The Internet and Graffiti

[HardyHarHar]

My first introduction to graffiti was being handed a paint marker and told to write something. WTF?

I didn't know what graffiti was, but I jumped right in, and toyed it up for a while. I could care less

about buying a graff magazine, and graffiti wasn't yet on the net (as far as I could tell). So I was an

outsider, making mistakes, and getting weird looks from anyone else who wrote graffiti.

 

Now, if I had to do it all over. I'd probably set up an account on 12oz. Get some colored pencils, and

submit myself to the mercy of my peers in Paperchases, "Toys Post Here" thread. I'd be coddled and

critiqued, and if I was any good, I'd come up with some pieces that no one could really hate, but

no one could really love either.

 

The competition in thoroughbred race horses is becoming more and more static. You don't see as many

break-away-from-the-pack type horses now. But they can all run a decent race, because they all have

the same fathers (Sperm available for delivery).

 

This is not an attack on the people that i see putting in work. I think the younger writers in Boston are really

spectacular, and more power to them. But those writers had mentors. Young writers on 12oz have paperchase.

The blind leading the blind.

 

discuss

[Snoe487-2o1]

My first introduction to graffiti was being handed a paint marker and told to write something. WTF?

I didn't know what graffiti was, but I jumped right in, and toyed it up for a while. I could care less

about buying a graff magazine, and graffiti wasn't yet on the net (as far as I could tell). So I was an

outsider, making mistakes, and getting weird looks from anyone else who wrote graffiti.

 

Now, if I had to do it all over. I'd probably set up an account on 12oz. Get some colored pencils, and

submit myself to the mercy of my peers in Paperchases, "Toys Post Here" thread. I'd be coddled and

critiqued, and if I was any good, I'd come up with some pieces that no one could really hate, but

no one could really love either.

 

The competition in thoroughbred race horses is becoming more and more static. You don't see as many

break-away-from-the-pack type horses now. But they can all run a decent race, because they all have

the same fathers (Sperm available for delivery).

 

This is not an attack on the people that i see putting in work. I think the younger writers in Boston are really

spectacular, and more power to them. But those writers had mentors. Young writers on 12oz have paperchase.

The blind leading the blind.

 

discuss

 

word

[r3ader]

as far the blind leading the blind, i'd question that.

i say, the internet brought lots of illicit and quasi-illicit things to the masses,

allowing many retards to take part in these activities,

but also allowing some of the most spectacular developments in style, technique, quality or some such aspect.

 

take for ex, drugs. i knew people in the early '90's who were selling meth-cooking recipes for $10,000+, now anybody with Google can figure it out.

 

they're going to make shit dope until they learn the ropes and learn technique, but eventually, they'll either get busted or be making great shit.

 

Same difference with graffiti. It brought it to many people who otherwise didn't dig it or notice it, and allowed them to appreciate it. It introduced many people to many different styles, because i know before seeing 12oz i didn't appreciate NYC (being from the south) graff as much as i do now.

 

point being, maybe some toys come out of it, but some talent is brought to blossom also.

 

after all, the small town with zero graff that gets smashed by some local writer who practices a lot before going out may become the next big place to wreck. that happened with some small towns out here, particularly college towns.

 

i'd say the biggest thing to remember is there's a lot of $ in this shit... paint stores, the buff, etc., there's a lot of people with very serious interests to see more people doing graff.

[TheCosbyFamily]

I think the internet has its disadvantages and advantages. Disadvantage: People can talk as much shit as they can, and not have to face the actual consequences as you would in real life. You can act as if you know what you're talking about, and yet really not know anthing. Advantage: I suppose an advantage is just to see other peoples work from all around the world, hearing about movies, and such other things.

But, basically I grew up around alot of other people who wrote. I'm lucky to have the friends that I have, and met the people I have. So, since I grew-up around all this, I did have a mentor holding my hand, I didn't really use the internet for about the first year of graffiti, and I loved every second of it. So, I suppose it can really go either way.

[TheOh]

i miss the days where the only access i had to graffiti involved putting in some work to either go see it or find out where it was. even the few magazines that existed back then had to be ordered through the mail (not copped at Tower Records) and i was lucky if i saw it within 6 months. i remember waiting for the first Video Graf issues i ordered to arrive, theres few things i have anticipated as much in my lifetime. even the internet was in its INFANCY (very early 90's). i remember the only exposure to internet graffiti was when Art Crimes first started and when i used to check out the AOL graffiti news groups. the blowup of the form has just polluted the scene. yes, there are pro's and cons to the explosion of graff. id still rather see it like it was. call me an oldy.

[tango 24]

the net has opened up the whole culture of graffiti

gone are the days of picking it up because you're interested, now people are in it because its the "cool" thing to do...

[Removed]

I used to love how you could pick where a peice/writer came from by looking at the style. Because of the internet people can see and be influenced by 100's of peices from all over the world before they walk out the door and see/gain influence from 1 local peice. This means that styles are more international now and local styles have been diluted.

Although I miss the strength of local styles , I could never stop looking at the net to see what else is going on. No point being bitter, its just how its developed.

[papa_dukes]

True

[Gunm]

I remember way back when Tower had maybe two graffiti magazines....WYWS (when it actually still had graffiti in it) and Can Control.

 

I brought Can Control to my school (like, 1994) and holy shit, all the writers went nuts....it was borrowed sooner than you could say "I'l bring it right back dude". I don't think i got it back until three days later and beat to shit with pages missing....ha ha ha, it's good to remember when graffiti was a really super fucking underground thing and something like a magazine would cause such excitement.

 

I'm just annoyed by how kids these days (how cliched does that sound?!?!?) will just come here to the boards, expect a magic bullet that'll give them style overnight and then they're good to go.

[¤Shark¤]

Well. I agree with LENS in the most.

 

Graffiti used to be so underground. The shit you learnt, the places you went, the people you met. Now every Joe Bloggs out there carries a marker on them and calls themself a writer, or graffiti artist. The internet has contributed to that by making it an increasing fad....almost.

 

The positive thing is that writers can get started on the net, practice styles they see, be very visual about it all, and meet people to go and paint with.