How a Chicago artist went from street graffiti to owning his own business

CHICAGO (CBS) – What began as graffiti under train tracks turned into a blossoming career for one Chicago man. He truly turned adversity into triumph, and now he’s helping others do the same. Graffiti could evoke a number of reactions, from fascination to frustration to fear. Epifanio Monarrez feels a childlike freedom that guided his future. “It would take me to a different realm almost,” said Monarrez. “Like I was completely disconnected from whatever was happening in my life at the moment.” Life began in Little Village, where the art in comic books captured him, but for kids looking to create like him, there seemed to be only one way. What began as graffiti under train tracks turned into a blossoming career for one Chicago man. He truly turned adversity into triumph, and now he’s helping others do the same. Graffiti could evoke a number of reactions, from fascination to frustration to fear. Epifanio Monarrez feels a childlike freedom that guided his future. CBS “I wasn’t able to take any art classes at that age, but graffiti was an artistic outlet that was free, so that’s kind of the path that I took,” he said. Monarrez said he picked up...