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graffiti addiction


acephale

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These are just some rough thoughts on the addiction side to the game… I’ll hopefully be updating this in a timely fashion...

 

Many get into graffiti at a time of their life when they aren't fully "matured" yet, you know teenage issues... hate the world, hate your environment, self whatever. You might be very insecure about yourself, not sure "who you are". You may feel isolated, lonely, weak... (When you are getting up you sure as hell don't feel that way, at least I don't. You feel like you have control over the whole fucking world for however long it takes for you to catch that tag or do a throwup. It's like "BAM" what you gonna do!??!) So when you start writing, all those things sort of dissappear, at least when you do it. It's like "man there I am!! That's my shit!!! Fuck you world!!!" it gives you sort of an answer to your cries in the dark. You ARE somebody, cuz there's your ill shit on the wall. And the RUSH! Shit, am I gonna get caught?? Is a cop gonna roll up? Are there undercovers hiding somewhere? Camera I didn't scope out??? Is a crazy hero gonna get all in your face?? All the things going through your head. The sounds of the cans, the smell of that fresh wet rusto... All these little sensory things add to the adrenaline, hell this may even be an addicition in and of itself-before you never experienced a 'rush' so intense and real as this... no sex, drug, sport can really give it to you(or so i've heard. I sure as hell haven't experiened anything quite like bombing)so hell maybe it isn’t entirely out of the question that you can get addicted to just the ‘rush’ or ‘high’.

 

The “rush” aspect in and of itself is what does many writers in for good. Before it, they had shit… just some bored kid floating through high school… floating through their dead end job at 7-11… All of a sudden there’s this primal thing you’re given-bombing is a lot like predator/prey, with the writer being the predator.(or are they?) And, bombing is a lot like a dog marking their territory, because that’s what you’re doing. Marking something and saying “this is mine, this is me, I was here”. So I think graffiti plays on a lot of these natural human instincts and triggers and what have you.

 

In my experience, graffiti was this untimate thing that gave me an escape from basically all the shit in my life. Insecurity? Gone-you’re a vandal who “doesn’t give a fuck” now! Ego? Huge. Graffiti is a huge ego-trip no matter how you dress up the art or craft of it… it’s all about YOU. YOUR name, and people seeing it. You putting it wherever you want. And you get off on people seeing it, dealing with it.

 

Even after having some runins with the law, and I tell myself “this is it. I’m done. Can’t keep worrying about cops etc” I still continue to look at walls and think of how I would take the spot, where I would place a tag… Whenever I have some writing utensil handy it’s basically second nature to start writing all over it, messing around with styles until it just becomes a bunch of scribble. This leads me to think that this shit seriously does become a part of you, when you are ‘active’ and when you ‘stop’. When you are active even more so… it sort of dictated my whole outlook on a lot of things and even simple stuff like how I would speak and simple mannerisms. No matter what I seem to tell my mind, it doesn’t fucking go away.

 

Many writers have said things a long the lines of graff being a game, a sport. This is true-it is a game, but nobody wins(not to sound like some mid 90s anti weed ad or some shit), but really no matter how hard you bomb, you will only be on top for so long, and even then who are you on top of? Other miserable people like yourself? Believe it or not, the average joe doesn’t give a shit! You may think having a whole neighborhood covered is a good strategic way to constantly be in the face of joe public, but to what end? So they can say “they gotta take care of that graffiti shit here… I see that tagger DICKERONER all over…”or some yuppie art student takes a pic of your shit because they think it’s rad and edgy and they post it on their livejournal.

 

back to the point though… It’s a one way street. The addiction tricks your mind into thinking those problems are suddenly remedied when you do it, (but you are totally aware they aren’t) because your mind becomes so addicted to it, it will trick itself into believing otherwise so it can still get its fix! Kinda how drug addicts will lie and steal from close family and friends, just to get a quick fix or whatever. It prevents you from really dealing with your problems like a mature adult. Because most writers get addicted when they are young, or at least emotionally and mentally immature-the addiction sort of freezes the state they are in when they start. And I dunno about you, but the vast majority of writers aren’t exactly the happiest people. Why would you waste your time, writing bullshit on walls if everything in your life was A-O-K? Your got problems and graff is a way to deal with them, right? Ok… so maybe it isn’t the WORST thing-but it’s still illegal. And it’s not like weed where you can be like “LEGALIZE IT”, anybody with a brain would realize the implications of ‘legal graffiti’ and it simply would not work, would not fit in with our society.

