The Buff and Why its Good
For those new to graffiti, the buff is essentially any process of erasing graffiti from the environment. This can range from a worker power washing, rubbing chemicals on your tag, or painting over your graffiti, and this can even include graffiti artists painting over a wall themselves. While the buff is a thorn at the side of any experienced writer, its the saving grace of new graffiti writers. Experienced writers might spend a night and many cans on a whole wall just to wake up in the morning and have their piece already painted over. In some areas, if a piece lives for a week or two, thats a long time. New writers with less experience might get excited to have learned a new throwie, or tag, then take that out onto a wall and absolutely butcher the whole thing. In a case like this, the buff comes along and erases the graffiti they’re embarrassed about any way, and offers the newer writer another opportunity to try again. So what do writers normally do to lessen the chances of being buffed.
Graffiti That Lasts:
To combat the buff, graffiti artists had to adapt in. various ways. One common method to get longevity was by selecting paints and inks that resisted easy removal. Sometimes writers would add things to their inks to help tags last longer outside, and resist layers of paint. Writers also aimed for hard-to-reach spots, places the buff couldn't reach easily – the birth of iconic "Heaven spots." The goal was clear: create work that would outlast the buff's onslaught and be visible long enough for passersby to catch a glimpse so you could get your name out there to more people. Quantity sometimes overshadowed quality, as artists filled walls with hand styles and throwies, multiplying their chances of surviving the buff. This might have been one of the most efective methods to get around the buff though it required more risk and more effort. See, no matter how resistent your marker or paint is, your graffiti can always be removed, there’s no gretting around that. If you hit heaven spots, then #1 there is a limited amount of these in most areas, not everyone is willing or can access these spots, and the elements will still erode most graffiti in these spots.
Shifting Landscape: Digital Age and the Buff:
Before technology became commonplace in everyones life, writers needed their work to stand the test of time so their names could be seen. Fast forward to the digital age, where the landscape of graffiti has undergone a paradigm shift. Social media platforms and digital cameras have emerged as graffiti's new methods to preserve what you did on walls. Now if you do graffiti and snap a photo of it on your phone, it wouldn’t matter if the buff erased your work seconds after you did it. Writers now simply upload their work online and they gain access to thounds of more eyes than they would have in the real world. This means writers can take less risks, or no risks and get infinity more famous for it. While this certainly has watered down the graffiti culture as a whole, this change as also allowed some amazing new writers that may have never tried graffiti if it wasn’t for this appeal. While the digital realm offers unparalleled reach, it also introduces the issue of exposure versus authenticity. Some artists grapple with the tension between preserving the raw, rebellious spirit of graffiti and the allure of garnering online likes and recognition. Not to mention the risk of posting your graffiti online is a topic not many new writers consider. This lack of caution on social media has gotten plenty of writers caught and there isnt much you can do to avoid it. Once its on social media there is no getting it off.
