The Making of a Graffiti Book

Getting acquainted with and writing about a topic you have no direct connections to and no understanding of what that path may lead to is ridiculous and na?ve. Yet, it turned out to be an incredible and unexpected experience.

So how exactly did this book on the history of graffiti in Toronto, Canada, come about?

I was highly curious about the people who created these incredible works of art. I wanted to know more about them, what drove them, how they came to develop their skills, and what it was about. There were stories behind the walls, and I wanted to know those stories — first hand.

I wanted to hear it straight from the people who had the passion and drive to do this. As I delved into the graff scene, and the more I realized what went into "the walls" and how they came to be, the more impressed I became. There are riches upon riches in our cities that few ever explore.

I spent a little over ten years doing extensive research into graffiti culture by going straight to the source — pioneers in the graff scene in Toronto, Canada. This was the book I had wanted to read since I was a very young teen. I searched for a book like this for years but never found anything like it. Eventually, circumstances lined up in such a way that allowed me to have the opportunity to work with some amazing artists to create "Toronto Graffiti: the human behind the wall."

Graffiti is quite possibly the most complex and highly evolved art form the world has ever seen in terms of development in such a short period of time. That speaks volumes about its relevance, what drives it, and how people respond to it. It is an injustice to look at a wall superficially and dismiss it as nothing more than vandalism or a bit of paint on a static outdoor surface. There are layers upon layers of stories underneath, filled with a richness and humanity the average person rarely touches upon.

In essence, this was a selfish endeavor. I kept waiting for a book like this to come out, hoping to find something like this in Tower Records, Pages, or somewhere similar, but that did not happen.

Although I was shy, my curiosity eventually got the better of me, and I decided to leap in. I had already been photographing walls since the '90s, and in 2008 I took the first definitive steps to actively pursuing this book project. 

What did this entail?

A crazy person attempting to do the impossible. That's what.

You have to understand, I was a complete outsider and totally na?ve to the inner world of graffiti. I didn't even know a single artist personally at that point. Looking at me, you'd probably think that I was the least likely person to even consider a project such as this, with all the challenges that one can foresee-and many more that you don't until you are in the thick of it. Honestly, it just seemed utterly insane and impossible, and yet, serendipitously, here we are with you now holding this book.

The first nine years or so were spent taking photos and checking out graff shows and hip hop events. There were many ups and downs. There were many long nights. At times I would think to myself how insane this was while under a bridge at 2 AM following up some info about new graff or meeting someone (since artists were not always comfortable meeting in typical places or circumstances for the most part), crawling under or climbing over a fence to take a shot of something amazing but not easy to get to, or running the train tracks to find gold along the walls. It was totally crazy and not something I would recommend anyone do, especially a single gal.

Often, and for what seemed like the umpteenth time, I thought, "yes, this is why people pay a professional to do this" (a "professional" journalist, photographer, transcription service, graphic designer, legal clinic, fundraising coordinator, PR guru, web designer, research assistant, proofreader, general gopher, etc.). But since I didn't have the money for any of those things, I had to do it myself. Also, I didn't want to entrust such a precious project to anyone else. During these years, I worked many extra long hours at my day job and took on various part-time jobs in the evenings and on the weekends to save up enough money to pay artists a contribution fee and pay to self-publish my book. Honestly, my life at that time was all about "the book," and everything I did, revolved around it. 

I had a vision for the book, as did the artists who collaborated with me. And don't for a minute think the artists were all excited about this and wanting to work with me on it when I first attempted to broach the subject. Pretty much none of them did. They ignored me for a long time, and it took a tremendous amount of negotiating, proving myself, showing up, and not being offended when some of them deliberately pushed me hard (emotionally, mentally) to see how serious I was and how badly I wanted to learn about their world before the project was even "allowed." Look at it from their perspective, no one knew who I was, no one had heard of me, they couldn't tell if I was a cop or not, they didn't know if I was working for a media agency and fishing for fresh "street cred designs" to rip off, or any number of other unknowns. Understandably, everyone was wary.