 

Realize this… a lot of your masters(cops) could give a fuck about some paint on a wall… of course there are plently of exceptions. Unless they are apart of your cities vandal squad though, writers aren’t exactly at the top of their list of “to catch”. Vandal Squads are another story… And to me, the resources used for these operations obviously would suit the greater good of the planet in some other way. Murderers, rapists, etc. Writers have been saying this for years too, obviously.

 

Graffiti didn’t really exist before the 70s and 80s, (ok, it did obviously people carved BOB + JENNIFER into trees and that sort of trite shit) in the way the ‘culture’ exists today, with it being all about your name and these fairly specific ways to do it tags/throws/pieces etc… People started feeling isolated more-especially in the bigger cities, obviously. The economic side of things was a huge factor, but not the deal breaker. There were still “Kids of privilege” who wrote, and even played key roles in the movement. Which confirms the fact that it is largely a psychological “illness.”

 

So what I’m saying is… you should be aware of all these things… especially those of you inclined to basically dedicate your whole life to this.

 

OK this was retardedly sloppy… Like I said I’ll be cleaning this up a lot. Give me feedback.

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I like most of it for your own personal experience with graff, but I think many have different reasons why they do it. There is this part of it called "art" that people feed off of and the rush part is only the main staple to those that like bombing more than burners. I don't hear you talk about art in any of your writing, so don't you think that's a huge part in the graff culture ? That brings me to think that there are three different main personalities in graff.

 

1. The new kid that watches others and wants to be like them, plays the video game, ect. These kids are doing it because they think it's cool. They'll be out of it as soon as they get in.

 

2. The vandal: This kid is all about fucking shit up, because he's mad at society and maybe some of the qualities you've mentioned in your post above. The vandal has some respect, but I'd say is more in it for themselves and the rush, personal gratification of destroying property.

 

3. The artist: This guy preferes advancing in the artistic side of the scene, will do legal walls and not think it's pussy to do so, maybe is scared to do or doesn't like the vandal side of the scene as much, but likes the overal culuture.

 

 

Then you have everyone that has each trait of all three of these mixed to a certain degree.. I think many have all these mixed, because the majority of us love bombing still, love fucking shit up, but also we have limits you know. We don't go to each and every doorstep of someones house to pain on their door, we don't really do churches or on peoples cars. We don't do it on many person properties of people, but when it comes to other properties of the city or big business, it's a different story. These limits of vandalism means that even if it's subconcious, we all have a code we go by in graff to some degree. This code shows respect to the deserving of respect which means the vandal and the artist meet somewhere down the line, creating you... So my point is that there are many reasons people get into it and it's good to question why you do something, having conviction with passion for graff is what is needed if you are planning on doing it forever. Also obsessive compulsive disorder may play a part or may increase in people over the years from writing your name over and over millions of times. But hey let the weak fall and the strong become kings.....

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I DO IT BECAUSE I AM A MANIC DEPRESSIVE HEADCASE, I AM A RECREATIONAL DRUG ABUSER (hence the screaming text) AND I HATE PEOPLE..................Get the fuck outta here with this psychobabble, piggie. Don't judge or draw conclusions unless you have participated in the act yourself. Graff is the most personal, yet isolated, form of communication within modern society.

 

:five-o: :five-o: :chicken: :heartbeat:

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I DO IT BECAUSE I AM A MANIC DEPRESSIVE HEADCASE, I AM A RECREATIONAL DRUG ABUSER (hence the screaming text) AND I HATE PEOPLE..................Get the fuck outta here with this psychobabble, piggie. Don't judge or draw conclusions unless you have participated in the act yourself. Graff is the most personal, yet isolated, form of communication within modern society.

 

:five-o: :five-o: :chicken: :heartbeat:

 

Well you didn't have to go all out and attack the dude

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This is interesting. I don't know who the poster is, writer or otherwise though..

 

 

I don't know if anyone else knows what "Hypergraphia" is, if not, look it up.

