Post #3- Emma Yergin

I've been to Detroit hundreds of times, whether it be to go to a Tigers' game, go out to eat, visit the DIA, or even go to Eastern Market, but I've never taken the time to explore the street art, so I'm so glad that I got the chance to do that this past weekend with the class. I've never been one to advocate for or against or even really have a strong opinion about graffiti because I've just never been too interested in scribbles on walls that I can't even begin to decipher. I was a little apprehensive, because of this, going into Detroit solely to look at graffiti. However, I eventually came to understand that sometimes it's okay not to understand. The murals were impressive and gorgeous and even the throw ups and tags were impressive to me once I adopted this mindset of "don't try to understand, just appreciate it." I also really loved getting the chance to hear Fel3000Feet talk about his work with graffiti because it puts a face behind the art. Besides that, and perhaps more importantly, by speaking to us about why he felt graffiti was important, he injected emotion into not just his work, but all graffiti that we saw that day. I'm realizing that the adoration that all of these artists must feel for the art of graffiti must be so immense because by using the city as their canvas, they are taking the chance that their masterpieces will be destroyed sooner than not. Still, they love to create the graffiti so much that they ignore this and paint anyways. I love this passion. My favorite quote has always been, 'Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire,' and I think that really connects with the passion that graffiti artists feel. In making their mark on the city, they are fearless in the face of the possibility of getting in trouble and having their work destroyed. Honestly, in terms of passion, we could all be a little more like graffiti artists.