#neces

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Former graffiti artist turned illustrator shares her past and offers advice for the future.

"Neces" grew up in the city of Lynwood, bordering Watts and Compton, and found graffiti art as a way to avoid gang life. "You either got in a gang or became what you call a 'tag-banger' (a graffiti writer or tagger who has implemented the traditions of gang violence in his or her graffiti practice)." Neces began writing with a tag-banging crew called 'VIP'. But she soon saw the mirrored reflection of gang culture in her crew. After three of her close friends and an ex-boyfriend were shot and killed, Neces dropped the crew. "I quickly realized that I didn't want to participate in that lifestyle anymore," said Neces, "so I began doing graffiti solo."

After her brief stint as a oner, Neces started hanging out with other graffiti artists such as 'Bomb', 'Pleck', and 'Charm'. "It was just natural to join the crew that they were starting back then," said Neces. "And that's how I became a part of WAI crew."

As a female graffiti artist, Neces was welcomed to the scene without too much conflict. She still however ran into a few haters that she said 'couldn’t handle competition from a female.' "Some guys still have sexist views, said Neces. "You can’t really change that." Neces spent most of her nights riding the Metro 60 bus to downtown Los Angeles. "I got off on Broadway and 7th and would casually walk around downtown catching landmarks where ever I could. I absolutely loved the silence in downtown," said Neces. "I felt like I owned the streets." "Back in the early 90’s 'riding grill' (hanging on to the back of the bus) was a fun and easy way to get around," explained Neces, "I was tagging my name on a grill on a bus that was traveling down Imperial. I soon realized that the bus was heading straight to the 710 fwy on-ramp. And without hesitation, I jumped off the back of a moving bus, broke my leg, got a concussion, and almost got run over. The worst part was that when I hitched a ride home, my dad wouldn’t take me to the hospital until three days later after begging him." "I was always looking for the best 'landmarks'. For me anything that stayed up for more than three months was a landmark. I never tagged on a regular open wall, I just usually looked for hidden spots, signs, poles, curves, and rusty old anything. This guy went up to me and said that one day he bent over to tie his shoe and was shocked to see my name on a sprinkler head. Then, while waiting for the bus, he noticed my name on a rusty pole on the side of a bus bench. Then, he saw my name on the edge of an old trash can. I liked catching spots like that, the ones only real graff observers would notice." "I tried not to write in front of people but sometimes it doesn’t work out the way you plan it to. I remember getting chased quite a few times," Neces recalled. "By security guards, cops, a K9 unit, a helicopter, a few heroes in the street, a train driver, a crazy guy on a roof top, a few guard dogs, a barefooted bum in Downtown, and by a midget with a 4D. Luckily, I managed to get away every time." Neces' favorite thing to do was ride trains, not just bomb them at a standstill, but catch tags while they were in motion and then jump off before they went too fast. "It was the ultimate adrenaline rush," said Neces. "Sometimes we would just stay on and see where it would take us....That was a lot of fun." Today, Neces has no regrets when thinking back to her past as a graffiti writer. "I enjoyed the experience and it molded me to the artist that I am now."

After six years attending Cal State University in Long Beach, Neces earned a BFA in Illustration and is currently an illustrator and teacher that believes her passion for graffiti helped shape her artistic ability and career. "I'm still able to do what I did as a graffiti writer: paint, draw, and scribble," Neces explained, "but now I'm getting paid to do it! "

A Word of Advice: "I highly recommend that all you young graffiti artists (male and female alike) really think about their future. Let’s be realistic, one day you WILL have to make a living somehow. For many ex-graffiti writers, that reality really hit them hard. For example, there are a few ex-graffiti writers that I totally looked up to in my younger days. I run in to some of them now and am saddened to see them working low paying jobs, struggling to pay their bills and support their children.