art
What Does it Mean to Live a Good Life?
A moving mural honors a big journey
In 2019, a dear friend told me they were headed out on a big journey, leaving behind a well paying job, security, and expectations that they, and their family, had made about their future. They were off to explore "What Does It Means To Live A Good Life?" (WDIMTLAGL?) by selling most of their possessions and moving into a van.
When they showed me the van they purchased, I instantly saw a blank page ripe with potential -- and a way to embody my admiration and support for their journey.
I shared an idea for a mural and we refined a vision together. In under a week, in spare moments before and after work painting to the light of my headlamp, the vision became a reality. (When I get into moments of creative flow, all else fades away.) 15 solid hours of work later, the mural was complete.
The mural invokes the excitement and the absurd, with swirling colors blasting through the sky. The natural scenes compiled in the mural reflect places that would be significant backdrops in my friend's journey as they explored the question WDIMTLAGL? -- the mural begins in Boulder, Colorado, passes into the Upper Rockies and Sierras, to Yosemite (with El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridal Veil Falls), and, finally, down to the Southern California coast.
See images of the van and the moving mural below.
