A North Texan is using art to connect his community and create change. He's this week's KRLD Difference Maker.
It was the birth of his daughter that prompted Fort Worth native and military veteran Juan Velasquez to pick up a paint brush again after many years.
"It made me want to be an artist again and give her a good example for her follow to do what she wants to do," Juan said.
When Juan got out of the military, he got a job but when covid happened, he got laid off. He decided there would be no better time to become a full-time artist.
When Fort Hood based soldier Vanessa Guillen was found murdered, Juan felt compelled to honor her memory.
"It made me want to do something, to paint a mural to help ask for change and to not let her be forgotten like that," he said.
After the massacre in Uvalde, Juan traveled there to paint a mural of Alithia Ramirez, one of the 21 victims killed.
"I have a daughter and I think a lot of people who have kids tried to put themselves in the parents' shoes and imagine how we would feel if that was us," Juan said.
Ramirez's father loved the mural.
But of all his work, his favorite mural is of Benjamin Castaneda, a 17 year-old killed by a drunk driver who played the violin in the North Side High School mariachi band.
"Maybe it's because I was talking to his mom about how much it meant to her," Juan said. "One of the things [his mom] told me was she gets to see her son when she's driving home. It meant a lot to me because I was able to do something for someone that I didn't even really know and if it helped her for one moment then it was worth it just because of the story around it and how I could relate to him being a minority artist, just like him."
Juan says he uses his artwork to connect and inspire people to follow their dreams.
"Everyone deserves to feel like they are important and they are valued," Juan said.
Juan says he wants to encourage people to follow their dreams by leading by example.
We're proud to call Juan Velasquez this week's KRLD Difference Maker.
If you know someone making a difference in the community, send us an email at differencemaker@krld.com.
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