Local Charleston muralist Julie Wheeler always wanted to be an artist. However, with pressure from society to do something more traditional, she decided to pursue event planning. After working in hospitality for a few years, Wheeler turned an unfortunate situation during the pandemic into an opportunity to chase her dreams.

“When COVID-19 hit, I lost my job. I took that time to focus on art and pursue my lifelong passion. I painted on a wall and posted it online, and everything took off from there. I got so much great feedback, and I really didn’t expect it,” Wheeler said.

Although Wheeler is originally from Ohio, she found her home in Charleston and uses the Lowcountry landscape as inspiration in her work. “Charleston is a really unique and special place. I love living near the beach, and a lot of my paintings are inspired by the marshes nearby. People are passionate here. They’re really proud to be from Charleston and live in the Lowcountry. They’re inspiring me to be creative and continue to do what I love every day.”

Wheeler truly loves working with other small businesses and building up her local Lowcountry community.

She shared, “I work with a lot of local businesses in the Lowcountry, especially through mural work. I’m able to build relationships with them and promote their business in a unique and personal way. My mission through art is to make the world a more beautiful place, and it’s amazing to see my art throughout the community!”

At Grow, we’re also passionate about connecting with the communities we serve and supporting small businesses. We jumped at the chance to work with one of our members who shares our values.

Wheeler said, “Grow reached out to me on collaborating to do a mural in one of their stores. They saw some of the work I’ve done and thought it would be cool to reach out to a local artist to do a mural. It’s really humbling when my artwork speaks to someone, and they reach out to request a piece. I honestly just do a little happy dance, it’s super exciting for me! When I’m invited into someone’s home or business, we’re able to create something together and make their space more beautiful.”

Although Wheeler wasn’t sure she’d ever pursue art as a full-time career, the changes 2020 brought were a blessing in disguise for her.

If you’re looking for a piece of art for your home or business in the Lowcountry, you can learn more about Art by Julie Wheeler here. We enjoyed getting to know Julie Wheeler and were so delighted to collaborate with her to celebrate the local Summerville community!

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