This creative ditched his day job to become a full-time art dude

Joel Moore rubbed his eyes and jumped out of bed. The sun was just peaking over the horizon, but he didn’t have time to enjoy it. He had to rush to his confined cubicle and meet the day's deadlines. Just like every other day. Moore had set aside his passion for art to follow a career in finance. But having to sit in an office completing work he didn’t believe in only brought him down. “I always just loved doodling,” Moore says. So, he drew up a plan to bring a dash of colour back into his life. 

In 2014, Moore quit his corporate job. Ditching the workplace for the outdoors, he took his talent to the streets and began creating bold murals in his hometown, Sydney. After attracting attention, Moore founded his own brand under the name Mulga. “Now I’m a full-time art dude,” he says. Incorporating elaborate linework with striking blends of bright hues, Moore creates quirky images of characters enjoying the simple things in life. His art isn’t designed to provoke profound meaning, but rather inspire people to seek out fun. From sunglasses-wearing lions to koalas carrying funky surfboards on their way to the beach, Moore’s work brightens every viewer's day. 

Moore has since published two books, painted award-winning murals, and integrated his work into shirts, cups, and puzzles. Piecing together his passion, Moore is living the dream life. “You may as well do something you love,” he says. “I just want to make people smile.”