Graffiti is Cool and Creative so Let it Be

The benefits of street art go beyond the murals

Some may call it graffiti just because it is on the walls but look much deeper the next time you see street art. You don’t have to look far when you are in a city to find art all around you.

Street artists serve a purpose in displaying their talents, one being that they can bring the community together and transform an area that might be in need of growth.

I am not much of an artist, but I love to take photographs. When I am out and about or traveling, if I notice something particularly cool, I always want to snap a photo.

Over the years, I have accumulated an enormous amount of photos that I have placed all over. Once, Facebook was my source of photo storage, and it still houses many photos I no longer have on my phone. Now, I have them all stored on my phone, computer, or Google.

I love looking through old photos from time to time. It takes me back to that moment and the feeling that I had. My husband often tells me to live more in the moment and just experience the “thing” instead of photographing it. Do I listen? No, I do what I want.

He doesn’t get the fact that I use these photos for a plethora of different things and now that I am writing, I use them for inspiration, memories, and fabulous prompts like ours at Globetrotters this month.

When the idea for the monthly challenge arises, I always think, “Do I have a photo of that?” Globetrotters only accepts travel stories with your own personal photos.

I knew that I had tons of street art photos stored all around, some on Facebook, Instagram, old albums, and my phone. The tasks get a little daunting when trying to find all the right pictures for the story but well worth it in the end.

I think because I am not artistic, I am so stunned when I see beautiful street art. I always think that I need a photograph of it.

Street art always makes me feel something and I want to capture it.

Back in the 90s when I was a teenager, tagging was all the rage around Los Angeles County, where I lived. Los Angeles County is huge so there was a lot of building and bridge space for the taggers.

It didn’t seem like anyone was a fan of this graffiti because it didn’t promote anything positive. Everyone knew that the taggers were just trying to get their name seen, to show who was who and if you were in power, or not.

Which gang put up a particular piece of graffiti was essential to all the gangs around. Don’t get me wrong, there were still street artists putting up some amazing work but where I lived, we were inundated with tagging graffiti that wasn’t pretty.

The meaning behind tagging served a purpose for the gangs, showing the gang’s turf and I appreciate that street artists have come along to showcase a different meaning and purpose. Their art is not about whose turf they are creating on but rather to promote positivity and evoke feelings of good.

For me, it was in the early 2000s when I started to notice beautiful art on the walls around me instead of tagging. I was also living in a different area and visiting other places.

We should be changing our views on graffiti. We should be embracing the kindness and creativity that can be spread through art and not fixating on what was once “tagging”.

Times have changed and artists that are able to create works of art for us all to see should be celebrated.

It is not always vandalism. Love can be spread instead of hate and I wrote about this earlier in the month.

Since I began noticing the art instead of the tagging on walls, I have seen a blatant or hidden message in the art, depending on what it was.

Blatant would be something like this that I saw on the sidewalk of New York City. Although not artwork in a traditional sense, a great message that can be viewed.

Then there is artwork to commemorate someone. I always appreciate seeing something like this wall of David Bowie.

Some street art is just plain cool like this wall I found in Massachussets.

There are so many pieces of street art I wish I could share but my kids and their friends are in the photos. Just know they all evoke a good message and are seen around Southern California.

This one is special because my daughter and her art class last year painted this on a container across the street from school.

To spread love and kindness.

The idea of creating community can start in the minds of the young and transform into something bigger when they get older and I really appreciate the art teacher for instilling that in their impressionable minds.

So, the next time you are out and stumble upon some street art, try and see the meaning behind the art. What purpose does it serve? Does it evoke a positive feeling in you?

Don’t see it as tagging graffiti, yet a beautiful, positive work of art.

We had so many good stories this month at Globetrotters that it was hard to pick two to share with you all.

Catherine Duchesne dives deep behind the meaning of several pieces of street art. You don’t want to miss her beautiful write-up here:

Melissa Rach was up close and personal with the street art around Minneapolis where a tragedy that I spoke about in my previous article happened. Her article and the pictures are somber but very moving.