It all started in Oakland, California when Tim The Optimist was in the 7th grade that graffiti caught his eye. But it wasn’t until 1998 when he started writing and painting and photographing. Given the name Tim by friends, it quickly morphed into Optimist, which he took as a sign for him to become a more positive person.

“I figured that if I wrote a positive word all the time on everything and focused my life on something really positive I would subconsciously be a better person. Sounds cheesy, but at that point in life I was all fucked up.” - Tim the Optimist