Michelle Sasha started the Palm Harbor Palm Tree Project in September 2021. After taking the leap to formally build her art career in March 2021, she wanted to find unique ways to integrate art into her community. It was clear that art wasn’t woven into her town the way it was elsewhere.

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In the Tampa Bay Area, there’s a huge art scene, primarily in Tampa and St. Pete. She wanted to bring that same vibrant energy to her own community by creating murals and art for the public to enjoy. The first dozen palm trees she painted proved this was much bigger than just a palm tree painting. Each person she met was deeply grateful to have an artist hand-paint something just for them—it wasn’t just a kind gesture, it felt exclusive, personal, and meaningful.

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That only motivated her more. She realized she was offering people more than a pretty palm tree—she was creating a sense of pride, connection, and belonging. The main goal was to inspire togetherness and a love of the arts, and this project delivered exactly that. The demand for these free palm tree mini-murals was incredible. On the same day she announced the project, over 100 people signed up—and within just five months, she had completed more than 500 mini murals. Today, over 1,000 Palm Harbor homes proudly display these murals, with many more painted by the growing ArtFluent team.

As ArtFluent Creatives grew, so did the reach of this idea. With talented artists joining the team to spearhead projects in their own towns, the movement expanded to Tarpon Springs, Safety Harbor, and Clearwater.

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While some of these town projects are currently on hold due to artist transitions, they remain very much alive. ArtFluent’s mission is to continue fostering these connections, and as new artists join the team, these projects will resume and grow again—bringing the joy of public art to more neighborhoods, one small mural at a time.

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