Eventually, one by one, as I proved myself with one artist who then gave another artist the "thumbs up" about me, then another and another (you can see how this took a very long time of getting to know artists and choosing to trust one another which was risky to both sides) I built up a collaboration with the pioneers of Toronto and Canadian graffiti.

Working together, it was our combined vision that helped sort out the details of the book. Alongside artists, I requested feedback from experts such as doctors and lawyers. This was also challenging as some seemed willing at first, but once I revealed what the subject matter was, they would often pull out, saying they did not want to or could not be associated with graffiti in any way. 

Eventually, I did get help at various levels, which was great. My intense passion for the art, deep interest in the artists behind it, and the potential of this book inspired several people to come forward and offer their services for free. This was amazing, and I will always be grateful to those individuals. Assistance came in the form of proofreading, translating, grant writing, editing, and getting the legal, health, and safety sections written by top professionals. One artist, in particular - Bomba - came forward to really help out and co-produced several sections of the book.

How did I find the resources and artists for the book?

Lots and lots of research. I had to cross-reference and quadruple-check everything. I asked the artists lots of questions. I asked for their opinions and suggestions. I asked the professionals for advice. I got contracts written up for clarity. I had processes set up to ensure privacy and safety.

The safety and privacy processes I had put into place were strict. I never wrote down contact information, for example. I memorized everything, often having to un-memorize and re-memorize as some of that information changed two, three, or more times (such as telephone numbers that got updated frequently).

At one point, I sensed that I was being followed. I was even robbed. My apartment was broken into, with all graff-related disks, hard drives, photography, my laptop, etc., stolen. Fortuitously, I had everything not only backed up, but I had also divided it into three sections, scrambled, and placed onto unconnected servers around the world for safety. It would have been pretty difficult to find, put together, and make sense of my work. Everything else was in my head, and that was one of the safety guarantees I made to keep the artists protected. I gave my word I would honour their privacy, and took their security and anonymity very seriously. 

There are many graffiti-related websites online. You have to go through them to weed out what is most relevant. I emailed everyone I could find an email for. I called everyone I had a number for. This included hospitals, specialists, lawyers, colleges, schools, the government (yes, all 44 Toronto city councilors), social workers, youth agencies, the police (to ask them what their official stance on graffiti was), and many more. 

I took notes and memorized a lot right on the spot. I followed up with everything, with everyone, and any little bit of information that was passed to me that could potentially lead to another piece of the puzzle. I showed up at every event my schedule allowed for. It was like following a trail of breadcrumbs. I got very little sleep in those years.

Obtaining copyright permission for over 1,000 photos is no small feat. Tracking down original photographers is next to impossible at times, but necessary nonetheless, so I did my due diligence to the best of my ability as per the circumstances.

This project is unique in that the subject matter is quite sensitive and had to be both allowed and supported by the community. I was lucky enough to be granted permission and generously given support. 

You really have to prepare when you talk to someone. No one likes to have their time wasted, so you need to show up completely prepared and ready to go. The onus is always on you, not anyone else. You only get one chance, so if you mess up, it's not likely that person will give you another shot. Gosh, I was a bundle of nerves every time I met with an artist, especially the first time. I was both super excited and so, so nervous at the same time. It felt like I was experiencing low-grade constant stress even when I slept. It just never shut off. 

Since I am genuinely very interested and have wanted to dig deeper and know more about these amazing artists, it was easy for me to think of questions because I had been thinking them for nearly 20 years. Some people might think such an undertaking is a bit crazy - and there may be some truth to that, but it's a passion project, and very few people ever get an opportunity such as this. It was stressful at times, but truly an honour to be able to put this book together. It's just incredible, really. Sometimes I still can't quite believe it when I hold this book in my hands and think of what went into producing this. Thank goodness I did not know what the making of this project entailed; otherwise, I may not have had the courage even to begin. Sometimes it's best not to know but instead, to just do it. 

A huge thank you and shout out to the incredible artists and everyone who helped along the way!

It was quite the ride.

Check out a FREE sample of the first 50 pages here - enjoy!

https://www.torontograffiti.ca/store/p2/toronto-graffiti-flipbook.html