What are you often doing at that hour?
I’m usually trying not to think about tasks for the next day – materials to buy, what steps of the process need to happen next, and coordinating with colleagues – but as they come, I lay in bed and jot them down so that I can rest knowing that they are captured. I’m happy to have a clear game plan in the morning. Often, right before bed, my creative juices start to flow and I can envision color schemes I’d like to try or unique strategies for implementing a design. I make sketches with notes that I hope to be able to decipher the next day.

What are you never doing at that hour?
I rarely create art that late at night, though it can be tempting! I need my sleep… especially as a working mother.

What do you like most about this part of your day?
Usually I’m happy to have gotten one step closer to finishing a project or one step closer to starting the creative part of a project.  A lot of logistics go into large public art installations, so getting closer to the actual implementation is exciting. I also enjoy the rest – being a muralist is physically demanding work and my feet, back and arms need to recover before going at it again the next day. 

What do you like least about this part of your day?
Not much! 10-11pm is a time of rest and reflection, which I appreciate a lot. 

How can you tell when your work is going well?
When I know my next move. If I know where and how to jump back in as soon as I get back to work, I feel great. While staring at a wall in order to determine the best course of action is necessary, I have to say that showing up at the job site knowing what color I am going to lay in or having a specific part of the mural I’m going to focus on (the oak tree, fish, juniper, water) is exciting. Being in the “flow” of the work where you can take chances and play is great. That’s where I know I can succeed. 

How can you tell when it isn’t, and what do you do to address it?
I can get pessimistic if colors of strategies are not going as expected. If I don’t like how it looks I can forget that it will get better and I can always find a solution. Better yet, the mistakes often lend to the final beauty of the work. I usually try to power through and either work on a different part of the wall or just cover the part I don’t like and start over. If I continue to struggle, I try to leave it alone and work on something else so I can come back to it with fresh eyes and energy.

Sonya’s recent mural, Regenerative Landscapes, which she created with Richie Morales as part of the WID Illuminating Discovery Hub’s Science to Street Art initiative, can be seen at the State Line Distillery. She is currently working on an interpretive mural for Dane County Parks at the Lussier Family Heritage Center. Learn more at www.sonyasankaran.com or @sonya.sankaran.