From humble man to superstar

William Mitchell from Mitchell in Queensland has wanted to draw ever since he was a boy.

‘I would draw whatever came to my mind,’ William said. ‘If I didn't like it, I would rub it out and start again.’

Then William got the chance to paint walls, including the outside walls on the Work For the Dole Training Center in Mitchell.

Sue Bylett from Rapad Employment South Queensland, a CDP provider in the region, worked with William.

‘William and I came up with an idea on how we could promote his wall art for sale,’ Sue said.

‘I showed William a website called Vistaprint and the range of products in which he could display his art for sale.’

‘We took photos of the walls and uploaded them to Vistaprint, putting the art on mugs, calendars, keyrings, cards, bags, coasters, and face masks. On the back of most of these products is a photo of William with his name.’

The items are on display in the Rapad Employment South Queensland (RESQ) Office in Mitchell where passersby can view them and pop inside to purchase.

William said the successful sale of his art has ‘spun me out’.

‘[It] was really hard to say a speech at the opening of the display,’ he said.

‘Never thought my paintings would take off like this and go so far. It has changed my confidence in a big way. I feel very proud, from being humble to being a superstar.’

RESQ are looking at putting up similar displays in their Charleville and Cunnamulla offices. William has established his own business, Willy’s Art and he has plans to have his products and paintings displayed in more shop windows to be sold far and wide.

‘Thank you to RESQ and Sue for making this happen, for giving me a start,’ he said. And Sue couldn’t be happier. ‘William’s confidence has grown enormously since starting ‘Willy’s Art’ more than I had imagined, I am so proud of watching him tackle his barriers, with success,’ she said.