My New Views on Graffiti

Growing up, I always thought of Graffiti as a violation of space and a gross disruption of community. I always assumed it was associated with some sort of wrongdoing because that's what I was always told. It was never called art when it was referenced to, but that's exactly what it is. Graffiti is as much art as a painting in an art museum. Someone went through the effort to create the piece to make a statement for themselves and others to see, something to call their own as an addition to the area in which it was painted. Graffiti is how an artist chooses to express themselves, and it leaves a huge impact on the community in which it is left. It gets people thinking about whatever the piece is about, whether it is a tag or a mural making a statement about the quality of living.
Both from the documentary "Style Wars" and the talk with Fel 300 ft. about Graffiti I could finally understand why Graffiti artists are motivated to create Graffiti. As I understand, it is to improve on their creative style while providing an outlet for creativity and discontent with the state of an area. For example, the people in Style Wars Graffiti'd train cars because they were plain and boring, and they travelled all around New York City: it was a perfect method to get a message around and fill the space of New York. In the case of Fel and many other artists in Detroit, Graffiti had the huge role of filling empty, somewhat ugly space with something beautiful. Each piece in Detroit has a story and a message, most often that Detroit is more than what people denigrate it for. Graffiti is an amazing style of art, and in the future, I hope to see more of it.