 

In short, it is a 'disorder' where people write on things obsessively, and can be very talented or they can suck. I think all writers(those who bomb mainly) have a tiny touch of it. Usually it means writing in the english sense, but I don't see why it can't apply to writers too

 

just a thought

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Its true, its very addictive. I will never get it out of my system and i know alot of people who are like this too. They tried giving up from years of doing it and you just can't. Theres always that tempting feeling of just writing on shit, if it be a wall piece or even a piece of paper lying around somewhere. But that saying that I've seen toys go fucking nuts hitting up wall after wall every night for a few months then completely lost interest in it.

We don't know what it is going to be like when we are 70 years old because there has been no one that has been bombing that long, because as the topic starter stated graff's only been around a good 30 years.

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although graffiti has impacted many in many different ways.. for some it is an activity one does wish to continue throughout the years..

if one continues... in the future it becomes a habit and the need for writing on things just never ceases..

eventually the rush, feeling and need to get up just isn't as important as it was when one gets older...

and the issues that come with being grown make graff seem much more less important...

and much more less fun...

the stress and issues one faces as a juvenile are none compared to those of adulthood..

and soon u realize roaming the streets late at night catching tags is not all it is..

or at least as you once saw it..

 

however, if you are truly dedicated.. you will still follow it, search for it and appreciate it..

but everyone has their shine and like all things in the world...

everything will pass...

 

...still being up is the shit long after you have stopped..

07 and i still have mad shit rocked..

long live graffiti..

 

-b..

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I like most of it for your own personal experience with graff, but I think many have different reasons why they do it. There is this part of it called "art" that people feed off of and the rush part is only the main staple to those that like bombing more than burners. I don't hear you talk about art in any of your writing, so don't you think that's a huge part in the graff culture ? That brings me to think that there are three different main personalities in graff.

 

1. The new kid that watches others and wants to be like them, plays the video game, ect. These kids are doing it because they think it's cool. They'll be out of it as soon as they get in.

 

2. The vandal: This kid is all about fucking shit up, because he's mad at society and maybe some of the qualities you've mentioned in your post above. The vandal has some respect, but I'd say is more in it for themselves and the rush, personal gratification of destroying property.

 

3. The artist: This guy preferes advancing in the artistic side of the scene, will do legal walls and not think it's pussy to do so, maybe is scared to do or doesn't like the vandal side of the scene as much, but likes the overal culuture.

 

 

Then you have everyone that has each trait of all three of these mixed to a certain degree.. I think many have all these mixed, because the majority of us love bombing still, love fucking shit up, but also we have limits you know. We don't go to each and every doorstep of someones house to pain on their door, we don't really do churches or on peoples cars. We don't do it on many person properties of people, but when it comes to other properties of the city or big business, it's a different story. These limits of vandalism means that even if it's subconcious, we all have a code we go by in graff to some degree. This code shows respect to the deserving of respect which means the vandal and the artist meet somewhere down the line, creating you... So my point is that there are many reasons people get into it and it's good to question why you do something, having conviction with passion for graff is what is needed if you are planning on doing it forever. Also obsessive compulsive disorder may play a part or may increase in people over the years from writing your name over and over millions of times. But hey let the weak fall and the strong become kings.....

 

Yeah there's definately an art to it-in all aspects of the game with the most obvious being piecing because it's very similar to 'real art'-it draws on a lot of the technical things regular artists use with color, composition and technical skill. I personally feel there's much more 'art' to bombing though. Different beast entirely. (Not to say there is anything wrong with piecing)

 

 

Also, I think the media is what draws personality "new kid" to the game-especially now with fucking graffiti videogames and hollywood films giving more and more attention to it. Hell I think even when somebody sees their first D0P3 WYLDESTYLE piece they get drawn to it: "Who did that? How do they do that? Shit... just spray cans? Why do they do it? What does it mean? Damn that just looks so cool what they do with the letters..." "New kid" seems to be the type that goes and buys a bunch of markers, caps, montana paint online and has his "tag" on his myspace or something, with him wearing a respirator or bandana. Then they get caught quickly because they are young, stupid, and inexperienced and that usually is enough to make them go away.

