Building a New Life: One Mural at a Time

In 2014, Amanda Turner spent a month sleeping in a Florida gymnasium. It was her fifth try at alcohol rehab—in six months. But the day Amanda finished her program, she picked up a paintbrush. She began painting walls and furniture for friends and store owners and, within a year, launched her own business called Ugly Illustration.

Infographic transcript:

In 2014, Amanda Turner spent a month sleeping in a Florida gymnasium. It was her fifth try at alcohol rehab—in six months. She was on the verge of homelessness. The day Amanda finished her program, she picked up a paintbrush and spent 24 hours straight creating this mural on her bedroom wall. "It was the first thing I did that I completed and really enjoyed," she says. Amanda began painting walls and furniture for friends. Soon store owners hired her to paint murals for their shops. Within a year, Amanda launched her own business called Ugly Illustration. Amanda got bit by the travel bug. She backpacked through Costa Rica and Guatemala, offering to paint murals in exchange for accommodation. In Ajijic, Mexico, she painted a mural for a spa for free to get introduced to the community. The mural was a giant postcard with the phrase Hola Ajijic. The spa's owner threw a block party that drew around 100 people. Amanda plans to stay a while and launch a co-working space that sells local art: El Gato Feo Cafe. "Painting has opened the door to some really great opportunities, and I'm so grateful," she says.

Reporting by Renee Morad
Images by Rebekka Dunlap