our story.
Today, Mr Meana is a renowned graffiti artist whose murals grace international venues, from high-end establishments to royal palaces. Find out the story behind what came to be and how he got where he is today.
finding graffiti.
Man, it all kicked off when a couple of sick books crossed the pond from the U.S. and landed here—Spraycan Art and Subway Art. These books were like the gospel, featuring legends from around the world, including our own UK heroes like Goldie and Chrome Angelz. No surprises it’s the most stolen book ever. Right from the jump, I was hooked. I didn’t know what it was, but I wanted in.
the first encounter.
So, the first experience with graffiti was when I was in Dorset. Me and my mate were riding BMXs on a camping weekend. We hear this banging music and of course you’re going to follow the music. We check it out and find two guys laying down the sickest graffiti I’ve ever seen.
No joke, still to this day, it was the biggest illegal piece of graffiti I’ve ever seen. They let us watch and they showed us some everything—can control, styles, the lot. We decided to go back the next day and one even did a piece just for me on plywood. That had to come home, it was safe to say my mates dad wasn’t happy when he had to lug this massive piece of wood back.
hit and run crew.
Back home, the only thing on my mind was graffiti. So we decided our next plan was to jack some spray cans and start practising. We got a few good lads together, formed the Hit and Run Crew, and we were off.
Hitting bridges, trains, vans—you name it. We didn’t tell a single soul. It was kept it on the down-low big time, because we didn’t want anyone to know about what we were doing. It was our thing.
We used it as a bit of a hit out as I was getting bullied at school and it was just one of those things you know. I would even wait for my friends to go to bed, watch them go in through my window before I would set back out to the woods where I stashed my paint.
the artist emerges.
I soon realised that doing the letters was cool, but the characters? That’s where my heart was. As soon as I started focusing on that, doors just flew open. Invites to paint with crews, collabs—everything changed. Everyone loves a good character.
life on the doors.
For a while, I worked doors around London as a doorman. The amount of times I’ve been shot at, weapons thrown at me and all sorts, just for a pay check. But, eventually it set the stage for me.
John, a club owner, got fed up with amateur art on his place. I chatted to him and said I could probably do a better piece that the kid you currently got in. He agreed, so away I went. After it all, John’s like, “Why you wasting time on doors?”. That definitely got me thinking.
portfolio build-up.
So, I started small, doing canvases for mates, charging just 30-40 quid. It wasn’t about the cash; it was about showing what I could do. Slowly, I got gigs for bedroom walls, then more substantial projects.
Finally, I landed a big client who told me, “I don’t care about the money or how long it takes, take your time, just make it look good”. And this is really what launched my career, not being under pressure. I could really take my time to create a really sick piece of art.
where i am now.
Five months later, here I am—eating in swanky joints, getting paid to create art. Flying worldwide, painting for celebs, even got my art in royal palaces. I ain’t stopping; I know this is just the start.