 

It also seems personality type "the vandal" is the one most prone to the addictive side, because they are drawn to the illegal, criminality of it. Similar to how people are addicted to stealing shit, street racing, etc. And they often have the thought process that drug addicts do, where the drug in question makes them feel good, lets them escape their problems. Hell in every interview with a writer I've read/seen, they all describe some negative aspects of their lives that graffiti helped them "deal with"-Parents, or lack of, Shitty neighborhood, Just problems fitting in with 'normal society'...

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Bombing is an art. Theres many different kinds of graf and some people on specializing in one field. It's my opinion that if you do anything long enough you do get good at it. Some people have no problems at all and still take up bombing, so everyone has different reasons. Personally, I don't find the issue of why people write all that interesting, just if they do, and if they are good at what they do.

 

peace

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its more of a lifestyle for me to write. my room in my house is about 30ft from the railroad tracks so when i was a little kid i have short memories of leaning out my window to watch the trains go by in the summer. i always wanted to do it but being 5-7 yrs old ment that i really couldnt venter out on my own yet. but around 7th grade me and my friends wouldnt have shit to do so we would go to the layup that wasnt far from my house to go drink beer and smoke cigarettes that we stole from my friends parents. so i've always been comfortable around trains. 10 yrs later im still on the same shit going to college trying to get a degree in sumthing so i dont have to work a shitty job with no pay. but graff is like my fountain of youth. to feel the way i used to before money and responsibility ran my life, for those couple hours im out on my own just painting makes me loose track of time makes me feel free. and the next morning i wake up i feel better

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although graffiti has impacted many in many different ways.. for some it is an activity one does wish to continue throughout the years..

if one continues... in the future it becomes a habit and the need for writing on things just never ceases..

eventually the rush, feeling and need to get up just isn't as important as it was when one gets older...

and the issues that come with being grown make graff seem much more less important...

and much more less fun...

the stress and issues one faces as a juvenile are none compared to those of adulthood..

and soon u realize roaming the streets late at night catching tags is not all it is..

or at least as you once saw it..

 

however, if you are truly dedicated.. you will still follow it, search for it and appreciate it..

but everyone has their shine and like all things in the world...

everything will pass...

 

...still being up is the shit long after you have stopped..

07 and i still have mad shit rocked..

long live graffiti..

 

-b..

 

Good point-I think as you do get older one tends to use it as your escape route when shit goes bad (girl dumps me wah wah i feel sad ok time to go bombing and everything becomes ok), or more 'serious' issues. And when it is a part of your whole life as much as taking a piss, it's real hard to let go.

 

I guess as you get older 'reality' forces you to see what really drives you. Do you want to be basically acting and thinking the same as someone half your age? Still working a shit job, etc?

 

people are still talking about graffiti? seriously?

 

liek omg i talk about gwaf33tee on dis ill internet message board i kan post pix of dis dope wyldestyle pieze i did an dis ill flair krylon tag lol btw does antybody here smoek weed??? lol i racked sum markers heres a pic of dem

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People are still talking about graff, because there are new cats coming into it all the time, so the topic of discussion will always be new to some, even if it's old news to you. I'm an old ass dude now so yes I've talked about this millions of times before, but all the new kids need to explore too and us washed up old farts that still write on shit need to find a purpose =)

 

 

My conclusion and why I do it, is because it's fun and looks dope... That's it =)

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In a way, graffiti is like a 5 second vacation from my life. I'm talking about the feeling durring the act and there is nothing quite like it. For only moments, your on top of the world. There's nothing more personal than putting your name on a wall. And when you actually put your blood and sweat into it, and you hone your skill so it looks half way decent on a wall, well there is no greater fuck you than that. Sometimes it's your own little gay pseudo secret society where you are like one of the few people who can see the messages written on the walls lol. I know everyone has experienced this kind of "special feeling" at at least one point in their life. If you haven't then something is wrong with you and it's not just your VD.

 

Maybe some of you can find a shred or two of a coherant thought in all that haha.

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my graff addiction is the hardest addiction to kick. I sobered up and gone clean for a year but couldn't completely stop writing. living NYC makes it that much hard, I'm confronted by it all the time. If I don't want to get high I stay away from where I know I be temped, you can't do that with graff in NYC. I'm confronted by it all day everyday.

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