by Lauren Armenta
Introducing: Ser, A Graffiti Artist
What is your name?
I’m a graffiti artist by the Alias of Ser.
Where are you from?
Massachusetts
Does your alias stand for anything important, or is short for anything?
Not really to be honest, just a combination of letters that work for me.
How old are you?
I am 16 years old.
Are you self-taught when it comes to graffiti, or did you go to school to develop your artistic talent?
I was never necessarily taught graffiti, I started when I was 14-years-old and learned the rules from then. Going to a letter design school or tutor specifically for graffiti is frowned upon from what I’ve heard and seen. How you learn is pretty much trial and error, along with tips and small secrets from other writers you meet along your journeys, or at least that’s the way I and many others I know have learned.
You started pretty young then, have you ever run into trouble while doing your work?
Oh yeah of course. I’ve been chased a small few times by police. Most times it’s a civilian who doesn’t completely agree on minding their own business, and thinks they can save the day by stopping you. That’s not the case at all. If you chase me from a spot I’m going to wait a few days, re-route my entry and hit it twice as hard as I originally planned to.
Do you have any particular way of getting inspired or do you take influence from anything?
A lot of times I find myself influenced by the writers around me, although I try as hard as possible to keep everything as original as possible. I don’t go around biting peoples styles or anything, but if I see a certain flow or part of a letter I think I can improve to my advantage, I won't hesitate. I get really into things I’m very passionate about.
What would you say is your most rewarding piece of work so far?
As in biggest reward for myself this would be it (picture provided) for the pieces I have pictures for. And for street cred I cant supply a picture, most things put up for street cred are exactly that.
Has your environment influenced the work you do?
I can’t really say it has to be honest.
What's your favorite hour of the day?
Whenever the sunset of that day is. Sunsets are beautiful.
What medium do you use for your art?
About 95% spray paint. And then markers, mirror scratchers etc.
My final question for you is: what advice would you give to emerging artist?
There is no such thing as over practicing, practice as frequently as possible. And most importantly don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, be open-minded and do not give up.
