“People want to feel seen—and I felt that energy while working on this mural”

If you’ve driven through the underpass on College Avenue in Clarkston in the last few weeks, you might have noticed a blur of bright color as you zoomed past. If you stopped at the red light, though, those colors would take shape into a painting depicting life in the surrounding area, which is home to residents originating from over 40 different countries: a musician from Burundi with a red and green drum, the local mosque, Masjid al-Momineen, two friends sitting down for coffee. 

The Clarkston Community Center unveiled the mural, Clarkston Is Home, on August 2, celebrating its completion with neighbors, city officials, and local artists. The large-scale painting is part of an effort to center community stories through art and culture in the small Dekalb County city. 

The mural’s creator, Trudy Tran, is a Vietnamese American artist and illustrator who grew up in Georgia. A full-time artist only since 2024, she’s already worked for clients as big as MARTA, AT&T, and Penguin Random House, as well as on public art projects with cities and local nonprofits. She told us about how Clarkston Is Home came together, what inspired her—and, of course, what she loves most about Atlanta.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

How did you get started as an artist? 

I was always drawing on my homework and classwork as a little kid. Doodling was my excuse to get out of social interactions and my way of passing the time. After taking a long break in high school to focus on my academics, I didn’t take my art seriously until college, where I decided to study fine arts and received my degree from Kennesaw State University. From there, I built a community and network in the Atlanta area and became a full-time professional artist in 2024.

What was it like to make that change to full-time artist?

So far, it’s been thriving! There are slow periods, but I’ve been lucky to have consistent projects coming in. I’ve learned so many skills managing my own business, and I’m happy I’ve been able to become self-sustainable and be my own boss. I’ve been learning a lot this past year about the kind of projects I’m passionate about and my voice as an artist. My parents were unapproving at first, but after they saw that I was able to make a living from this career, they have become more supportive and encouraging.

How did the Clarkston mural come to be? 

I applied to a public art call organized by Living Walls. After I was selected as a finalist, a community meeting was held to discuss with local community members about what should be incorporated into the mural to truly represent Clarkston. The most repeated themes were about Clarkston’s many different cultures, languages, kids, nature, foods, and more. 

After the meeting I took it upon myself to drive around Clarkston and gather references to get a true sense of the people and culture. After attending the festival Flavors of Courageous Welcome, I was lucky enough to befriend two past residents who offered to show me around. The design includes thukpa and momos, Burundian drummers that performed at the festival, soccer players at the school soccer field, foliage from the community garden, and different fabrics from the dresses sold at the convenience store. 

There are women and a girl from different cultures wearing hijabs. The woman in the red hijab writing “We Belong” references how refugees were offered classes to learn to read and write English. Also referenced are the Debre Bisrat St. Gabriel Ethiopian church, a statue from [the Buddhist temple] Thiền Viện Trúc Lâm, produce from Fresh Harvest, a Merhaba Shawarma dish, a goat, a woman in a hijab walking with her daughter at the Clarkston festival, a sign in different languages found at the Jolly Avenue community garden, a woman performing a traditional dance. 

The title of the mural is Clarkston Is Home. What does that mean to you?

The mural was titled this to allow the local people of all different cultures to feel that they were represented, heard, seen, and this was their home. That they belonged, no matter what background.

For a long time, I hesitated to represent certain cultures in my work. I worried that it might not resonate with the broader community, or worse, that I might unintentionally misrepresent or disrespect someone’s identity. This project changed that for me. It made me realize how important it is to paint stories and faces that don’t often get the spotlight.

People want to feel seen—and I felt that energy while working on this mural. Drivers slowed down to point out familiar words in their language. Others stopped to ask if I could paint their faces too. It was a beautiful reminder of how deeply art can connect us—and how much it means to people to see themselves reflected in public spaces.

What’s your favorite thing about Atlanta? 

My favorite thing is the sense of community I’ve built here. I’ve never felt unwelcome, especially from the artist community. We’re always donating paints, sharing calls with each other, having meetups. I’m very thankful to enter the industry during a time where artists are so open to supporting each other.

Another thing I love about Atlanta is all the great parks. I never get bored!