In my early 20’s i worked in a skate and scooter shop that started selling Graffiti Art supplies, coincidentally Graffiti Art was a life long passion of mine, an art form id been practising for many years.
Parents would come in to buy skateboards or scooters for there kids and started seeing all the art supplies and posters and magazines displaying the graffiti art.
A parent asked me if i knew anyone who could paint art like that in there house, of there kids name, on there kids bedroom wall! I said I could and they paid me $200 for what took me 30 minutes and cost barely anything in supplies. I ended up doing this for multiple customers too.
On another occasion a parent who saw all the art and art supplies asked if i knew anyone who could teach her son how to paint like that. She said he was getting in a lot of trouble and couldn’t participate in school but he was absolutely obsessed with graffiti and that if someone could teach him how to paint she’d be able to get funding from her sons distance education provider. I said i could and went on to get paid what felt like an astronomical amount compared to my retail salary. I’d spend a few hours with her son each week teaching him everything about aerosol art from can control to the history of the art form. Eventually taking him on an expedition to a popular (legalised) graffiti wall in our neighbourhood where he was absolutely stoked to be able to contribute a piece of art among some of the greatest artists in our city.
One day I was just going about my life working my usual retail job, the next day i’m getting paid to teach paint art in peoples houses and teach others how to do it too.