Eye Cough

Eye Cough’s story starts in a quiet, ordinary way. As a kid, they would sit at their Nana’s house with crayons and printer paper while the adults talked. It was just something to pass the time until one day their Nana placed an elephant statue in front of them and said, draw this.

They did.

Everyone was impressed, and that small moment of validation stayed with them. They are still chasing that feeling now.

Planning vs Freestyling

These days their process depends on the situation. If it is a paid mural, they sketch it out first. When money is involved, everyone needs to agree before the paint goes on the wall.

But the freestyled pieces are the ones that feel the most alive. When a client gives them full freedom, it feels like lightning striking. No overthinking. No second guessing. Sometimes they just show up with a paint roller and trust themselves to solve it in real time. Some of their strongest work has come from that space.

One piece that still means a lot to them is simple: a Tubby Toad sitting on a Toadstool. They painted it during the SpraySeeMO Mural Fest in 2020. It is hidden in a random alley, the kind of spot you would never find unless you were looking for it.

That hidden feeling is what makes it special. It is not chasing attention. It just exists, waiting.

The Struggle

Their inspiration pulls from real life and imagination at the same time. Real textures, real light, real perspective, but always with a dreamy twist. They want the murals to feel grounded while still leaving something mysterious behind.

What most people do not see is the mental weight that comes with it.

They think about quitting almost every day. Art has always been a love hate relationship. It is not always passion and magic. Sometimes it feels like labor. Like obligation.

Still, quitting is not really an option.

Without creating, they feel like a slug, stuck and disconnected. Art is how they survive.

They picture themselves as that old badass painter still killing murals at 50. Lately, they have been leaning more into spontaneity. Less sketching. More showing up. More catching lightning instead of controlling it.

Style Over Everything

They are also investing more energy into YouTube, hoping for deeper human connection through longer videos. If it were up to them, they would leave Meta behind, but real life keeps them tied to it.

When asked what advice they would give other artists, they kept it simple:

“Style is king. Do what you love. Do it a lot. If you focus on quantity over quality for long enough, the quality will eventually catch up. Nobody can fake your vibe. Nobody else can be you better than you.”

At the end of the day, Eye Cough paints to survive. In the process, they create small worlds for the rest of us, tucked into walls and alleys, waiting to be found.

Follow Eye Cough

IG: @eye_cough

YouTube: @eye_cough

Website: eyecough.com

Off Record Magazine

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