Power of Art L.A.

Artist: Greg Gould

Artist: WRDSMTH

Artist: WRDSMTH

Artist: Blair https://instagram.com/lagomorphina/

Artist: Blair https://instagram.com/lagomorphina/

Artist: Blair https://instagram.com/lagomorphina/

If you've been following my Instagram/blog for some time now, you'll know that I absolutely love the street art in Los Angeles. When I first moved to LA, I had never before seen so much beautiful, colorful street art in my entire life! Each time I drive by a colorful mural or unique work of graffiti (which is multiple times a day here!), I find myself feeling grateful to be in such a vibrant city, but also wanting to know more about the beautiful, artistic souls we have in this city who paint murals for others to enjoy & be inspired by. Like, who decides what mural goes where? What is the story of the artist behind this mural? When was this mural painted? This mural looks upbeat - I wonder why. This mural looks dark - I wonder why. You catch my drift...

I believe in creativity as an incredibly healthy means of self-expression and healing - whether it's drawing, painting, graffiti, photography, blogging, dancing, etc. - and I have found immense comfort throughout my life in channeling my naturally anxious, high-energy self into CREATING things! For me, the Power of Art is to create something that is bigger than myself, something that I will leave behind to inspire and help others. As I build my blog, my goal is to help promote organizations in LA that both focus on making our community better and that support local artists, creatives and entrepreneurs. 

Right as I was beginning to scheme on how I can use any social media/web presence I establish to benefit the greater good, Mai-ly Spiller and I connected via Instagram. Mai-ly is one of the founders of the Power of Art , a "global movement, beginning in Los Angeles, enlivening communities through creative storytelling and celebrating local talent of all backgrounds and cultures." The Power of Art aims on making Los Angeles the most colorful, vibrant community art gallery in not only the country, but the world! Mai-Ly's organization has gained access to over 4,000 power boxes in the LA County. Each and every one of these boxes will be painted by local artists who have an opportunity to both share their artistic abilities AND their personal stories with the community. Read more about the founders and organization partners by clicking here.

I recently had a chance to meet up with Mai-ly and she is just an inspiring and warm-spirited in person as I imagined she would be. We had a great conversation and agreed that art is about creating something bigger than ourselves and is the gift that keeps on giving, even after we are no longer on Earth. I loved hearing about her goal of "creating a movement" with the painted power boxes in LA, building a community and really bringing people together. Even if these power boxes just make people stop, open their eyes, and LOOK for a few seconds, they've made a mark! Mai-ly hopes that this project will not only make the streets of Los Angeles some of the most colorful in the world, but will also help to elevate the value of art in our community. Mai-ly shared that she believes we are all artists, but as we grow older, we can sometimes lose touch with our ability to express ourselves artistically and creatively. For example, art is unfortunately the first program in schools to get cut when the budget becomes an issue. This is where Power of Art L.A. comes in - this movement is a way to show the importance of art and elevate its power in our society! 

These power boxes not only give artists a means to express themselves and share some of their untold stories, but they can also help brighten up the days of those that come across them in LA. I recently noticed that in one of @PowerofArtLA's instagram pictures, muralist Brandon Sopinsky stated, "​I loved seeing the reaction of people when I was out painting my box. One construction worker stopped to tell me I just made his whole commute better. Another person told me “I walk past this everyday, you just made me happy to walk down the street”. When I am out there working on a mural people just stop to talk to me when they would have never talked to me. Whether it’s old people commenting how awesome it is the city allows it. Or a construction worker yelling at me to see if I have a permit. Or inspiring little kids walking by to paint and showing them they can to. I am communicating with people who otherwise I would have never interacted with, creating a reaction from people; that is the power of art." How amazing is that? That right there is the power of art, folks!

So, while you're (hopefully) feeling inspired and ready to get involved in some way, here's my call for action to my blog readers: 

1. Find a painted power box in LA. There are a lot downtown and in Venice especially.
2. Take a picture of or with the box. 
3. Post the picture on Instagram and tag @powerofartla and the artist if you know who it is (their tag should be somewhere on the power box). 
4. Caption the picture with either what the power of art means to you, why you love the street art in LA, or how seeing the power box brightened your day or inspired you.
5. Bonus: tag me in your pics so I can see them!

Let's celebrate the street art and artists in our beautiful city and reflect upon the ways in which art and creativity can help inspire our community from the ground up.  Can't wait to see your posts on social media of these beautiful power boxes!

One final note: are you an artist that wants to work with the Power of Art organization in Los Angeles? Click here to learn more about how you can get involved!