Welcome to my newsletter blog
Hello and welcome to my Newsletter ‘The Cherry Picker’! Here you’ll find cherry picked thoughts from my life as an illustrator and muralist along with tips, ideas and musings on public art, motherhood and life running my small business (with a few photos of my rescue cat Linny thrown in for good measure)! It has taken me a longtime to write this, partly because I wasn’t sure if anyone would read it, and also because I’m not really a writer…but I suppose if I never write a dot both of those thoughts will remain true so here goes!
Why ‘The Cherry Picker’?
A friend told me the other day how brave and determined I am running my art business. It’s not the first time I‘ve heard this but I don’t feel particularly brave. I have put myself in a lot of situations that look daring….like living in France when I was 21 even though I didn’t know an ounce of French (oui oui). And quitting my comfortable £40K career job to pursue art at the age of 30 without so much as a plan.
Truth is it took me about 5 years to build the confidence to leave my job (and it was work induced depression and anxiety that meant I had no choice). And France was an opportunity that I said yes to when it landed in my lap (inbox). I’m very good at saying yes and figuring things out later. I am much less good at seeking out the scary good opportunities.
However….this week I did something that felt properly bold…I booked my cherry picker license training! Instead of waiting for a BIG painting project to come to me, and hurriedly learning how to operate a scissor lift, I’m preparing now and putting it out there into the universe. I’m wearing my big girl pants, my big girl hard hat and my big girl steel toe cap boots and actively looking for the big girl walls to paint. That feels like a momentous shift and I’m excited for the projects it means I’ll be able to do. Its also the inspiration for this blog. I’m excited to bring you on the journey as I learn to use a scary bit of kit (they call them MEWPs!) and I’ll also be cherry picking stories, projects and snippets from the world of Mama Murals to share with you.
What to expect from the Cherry Picker, a delightful mix of:
Art & life - a mixture of day to day life as a muralist and mama (actual juggling!)
Behind The Scenes - The makings of murals from site visits to painting in the rain
Project updates - A look at current, past and present art projects
Tips and Tricks & Tutorials - Nuggets to take into your own projects or spaces
My journey - Inspirational (hopefully) stories about career change, public speaking and art
General musings - Thoughts on creativity, connection & public art
My Art Life.
Stick around and I’ll share with you the ins and outs of life at Mama Murals, from painting on site (up a cherry picker maybee..?) to designing new art, my process, my progress and everything in between. I’ll also share some snippets of my career change journey - it was not straight forward. You can learn from my mistakes or laugh along with / at me (it involves 8 part time jobs in 4 years and a failed attempt to become a barista). I’m also excited to start running workshops in 2026 so stay tuned for those!
I also promised cat photos so here is Linny showing both of his good sides. A rescue street cat from Birmingham he will eat anything (including once the top of a lemon muffin, a sewing needle and through a packet of pitta bread). A blossoming relationship has formed with the baby as he waits attentively beneath the high chair for scraps to come flying his way.
Thank you for reading this far. Speak soon.
Em aka Mama Murals
