By Gina Pedroza

What do you think of when you hear the word graffiti? You might think of someone in a hoodie and baggy pants with a spray can vandalizing a building and not caring about the law.

But for some people graffiti art is an outlet, a way of relieving stress and anxiety.

For the most part graffiti has been looked down upon and eventually ends in a somewhat heavy jail sentence. The New York Times states that if the vandal is caught, they will serve 1-3 years in jail and pay fines that are $400-$100,000 depending on the property value.

As much as some people absolutely hate this unique type of risky art, the hobby itself is very important to lots of people around the world. but to my interviewee a sophomore from Yerba buena, graffiti is a way to distract her from the real world and in her words is “very relaxing.”

Graffiti has been known to be most prominent in hip hop culture but it was for the wrong reasons. The media linked the art to any urban culture, was it racially inclined? Yes, the art had absolutely nothing to do with hip hop when it was first done, until 1973 when some rappers began to rap about how they would tag their names on the new york subways or primarily urban areas.

Art seems to be an activity that many people of all ages do to relieve any sort of stress or anxiety and or express themselves, Am J Public health states that psychologists are trying to use art therapy as a way to regulate bad behavior and a way to heal emotional injuries, it has also been a part of human development.

For many years dating back to the stone ages, us humans have been drawing on walls or in caves. And from there we began to draw and write on clay tablets, and till this day we are still doing this natural behaviour and boy has it evolved drastically.

Like in the stone ages we are still “drawing” or in this case painting on walls, but now it’s considered illegal and disrespectful. But why is that?

Even though, historically, graffiti was considered a way of communication according to the St. James Encyclopedia, in the 1970’s Graffiti became a problem and it caught the attention of the public. This is when the art became forbidden and illegal with a jail time of 1-3 years and thousands of dollars worth of fines.

Beside all of the risks that have to be taken when doing this unique type of art in public, i asked my interviewee, Delilah a sophomore from Yerba Buena High School if she ever got into trouble

with her work, “Yes. A lot. I’ve had teachers talk to me about it, I've been questioned by random people on the streets a lot. It’s embarrassing at times but I just deal with whatever consequences.”

This led me to think about how art and drawing can be somewhat addicting. When i asked if sometimes it was hard to put down the art supplies she agreed that it could get out of hand sometimes.

“It is very addicting when i draw but for me i have to be bored or feel productive to start drawing, which is usually most of the time.”

For delilah it seemed like it was something to pass time but usually it’s a lot deeper than just being bored, most people do graffiti to “rebel” or just to feel some sort of adrenaline