DIY: Affirmation Mural

This tool shed mural at the Free Farm, designed by Ilyse Magy, is designed to provide interfaith affirmations that encourage people to achieve their goals, have a positive attitude and to use the spiritual resources that might support their growth.

We hope you will recreate this project in your neighborhood. The simple steps below will show you how.

Step 1: Prime the mural space. We completed this task by using recycled paint that you can pick up from the San Francisco dump for free. A few coats of white paint serves as a great primer (we primed this large tool shed in about 3 hours).Step 2: Paint the background colors of the mural. We used rollers and brushes to complete this task in just one day. The background should be interesting and beautiful, but also not too distracting from the words that will get painted on top of it.
Step 3: Add the instructions to the shed. These instructions will enable the mural to become interactive. Our instructions were designed for painting on a tool shed. You may need to tailor yours to the space you are painting. "What tools do you need to manifest what you want to see in the world? What tools do you need to manifest what you want to see in yourself? What tools do you have? What tools does the world have? What is it that you want to create, build, manifest? What is it that you want to tend to cultivate? What is it that you want to celebrate?"
Step 4: Create opportunities for the community to add their words to the mural. Join us on April 16th to add your words of affirmation to our mural!

Step 5: Seal the shed. After the project is over, seal the mural with a weather proof sealant that can help protect the paint colors from fading in the sun and make it easier to clean off graffiti. If you're unsure about what kind of sealant to use, talk to someone at your local hardware store. Note to people worried about the use of chemicals in a garden space, please know that it is possible to use less harmful paints, but that there isn't a good way to seal the mural that does not involve chemicals.