Things We Can Learn From Banksy

Life is Beautiful

Banksy has often displayed an artist’s vision that puts a mirror to society. His “graffiti” or murals are on buildings all over the world–Except he doesn’t announce that he will be doing it. His identity is unknown. He works in secret and without permission, casting his shadow on the world but never showing his face to the public. His art tends to have a theme of being lighthearted, often satirical. These things we can learn from his work.

You are never too big to humble yourself

There was a story about him selling paintings in Central park years ago for $60. They are being sold now for over 100,000 pounds. The man that bought the paintings was only his second customer that day. I expect the piece he sold is now being held by a very happy owner. An original Banksy would garner a large sum of money at any auction house. Banksy sold them for $60 or less that day, no one knew it was him, so he received no admiration from fans.

Your work will never be appreciated as much as you want it to

What you do is up to you, and whether your work is treated with the proper respect is up to the stewards of it. Banksy has done work in Detroit before. Most of it has either been removed or destroyed. People destroying these works of art is a travesty. Selling the wall may preserve them but not for the general public, which he means his work to be displayed for. The chaos of people fighting over a wall must be delightful to him, but to see it painted over or destroyed could be hurtful.

Human lives are precious

Many of his paintings have a political statement within. War is one prevailing theme that we can see from his body of work. They’re not text, but images that reveal the underlying costs of it.  The cost of waging war should not be quantified in pounds or dollars, but by the lives of the people that died to wage it.

You can always succeed, but first you must try

Despite his relative mystery and the sketchy legality of his work, Banksy has become a famed artist in his own time. He has done a lot of work for free, just to get his work shown to the public. He has traveled the world to graffiti it, and rose to acclaim. No one would have thought vandalizing private properties throughout Europe and the United States would have led the artist to star in shows in prestigious galleries. Who would have guessed that when he began painting on the sides of buildings people would tear down walls just to own his work?

Walk to the beat of your own drum

If Banksy didn’t do more work after his first was taken down there would be no grand murals or Dismaland, a gallery for his work of his own design. Whether Banksy was rejected by the establishment, or just didn’t agree with it he took to the streets to paint the town his own color. He made a statement that was anti-establishment and often illegal. Bansky is the bad boy of artists, and he took his career in his own hand when he broke the law to show the world what he could do. Be bold, dare to achieve.

You will find that life is surreal

No one ever said it would be easy to traverse the gaps you will need to cross. No one said there was a road map to life. You will need to fit a square peg into a round hole. At times you might find yourself flying a refrigerator on a string, figuratively. Sometimes however, the hardest things in life are the most fun. Fly your appliances high!

Growing up happens, heartbreak is expected

Though the young at heart will hold on and despair at their lost love, it may not have been meant to be. Very few people don’t experience this kind of loss. It may be cynical to think that is happens to people so young, but hasn’t the other sex made you feel that young?

Featured photo credit: Banksy via media.photobucket.com

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