For our next Q&A session on the Graff. Life. Blog series, we're excited to feature the west midland's very own Ghost. The pink dot fat cap specialist and video maker who has racked up countless hours of work and made graffiti more accessible to all through his own YouTube channel.
Read on to find out when he first got into graff and what being a writer means to him.
How did you first get into graffiti? What made you want to start painting?
I've always been into graffiti since I was old enough to draw... started back in school, I had all my books fully graffed up! And then it progressed to tables, white boards, toilets etc.... by time I got to last year of school I had every white board tagged with buff proof ink, every area of the school had a tag. Had the teachers going mad to find out who it was! And then last week of school some girl grassed me up and they had my mom come in and discuss the issue 😂🤦🏻♂️... graffiti has always been a massive passion for me so I knew it would always progress into painting walls and proper bombing.
What does graffiti mean to you?
Graffiti to me is everything! There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about or do something graff related. The only thing I rank above graffiti in my life is my kids! Graffiti is what I built my whole life around and was 100% of everything I did and wanted in life until I had my daughter and then it took a passenger seat.
Graffiti is also my release from the everyday normality of life. Once I'm out exploring, painting, finding new spots, sketching, etc nothing else matters in the world! I think if something ever happened (touch wood it didn't) that stopped me from doing graffiti I honestly can say I would be a total wreck.
Why do you think graffiti is so often viewed as vandalism? And what do you think about the laws around graffiti?
Graffiti in my eyes is vandalism! That's the real and most pure form of it! I think if you have never done the illegal side of graffiti, such as bombing and that, I don't think you can really call yourself a graffiti writer... you're just an artist who can paint a graffiti type style... without the illegal side of it you're loosing the meaning of the word graffiti.
The laws around graffiti? Again the laws are what give meaning to the word graffiti, it's vandalism to property that is not yours. So without the laws, what makes graffiti even exciting or fun? You lose that thrill, that adrenaline rush, because to us it's like a drug we get the same buzz as a junkie does. Hitting a hot spot and nailing it, no better feeling!
What makes a good graffiti piece in your eyes?
All graffiti to me is good as long as you know someone has that same passion for it as you do! Sometimes I get more of a buzz seeing a chrome dub in a hot spot than a full colour burner production with characters! I love all aspects of graff so for me as long as i know that its been done with love and passion, to me that's good graffiti!
How has graffiti impacted you and your life?
Graffiti has kept me away from the growing troubles of this world such as gangs and drugs! Graffiti was my drug and the people I painted with were my gang so in a way it kept me on the right path while still having that illegal element.
Graff has also been very kind to me with the following that I have accumulated over the years with my YouTube and Instagram and I'm so grateful and appreciative of every single person who supports me every day! I can't thank them enough because without them I wouldn't have been able to paint some of the events I've painted or collaborated with some of the many great writers I've met!
To find out more about Ghost, head over to his Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ea_gh0st_crz/
Or check out his YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEI5fxpnLgXSBggbaWRaEig
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