This Homeless Man Is Crafting Cans Into Art To Make Money

The rise in homelessness across the UK in the last decade or so has been marked - we've gone from almost eliminating rough sleeping to having more people on the streets now than at any other time that almost anyone can remember.

Plenty of homeless people are forced to resort to begging, but one man in Liverpool has set another path.

Mark, 33, has been living on the streets for a year and a half after a relationship breakdown and losing his job, but he is making a new start for himself by creating artwork on the streets of Liverpool.

He crafts bits of rubbish into ashtrays, containers and other handy items using just a pair of scissors, turning trash into functioning objects that he can sell on to the general public.

"The reaction from the public [to the creations] has been pretty good," he told the Liverpool Echo.

"I think they are happy at the fact I'm not sat here with my hand out, expecting something for nothing."

In fact, Mark is adamant that he can work his way off the streets rather than begging for change.

"I'm trying to give something back, I'm actually making an effort and everything that I get I have potentially earned," he continued.

"When you get something for nothing you don't respect it, because it just comes for nothing.

"When you work for something you respect it more."

When asked what drove him to create his pieces rather than simply beg, he put it down to having the whole day to fill up.

"Well, I have got plenty of time on my hands," he told the local paper in Liverpool.

He makes his pieces from cans that he picks up off the streets and bits of rubbish that other people give to him so that he can turn them into useful objects.

Soon, he hopes to move from the streets to the internet in order to sell his wares and make himself a better life.

"I'm going to get a website on the go, I think," he added. He's been at his new hustle for eight months and it seems to be holding up well for him, so perhaps this is just the beginning. Good luck, mate.

If you happen to be in Liverpool, Mark is on Church Street almost every day so you can swing by and see what he has to offer.

Featured Image Credit: Liverpool Echo

Topics: Liverpool, UK News, Inspirational

Mike Wood

Mike Meehall Wood is a freelance journalist and translator. He writes for LADbible, VICE and countless sports publications, focusing on rugby league, football and boxing. He is a graduate of Leeds University and maintains a fizzy pop obsession. Contact Mike at [email protected]