FAQ

Why Stickers?

All street art is temporary. Using stickers speeds up the whole process. A sticker can be put up in far less time, in mass, and in a much wider range of places, often while not being seen or suspected of anything. Stickers are also a lot more accessible to the average youth than spray paint.

Part of the attraction for me is the wide range of people who utilize street art as a tool and not just a form of expression. Because stickers are open to anyone, it’s often used by everyone.

How long has graffiti been around?

Graffiti has been around as long as we’ve had self-expression. Different types of graffiti left behind, like in Egypt, in tombs that have been robbed, tell us a lot about the robbers, and the culture they lived in. Sometimes these scribbles are just as valuable, if not more, than the tombs themselves. There are also numerous famous stones along the Oregon Trail where thousands of travelers wrote their name, the names of those fallen, and other information that would otherwise be lost to time.

Who approves?

I’ve gotten support from many different groups anywhere I go, and it’s the overly-positive response that keeps me so motivated.

⦁ Postal Workers
⦁ Police
⦁ Store Owners
⦁ Graffiti Artists
⦁ Friends
⦁ Relatives

Who disapproves?

I’m often confused with the people who are putting up stickers. Rarely I have been stopped by the police or store owners until I explain what I’m doing and why. Half a dozen times I’ve been stopped by the SFPD who seemed disappointed they hadn’t caught a criminal in the act, and looked for another excuse to arrest me (and my friends):
“Taking that down is someone else’s job!”
“Didn’t I just see you trying to buy drugs from those guys who just walked past you?”

What do you do with the stickers?

Currently, my focus is mainly on collecting them, putting them in card stock behind plastic sheets to preserve them, and keeping a record of how the graffiti grows and changes via pop culture and other influences.

Have you ever made/Put up stickers?

Of course! It can be a very obsessive hobby, and it’s easy to get sucked in.

Who is involved?

⦁ Traditional Artists: Use paint, markers, pencils, and watercolors to express all kinds of imagery.
⦁ Taggers: Often use stencils or just markers to leave their name or symbol.
⦁ Political activists: Often professionally print stickers to display a point of view that’s often contradictory to the ‘norm’.
⦁ Businesses: Use this tool to advertise in mass for free/cheap all over the city.

How can I be involved?

In the years I have been doing this project, I’ve gotten the chance to meet numerous artists, collectors, and curious “average” folk. What we are doing is sort of counter-counter culture, which intrigues a lot of different types of people, and through this process, I’ve gotten the chance to talk art with some very insightful and brilliant minds.

There are many artists, but only a few art collectors by comparison. At the rate that the art disappears, it’s impossible to see all of any one artist unless their work is online. As a collective force, we can try to get a wider sampling of artists from around the world, not just SF. As a sticker stealer, you have a chance to give taggers, as well as real artists, a venue to display their work, and in a positive way.

Being a part of the process doesn’t require one to steal. We also encourage more and new stickers to be put up art in any city. As long as it doesn’t do any harm (like blocking a road sign) we don’t see a problem.

What is the point?

I’ve always been entranced by different artists and styles, and so when I moved to San Francisco, I was overwhelmed by outpouring of art dripping from all the walls, streets, buildings, and even street signs. However, when I talked to others about it, they seemed jaded and uninterested.

People in the Bay Area, or in general, have gotten used to seeing so much graffiti and tagging everywhere that many don’t even look at it or notice it anymore. It’s become a nuisance rather than a form of expression.

I found that by collecting a sampling of them and putting them on my wall, all in one place, pulled others back in and stole some of their time and thoughts as they once had.

By showcasing the different types of artists and keeping their work safe where others can enjoy it for years to come helps inspire and motivate others to do the same, and as I’ve always said: The more art, the better!