In society today, graffiti or street art is perceived as only a negative thing; a destruction of property. Although you are defacing property by spray painting the concrete walls owned by the government, I believe that it is much more than that. It can really be beautiful and creative and all graffiti is different than the last.

I get that some people do it solely for the purpose of breaking the law or just to go against societies expectations and write derogatory terms in public places. I understand that not all street art is nice to look at or has a positive outlook. But, many talented artists that have not had the opportunity in the professional world of art take the time to paint something unique where everyone can see it, and I believe they should not be punished for creating something so beautiful, they should be praised for it. The uniqueness that comes from street art or graffiti is mind-blowing. Just walking around the city and seeing all of the different graffiti spray painted on the concrete walls is eye-opening and inspiring.

Within the last year, I have had the incredible opportunity to visit Quito, Ecuador. It was the experience of a lifetime and while I was there I saw a ton of astonishing graffiti displayed on the streets. It was amazing to be able to view this culture and the way they displayed their paintings skills through graffiti. I believe it added to my experience to make it much more eye-opening trying to interpret the different artwork displayed through the spray paint of the local Ecuadorian artists.

Graffiti has been around for hundreds of years and I believe that some types of graffiti should be considered art. They add to the cities beauty more than deface it. It is becoming more and more popular for local artists to speak their minds and paint what is important to them all around the cities. I find it inspiring to look at all of this local graffiti and figure out the story they're trying to share with the world or what they are going through. There is something so personal and deep about street art that makes me question why people are so against it. I immensely respect and appreciate the local artisans who display their beautiful artwork on the streets all over the world.