This was never intended. It was born out of my own frustrations. I started making stickers back in 2008. Looking back I was unknowingly speaking to myself. Placing stickers on things excited me. Seeing them every day strangely made me feel like I existed, and my day job wasn’t giving me that same sense of fulfilment. As I became more aware of its potency, I became obsessed. Stickers became posters. Posters got tiled together. I began going out at night. I needed extension poles. I started looking at buildings differently. They were no longer structures, but opportunities to communicate. Before I knew it I was a better at climbing then anything else. 

As people began to take notice their curiosity awoke a line of questioning. The cloud had no apparent motive. It wasn’t telling you anything, and this state of flux was confusing. It was an anomaly in an environment crowded with direct messaging. I only understood this once others questioned it. And then I realised that I myself had not been questioning. I had accepted the status quo, even though I grew up with punk sensibilities; the ultimate anti-establishment movement. How had I let that happen? The power of social order and societal structure had blurred my vision, and led me to a point where I felt valueless.   

The cloud gave me meaning. The community it fostered gave me a sense of belonging. The risks I took empowered me. And I was good at it. And so at 28 years old I quit my day job. It was scary. I was moving into the unknown, and with that came opportunity. I had time to dedicate myself to the foundations I had unknowingly built. And with every step I took I learnt something about myself, and my perception of the environment around me evolved. It helped shaped my beliefs and still does. 

Changing something you are unhappy with seems reasonable but manifests itself as one of the hardest things you can do. Realising the influence of subliminal messaging, and social constructs helped wake up what was dormant inside of me. It altered my perceptions. It changed my life. But this isn’t just about me. This is there for you to take what you need from it. I hope it gives you a sense of belonging and empowerment. 

I’ve labelled myself as an artist, but really I’m just a human being still learning what that means. 

Your friend,

Marwan