as a christmas gift, the boy gave me a mission district street art tour through the (very cool) website vayable. i was so excited i could hardly wait to hit the pavement with a street art expert and explore. i’ve scoured the mission a little to find a bit of street art in the past couple of years, and i’ve just become totally obsessed with it. i learned on saturday that i’d only seen a sliver of the street art in the mission – even after we finished the tour i realized we’d barely scratched the surface.
we met up with our tour guide russell (who was so super) at 1pm and i devoured every minute of our three hours discovering all the walls and back alleys positively exploding with color and expression and energy. we’d turn around corners and get slapped in the face with cacophonies of outrageously awesome art.
i just loved walking through the mission, the gritty space all around us buzzing and teeming with color and life. i loved learning about the elaborate world of street art in san francisco, and thinking about creative expression and community and risk and nonconformity. we wound through the streets bustling with all kinds of people, each with a story of their own, each with a beating red heart. we talked with russell about his life, so different from ours. the sun shone and smells wafted and my city-soul was alive.
and i took a lot of pictures. it was all just too good, too thrilling for the eyes, too vibrant and brilliant and garish and lovely to not capture. the talent, the creativity, the guts, the élan! right there on the street, in the middle of the passing and stomping of lives.
as we walked back to the car after the tour, my fingers were freezing and my legs were tired but my eyes were deliciously widened and i felt so exhilarated and full-up. i love diversity and color and expression and creativity and life.
