Artist Marcel Blanco is better known as just “Sel.” He recently completed a pair of murals in Santa Monica, commissioned by the Clare Foundation, which helps addicts.

The names of the pieces are “Reflect" and “Inspire.”

Sometimes, he still finds it hard to believe that the hobby that got him into trouble as a kid has turned into a successful career.

“Funny enough I got kicked out of high school for my graffiti art,” said Sel.

“And now schools commission me to paint murals at their school.”

He says young graffiti artists are intrigued.

“The common question is, 'Are you getting paid for this?' And yes, I am,” said Sel.

Sel is currently getting paid by the charity organization Beautify Earth to paint a mural on a bare wall at John Adams Middle School.

The wall is being transformed into the vision painted by students who won an art contest . The message of the mural is, why fit in when you were born to stand out? A message that struck a chord with Sel himself, who said he had low self-esteem as a kid.

“There weren’t a lot of art classes, so I didn’t have an area to excel in,” said Sel.

The students at John Adams Middle School say the message resonates with them as well.

“Kids just want to fit in and be popular, but what they don’t understand is that they’re not being themselves, “ said student Gabriel Vasquez.

Sel says ugly walls can breed sadness, but as he tries to show in all his work, beautiful walls have the power to uplift. And art may just be the best way to bring hope to those who need it the most.