Today on my lunch break I decided to forgo actually food and go out to my car to grab something I left before heading into work but ended up not even making it 30 feet out of the building before running into someone I used to go to school with. Generally speaking this is an event I don't look forward to as I haven't quit reached the point in my life where I've progressed far enough as an adult to happily look back, basically I'm still a loser taking my time with getting into collage (21 isn't that old). This was a different encounter though for two reasons:
1. This was the first guy I'd ever met my age that was into Graffiti and truthfully he was one of the best I'd ever actually met in person; that holds true even for today.
2. I begged him to teach me what he knew and show me how to be as good as him, eventually he actually did show me a lot of amazing things about the art form.
Sounds like a dream come true eh? Run into an old friend and truthfully someone I've always wanted to reconnect with because of a completely random series of event, what's the problem right?
Well after a year in high-school I dropped out and went into drug sales full-time, graffiti and art in general just completely dropped off my radar. 5 years later I'm get interested in it all again thanks to the introduction of some new friends into my life and I've decided to really apply myself to graffiti but I quickly started to realize I've lost anything I ever had in terms of skill. Seeing him, the person I begged to teach me and though of as a legend (in truth for our area he is a legend), not only reminded me of how long it's been and how little I've grown in that regard but honestly just embarrassed the fuck out of me.
It gets worse though because outside of my own feelings of stupidity for past mistakes and embarrassment over my currently artistic level, on top of everything he didn't even remember me (not that surprising, I did have hair down to my shoulders back then) and has given up graffiti! Needless to say nothing about this encounter was going the way I though it might, sad as it may be to admit I had really hopped to meet him again some day as I renewed my quest to actually create graffiti I was proud of.
After the small talk was over and it felt like a good time to part I got his number but seeing as he didn't instantly jump at the chance to get mine I let it go and said my goodbye. Now sitting here at 2am looking at my laptop and a desk full of pens and pads with all sorts of shit scribbled on them I don't know what to do, truth is I have a feeling I won't know what to do for awhile.
1. This was the first guy I'd ever met my age that was into Graffiti and truthfully he was one of the best I'd ever actually met in person; that holds true even for today.
2. I begged him to teach me what he knew and show me how to be as good as him, eventually he actually did show me a lot of amazing things about the art form.
Sounds like a dream come true eh? Run into an old friend and truthfully someone I've always wanted to reconnect with because of a completely random series of event, what's the problem right?
Well after a year in high-school I dropped out and went into drug sales full-time, graffiti and art in general just completely dropped off my radar. 5 years later I'm get interested in it all again thanks to the introduction of some new friends into my life and I've decided to really apply myself to graffiti but I quickly started to realize I've lost anything I ever had in terms of skill. Seeing him, the person I begged to teach me and though of as a legend (in truth for our area he is a legend), not only reminded me of how long it's been and how little I've grown in that regard but honestly just embarrassed the fuck out of me.
It gets worse though because outside of my own feelings of stupidity for past mistakes and embarrassment over my currently artistic level, on top of everything he didn't even remember me (not that surprising, I did have hair down to my shoulders back then) and has given up graffiti! Needless to say nothing about this encounter was going the way I though it might, sad as it may be to admit I had really hopped to meet him again some day as I renewed my quest to actually create graffiti I was proud of.
After the small talk was over and it felt like a good time to part I got his number but seeing as he didn't instantly jump at the chance to get mine I let it go and said my goodbye. Now sitting here at 2am looking at my laptop and a desk full of pens and pads with all sorts of shit scribbled on them I don't know what to do, truth is I have a feeling I won't know what to do for awhile.