by AKA

Writers are not vandals. When a teenage kid goes out and writes “F*** The Pigs” on a bridge in black paint just because he wants to feel the rush or because he’s angry at the world, he’s not a writer. When a soccer mom with little Jimmy in the back seat drives by and reads it and he asks his mom what those words mean, he’s not a writer. It’s these graffiti “artists” that go out and tag for years on end, without doing any burners or pieces that actually mean anything, that give the entire community of writers a bad name. Writer do murals, pieces, burners, stencils, and yes even throw-ups and tags. But it’s still art. Even if a writer does just throw-up their name, they’ve still done pieces in the past that make them worth something. The thing that bridges the gap between graffiti “artists” and writers is meaning. If your work means something that will positively impact someone, something, or hell even start a revolution, you are a writer. If you use your paint to degrade, insult, and criticize, or if you want to  “feel the rush” or “do something bad”, you are not an artist. If someone does not look at your piece and feel inspired or even smile, you are not a writer. Go out and make a change and make people think, see and feel. When you are finally a writer you mean something in the world of graffiti. You are changing the stigma that “all graffiti is done by punk kids who were raised wrong.” You are making a change not only with the message that your work conveys but you are making a change in the minds of the people. You are making a change about the entire ideology of all writers. When you tag, you’re starting your name in the world of writers. You better do something with that name, or you’ll be the step back in the progress of the world of writers that nobody wants around.