graffiti
writing or drawings scribbled, scratched or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place
Last week I was on a graffiti tour of Bogotá in Colombia. Bogotá is considered a friendly city among the graffiti community with restaurants and cafés in the historic centre even paying artists on occasion to have their façades painted. A school in the heart of Candelaria regularly invites artists to demonstrate graffiti technique to children, using a fence surrounding the school premises as a canvas.
writing or drawings scribbled, scratched or sprayed illicitly on a wall or other surface in a public place
Last week I was on a graffiti tour of Bogotá in Colombia. Bogotá is considered a friendly city among the graffiti community with restaurants and cafés in the historic centre even paying artists on occasion to have their façades painted. A school in the heart of Candelaria regularly invites artists to demonstrate graffiti technique to children, using a fence surrounding the school premises as a canvas.
Still, as a graffiti artist, what you have to remember is that your creation may be painted over the very next day. No matter how much effort you have put into your work, no matter how much the picture means to you emotionally, the fruit of your labour is but a fleeting image, unlikely to stand the test of time.
This hard reality does not seem to stop graffiti artists. Well aware of the temporary nature of their art, they invest in paint, take their time and pour their hearts into their work. It is perhaps even liberating knowing that you can try things out, dare to be different and truly innovative, having no guarantee of permanence. It gives one permission to experiment, make mistakes, be honest, whilst doing your best.
Are you a graffiti artist? Do you write because you love putting your thoughts down on paper and explore the library of the language? Do you compose or play music because it heals and makes you feel good? Are you an entrepreneur who is not afraid to try something on not because you are banking on that idea making you rich but because you are truly passionate about your product or service and the value it creates for your customers? Are you a teacher who loves seeing your students absorbing knowledge and going on to explore new pastures, inspired by your lessons? Are you tinkering with an app for the ingenuity of it?
What will you discover by practising your art without reward, praise or an apparent incentive? It may well be gold dust.
What will you discover by practising your art without reward, praise or an apparent incentive? It may well be gold dust.
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