Before we begin, a few definitions. First there is graffiti; graffiti is anything drawn, painted, marked, sculpted, scratched, etched, stenciled, melted, glued, stuck or otherwise put out for public consumption on spaces without limited access.

Then there is vandalism. Vandalism is defacing property. Altering, marring, the image of something left out for everyone to see.

And finally there is Mass Art. Mass Art is art put out without limited access. Sometimes it even has negative limits on the access, it forces itself to be seen.

How do these relate? Well, all visual Mass Art is graffiti (perhaps more than just visual Mass Art depending on where you draw your boundaries on the definition, but I digress...). Mass Art is graffiti because it's put out for everyone. But not all graffiti is Mass Art, because not all graffiti is art.

Vandalism is irredeemable. If there is no soul, no attempt at something more than what that surface was before the graffiti was added it's vandalism. If the graffiti is there to add to the surface, it may not be vandalism. If it's there to take away from, to detract, bring down the surface it can be nothing but vandalism. Vandalism has no art, it is irredeemable.

Art is something that is more than what it is. This is an obscure definition because "Art" refers to that which is more than linear thought. If you can look at a picture and say why it's so attractive it's beautiful. But if you look at a picture and it's attractive in a way that you can't completely explain... that extra something is Art. If it's a horrible picture and you can say that it's horrible because it's of a car crash and just repulsive, that's a gross picture. If it's repulsive for more than just what it is a picture of, that's the art of it.

Of course one would say, "Well a bridge builder can look at the Golden Gate Bridge and say that it is amazing beyond just the fact that it's a bridge, but I'm telling you, it's just a big bridge." To the bridge builder it is art; to you it isn't. Art happens between the work and the viewer. It is subjective. If you look at the Mona Lisa and say, "There's just something cool about that painting." It's art. If the next guy walks up and says, "I don't get it. It's just some old chick."- Not art. If the Mona Lisa is alone in a room and no one looks at it is it art? Nope.

Well now that I've contracted volumes of art theory and philosophy into 224 words, I'll move on. So graffiti can be either Art or Vandalism and I've just said that whether something is art or not is up to the viewer. How can I define and support Mass Art without supporting raw vandalism? How can I draw a line? I can't. But even though I can't tell where Art ends, I can tell where vandalism begins.

Vandalism is spineless and loathsome. We've been trying to keep this site family friendly and accessible to everyone but to make my point I'm willing to say, "Fuck vandals." Damaging the world I have to look at is an insult and injury to me.

So where's the line? Who do I spit on? Allow me to offer a metaphor: Bob got hurt by four people on Tuesday. At work, his boss was impressed with the job he did on an illustration and gave Bob a slap on the back, which hurt like hell since Bob's boss is a big guy and Bob had a sunburn. After work Bob had a doctor's appointment where the Doctor said he needed a tetanus booster and gave him a shot that didn't just feel like a mosquito bite, like the doctor said, and left his arm soar. Then later Bob was making out with his girlfriend and she thought it'd be funny to bite him on his neck until she left a mark to prove that he was her man. Then that night he was out at a club and some guy was being an ass and slugged him because he thought it'd be funny.

In that story, we may not agree with who was right, but we can agree on who was wrong. Such is it with vandalism.

Those guys who scratch their name badly on shop windows are vandals. They're scum. That has no value other than it made them feel good to damage something else. It shows a complete lack of wisdom and respect for the Everything Else.

And you can tell the difference between someone who has tried and has something to say and those bad blocky works that look like they were done by a 180 pound first grader. If you haven't bothered to take lessons or at least practice on the guitar, don't get on stage. No matter your opinion of the music, you can tell the difference between the most obtuse thrash Jazz record and some guy that's never touched a sax before just blowing as hard as he can into the small end. It doesnít have to be Picasso, but you can feel the difference between the guy who thinks that anyone can do it and some guy who is trying.

So how do you produce Mass Art without being a vandal? Well first off if you are conscious of the difference, you've already avoided it. If you can feel the difference between that which is cool and that which is weak, you've already avoided it. If you understand what I'm writing and you've read it and thought, "He's right. There is something there. I don't know what it is but I know there is a difference," then you're not going to make the mistakes of those rodents.

Now there are people out there who don't trust themselves and their opinions. Usually I'd say if your thoughts aren't even considered worthwhile by the person thinking them, then you're not worth my time. But I appreciate that this small essay is reaching a lot of younger members of the world who haven't had the time to think and act and come to this appreciation, but need to start experimenting with Art. So for them I will offer some guidelines of Mass Art:

1) If the location is more important than the work, then it's tagging. Tagging is sport not Art.

2) Don't do a piece near you that is just like stuff you don't want to be caught for. Prime example- Don't tag your own backpack! How dumb do you have to be...?

3) Never do a piece to get even with someone. The only things that graffiti should ever be used as revenge against are the government, society and history- but never people.

4) Don't do anything on private store fronts or homes and never on anything with the Virgin Mary painted on it!

5) Don't talk about it.

6) Don't do any piece that you wouldn't admit to if the girl (or boy) you were trying to get a kiss from called you on it.

7) Not every piece of Art has to be a masterpiece or the best thing you've ever done.