In the past three years, Nate Baranowski has been charged by a raging bull, tightrope-walked above a winding river, and teetered dangerously off the edge of a towering high-rise building.

It would appear he has a knack for finding himself in precarious situations.

The key word is appear.

It may look like all those things happened to Nate, but in fact, he’s just really good at his job. Nate is a 3D chalk artist and street painter who specializes in making immersive art creations that look like they pop right out of the ground or wall.

You don’t just view the scene he crafts — you become a part of the story.

“I tell stories by having my art come into ‘our world,'” Nate told me. “The subjects of my art are coming into our space, or we are stepping into their space. I want it to feel like you are stepping into a story versus just having a photo moment with a stationary scene.”

Becoming part of the story

Nate’s attraction to visual storytelling started with Disney. As a child with dreams of becoming an animator, he sat with pictures of Mickey Mouse and Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast and copied them into his sketchbook.

Today he is a versatile artist comfortable creating large murals, acrylic paintings, and digital concept art.

His specialty, though, is 3D artwork that forces viewers to question the reality of what’s in front of them. Using a combination of tempera — to limit smudging and dust — and chalk, Baranowski turns two-dimensional walls or slabs of concrete into mesmerizing portals.

His process is more than crafting art itself — he also envisions the arc of how audiences engage with his work.

“I think through why the characters are interacting with you,” he said, “and if there’s some action in the scene, I try to imagine what will happen before or after the photo moment.”

Recent viewers of Nate’s art have stepped into a video game, onto a racetrack, and atop a dragon. They’ve rescued Indiana Jones, meditated with Yoda, and been trapped in a beaker.

In January, he transported Disneyworld visitors into the world of Zootopia as part of the annual Epcot International Festival of the Arts. It was his ninth year at the event, where he’s created 10-foot x 30-foot photo moments from all types of Disney classics, ranging from Mike Wazowski and Sully flying through the door warehouse in Monster’s, Inc. to Mirabel walking up the magical Casa Madrigal staircase in Encanto.

He loves participating at Epcot in particular because guests aren’t expecting to see art on the ground as they walk through the park.

“I start with absolutely nothing on the ground and have to answer a lot of questions like, ‘What are you doing here?’ he said. “Then as the artwork comes together, the questions and responses change dramatically to ‘How did you do that?’ which is fun.”

Growing as an artist — and storyteller

For a piece like those he completes at EPCOT, Baranowski starts with rough sketches. Those early drafts go through iterations of approvals before being developed into a digital color concept that is stretched on the computer and placed on a grid. Once in person, the 3D art begins to appear — albeit with lots of back and forth trips to compare perspectives against the draft on his phone.

“You can’t really trust you’re doing it right while you are right on top of it, so there is a lot of running back to check how it looks,” Nate said. “It’s hard to just sit there and get in the flow because there are constant adjustments.”

Another thing that’s hard? Realizing much of his work is not permanent, either because of the weather or because it’s created for temporary events. Now in his 11th year as a freelance artist, Nate said the short life-span of his work helped influence his growth as a storyteller.

“I’ve learned that my feelings of satisfaction as an artist are so much more tied to a feeling of whether I did my best and put a good amount of effort into improving my work than what people say online or what a client says,” Nate said. “It has helped motivate me to improve and be proud of my work and not chase likes or praise.”

That attitude also keeps Nate focused on his next creation and not worried about what past works he’s proudest of.

“I don’t have a favorite,” Nate said. “Every time I dislike the piece I just did and love the piece I’m about to do.”

3 storytelling tips for you

1) Design for interaction

Nate creates scenes that invite people in. His goal is to make viewers part of the story, not just observers of it. If you want your storytelling to stick, think beyond the telling. Think about how your audience can step into the world you’re building.

2) Don’t chase perfection

Nate doesn’t hide the process of creating his 3D art — he invites people into it. Letting audiences see the work unfold is its own form of storytelling. It builds connection and momentum, even before the piece is finished.

3) Embrace impermanence

Much of Nate’s work vanishes within days. But instead of clinging to permanence, he leans into the process. That mindset frees him to take risks, grow fast, and keep creating. Don’t wait for the perfect moment to create that story you’ve been thinking about. Start sharing your story now.