Mural For Farm + Food Lab | Irvine's Great Park

The shipping container I painted lives in the heart of Farm + Food Lab. It measures 6 meters in length and 2.6 meters in height. It was my first mural project.

I’d be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated when I first saw those ridges, spiderwebs, and colonies of ants running along the edges. But I persevered, and thanks to the wisdom and advice from talented Katya Orlovie and Damin Lujan, this project came to life. Slowly. Over the course of four months.

Why so long, you ask me? Mainly because my head is busy wearing too many hats, and the past two months felt close to what I imagine a dragon’s breath to feel like. And also because I truly enjoyed the early morning hours I spent in the garden, and I didn't want to rush the process. And because there was no deadline to hit.

The illustration I made was inspired by the farm itself. It features different plants that grow there (including the super cool banana tree), chickens that my son is obsessed with, and some ants that got accidentally mummified in the paint but will be honored and remembered, forever and always.

I am also grateful for the support of all the Farm + Food Lab staff who boosted my self-esteem when I was feeling down about my craft and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. They cheered me up, taught me about the history of Orange County farms, and fed me the biggest and most delicious blackberries I've ever tasted.

While working on this mural, I met many great people. Finished multiple audiobooks. Figured out my favorite brushes and application techniques. Improved my Spanish. Learnt cool facts about the vibrant cultures of Latin American countries. Got more comfortable with spiders. Leveled up my art.

And most importantly, nurtured my fractured attention.

A few months ago, I wrote about discovering attention activism through The Strother School of Radical Attention (SoRA). I was introduced to an alternative definition of attention that is not this narrow quantitative thing that’s mostly visual and finite, but how it represents certain ways of being with the world and each other. How it’s shaped by our environment. How we can learn attention anywhere, and also unlearn it. On our own and together.

Coming to Farm + Food Lab a couple of times a week felt like a much needed escape into an attention sanctuary. When I was painting this mural, no one and nothing was trying to extract me for profits. My main audience consisted of birds, monarch butterflies, and rabbits. I don't remember the last time the world felt this quiet.

Even though I put a lot of physical labor into bringing this project to life, I felt more satisfied and at peace than with any digital project I've ever worked on.

I gave it a lot of my time and attention, and it nourished me back. Despite all the ants and mosquitoes who nourished at me.

And ultimately, this mural made for a beautiful transition into my life in Southern California.

Moving cities and starting from scratch is never easy, and it can, at times, feel overwhelming. Attending to this project gave me purpose beyond setting things from ground up for myself and my family. Getting used to new home, new directions, new school, new people, new everything.

With this colorful mural, I left my mark. My signature. Creativity.

I no longer feel like a stranger to Irvine.

My roots catching on.

And harvest is ready.