more like my original artworks would have.  So I made my own home-made painting gadgets!

Painting gadget#1 was a foam roller with sections cut away so that it created a repeat pattern of uneven dashes. I absolutely loved how this came out! I love its simplicity and the textured imperfections the foam makes, giving the wall a human hand-made touch.

Painting Gadget #2 was a giant “paint compass” made from a length of wood with a couple of wide brushes screwed into one end and a long screw in the other for the fixed point. This tool allowed me to create some giant brushy circles which I love.

The rest of the mural was painted using spray paints (wearing my trusty spray mask). It was tough on the legs constantly going up and down 3 levels of scaffolding all day, and I developed the dreaded achey ‘spray arm’. And by the end of each of the five days it took to complete,  I was utterly shattered, covered in paint and desperate for a hot dinner and a hot bath!

Why Murals Matter: People, Community and Colour

One of the best things about painting in public spaces is the people. People want to talk to you, ask questions, show their gratitude and give you their opinions and advice! There was the cool dude in a trilby hat and dangly skull earring who stopped by every day to discuss my progress. And the little girl on a pink bike, full of helpful ideas, one being that I should add her name somewhere (sorry Rosie!). And the lovely lady in a wheelchair, who very patiently waited for me to move my ladder and all my crap out of her way and then said my mural was “absolutely worth waiting for.” All day, every day I had these very different interactions with people and I loved it.  Oh, apart from the bloke who vomited at the bottom of my ladder!

The other ‘people’ who impacted me in a positive way, were of course the other artists. Watching them work, chatting, sharing tips, the encouragement, the laughter and the much deserved end-of-the-day beer - it’s THE BEST!

This is why murals are so powerful. They don’t just change a wall; they change how people feel walking past it. They brighten streets, lift moods, spark conversations, and make communities feel more alive. 

How Painting This Mural Changed Me Too

By the end, I was exhausted but elated. Painting this mural pushed me physically, mentally, and creatively — but it gave me so much in return. It restored my spark, reminded me who I am, and why I create in the first place. Murals don’t just transform towns like Weston-Super-Mare, sometimes they transform the artist too. 

Hurrah for colour. Hurrah for creativity. And hurrah for walls that remind us who we are.