Kalamazoo Trip: Day 2

Arrived safe and sound in kalamazoo and met up with Fasm, Cammer1 and Bobby. Fasm and Cammer are from my crew and Bobby is the youth minister of the church that were painting. Fasm and Cammer arrived in chicago and thier flight to kalamazoo was cancelled so Bobby the night before had driven to chicago to pick them up. It turns out that the paint supplier that they ordered the paint from messed up and was unable to send them the paint. So we had to buy cheaper domestic paint which is more difficult to use. We got started painting and it was awesome to see how Fasm or Cammer approached the wall differently in terms of colour and stuff. I don't like cheap demestic paint and it was frustrating at times becasue I felt like I was out of practice or a bad graffiti writer but really it was just the paint. But that didn't slow down Fasm he's got alot of can control and he didn't skip a beat. I had alot of fun hanging out with Cammer and Fasm there were always jokes and I laughed so hard that my stomac started to hurt. Were staying at Bobby's house and everything is just laid back and easy. Bobby likes the way the mural is turning out everyone has given us positive feedback.

Kalamazoo Trip: Day 1

So I took a bus to Kalamazoo Mi. to meet up with Cammer and Fasm from my crew gospel graffiti who are doing a mural here on the east coast. On the way I talked to alot of people on the bus a really nice football player, a palistinian who wouldn't give up on the idea that war will solve his problems but, I ran into one peticular individual who was inspirational to me and I think he felt the same way. A 33 year old from Detroit who grew up in a foster home scince he was 9 years (I work at a group home). He gave me a valuable insight into what he was thinking about durring his time in the group home and gave some really valuable advise. We continued to talk and we went through most of his life story he was an amazing person. He's seen some dark times, he was the product of a cheating spouse, he was shot by his step-father at age 9, stabbed, developed arthritis, sexually abused multiple times and abandoned by his family. But dispite being badly mistreated by a pastor of a church he saw beyond the fakeness of a religious intitution and developed a relationship with Jesus. He was the only member of his family to graduate from college (as a social worker like me). His mom (who abandoned him) was sick and he dropped everything to look after her, when his money ran out she kicked him out of her house. He was taking a bus because he was trying to start a new life after being kicked out. The amazing thing to me was his forgiving heart dispite his abuse he didn't hold things against his abusers. It was in great contrast to the palistinian who suffered as much this man but didn't forgive. He was such a great example of overcoming adverities but still there was further to go. He had such little self esteem, felt unlovable and worthless at times. I talked with him for hours and seemed to hang on my words as I hung on his. He said that he wasn't supposed to be on that bus but decided at the last minute to take a less prideful path, he believed God had a different plan for him. He kept saying I know God exists because you are here, I know God is with you I see him in you, I know that God loves me because you are here, I know God cares about me because of you.

Piece #30

"Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." -Jesus from Matthew 5:1-12

This ally was based on the album joyful rebellion by K-OS.

Boston?

mmm... Boston... I was planning to go to Boston to paint today but, I'm just waiting... wierd, I'll fill you guys in. Here is a selection of quotes about what has happened over the last few months of conversation with a really nice guy from Boston.

"I talked to Mrs. Neely an art teacher here to see if we could work on campus... One thing that you may be interested in is doing a presentation in our chapel... Part of the course is finding a means for expression, which is where your work is perfect. If you can come the 3rd week of May... I have to send my rough draft of this application to our overseer before Tuesday... just wanted to let you know that our project got passed... I have been trying very hard to find you somewhere to stay... I haven't gotten any positive responses... we should probably tell you not to come... I don't think you should get on a bus towards Boston unless I send you another email saying that we have things worked out"

He was trying to get me down to do some painting/ talking/ teaching/ chilling but things kinda (as of yet) haven't worked out. When I was a teenager I wanted to be looked up to - a missionary, a pastor or something where I had attained "perfection". When I got older I realized these people who I looked up to were not perfect. I decided to abandon that superficial goal and instead be real and genuine about my experiences. I feel like I've been asked down to Boston to lead. I've met a lot of followers since I started doing this and it seems they look to me to be their leader at least for an hour or two. It's something that I didn't look for but I'm trying really hard not to be up on a pedestal. I think this is what this lack of trip has got me thinking about. In order for me to be effective I've gottta be humble or you end up leading the people to a place of disillusion. I don't have all the answers, I have some experiences and some personal answers but I don't have them all. If there's any people who look up to me reading this I guess I'm saying "look beyond me".

Wow, that back fired

I did a canvas and gave it to the church. It was about not trusting in money and they put it next to the donation box for the new building. I feel like my work was just perverted. I meant to say "Forget about money... in God we trust! The west has replaced it's dependency on God with it's dependency on money. Do you see how empty our trust is?" Now my message seems like "Remember money? You don't need it, give it to the church so they can buy a huge building". I have nothing against the church or the pastor (really funny last week). I have seen so many people turned away from the church over money and I've had to spend a lot of time trying to convince many people that "the church is not interested in your money". I have a thing against big buildings unless homeless people get to sleep in them. When I think of big churches I think of the cathedrals brimming with light, art, luxury and the peasants freezing to death outside the doors. I look at the architecture of the Gothic period and feel sick with shame on behalf of my christian heritage. I pray that the building is used for good things and that no one receives a negative message through my art. Recently God has been teaching me how to better love christians. I'm trying not to hate on christian things just because they don't exactly fit with my view because, there is usually some validity to everyones view. I'm glad the money isn't going to pay salaries of people who make more money than I do or to convince through funding people to do what they already know they should do but needed an extra financial push. I wish I wasn't so sinical... I don't know... maybe I should be more sinical. I love the church but sometimes it's difficult to endure lowering your expectations of God's people and to have a group of utterly flawed people represent a perfect God. All I can say is that our imperfection to me seems like the hugest detriment to God but it just speaks of his amazing un-contingent love.

Fair - oh! / Piece #29

I've been talking to a writer named Fair from hamilton for a month trying to get together to do something. It was really last minute but we got together and did a couple walls in grimsby. He picked me up and he sketched something out real quick (which he didn't stick to), I freestyled my piece and the whole event fit together in a gloriously unplanned and hap-hazard way.

He was a really nice guy he started painting like 5 years ago and also started the peoples crew with a friend of his. He started going to church and hasn't done any illegal painting in like 3 years. His strongest influence was from a writer from Gospel Graffiti Crew named Sonz. Fair had alot of good things to say about sonz. The night before Sonz had sent me an email wanting to paint with me and I talked to him a few hours before I hooked up with Fair to paint.

The whole thing came off nicely and he drove me around Hamilton showing me some walls, his house, his family, the yards, and some tight murals he had done before dropping me off at the bus station. The top one is Fair's the bottom one is mine.

At the bus station I checked when the next bus home was and as it turned out I had missed it by 15 minutes and the next bus wasn't till 11pm. I met a guy who had also missed the bus by 5 minutes. We talked and then he got picked up. A few minutes later he came back and asked if I wanted a ride back to London.

Piece #28

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 john 4:7