And while a lot has led him to where he is today, Mr Sims said it was time to try something different in his art career.
“Back in the early 2000s I studied a Bachelor of Visual Arts and focused on darkroom photography,” he said.
“I figured I would need a back-up career because photography would be difficult to make a career out of, so I decided to get into teaching.
“So now I'm an art and woodwork teacher at Boort District School.”
While he taught his students, the Loddon Shire presented Mr Sims with an opportunity to see a world of art he hadn't thought about before.
“The shire launched a graffiti workshop where we took the students down to a studio in Melbourne and over three days we learnt skills in that art form,” he said.
“So after that I started teaching it in the classroom. We were doing paste-ups at school and the students asked me if I'd ever put anything up in Bendigo.
“Because I hadn't, they dared me to do it, so I went around to a few places and did just that and really didn't think anything of it.”
But a few months later, the interest in his work began to grow.
“The Bendigo Advertiser contacted me and wanted to do an article on street art in town and I thought it would be fine to get my five minutes of fame,” he said.
“The article blew up and my career took off overnight.
“From there I was offered a few mural jobs and I didn't really know what to do with it, but I gave it all a go anyway.”
After getting his head around that platform, Mr Sims heard about the Rochester Mural Festival through a past competitor.
“A friend of mine had competed last year and I thought I would give it a go,” he said.
“She said she had the best time, and I was so excited when I found out I had been successful (in winning a place).”
Mr Sims said art in a small community was important.
“Rochester, like Boort, is a town that needs the creativity that comes from art,” he said.
“I love what it does for a community and I'm excited to bring it to Rochester.”
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