Books in Real Life, Episode 2: Graffiti Moon

Rachel & I have yet another collaborative feature to share with you all! Every so often, we're going to be drawing inspiration from some of our favorite novels, whether it's in the form of activities or events or places, and making them happen in real life. It's our way of making these books come to life, challenging ourselves to be more active and, of course, encouraging you to read these books!

inspired by Cath Crowley's Graffiti Moon

I'm not artistically inclined (though I'm fairly decent at creating scrapbooks and am starting to get better at lettering) myself, but I love art in many forms. From the simplest of crayon drawings to the most intense, detailed paintings, it's always such a wonderful thing to immerse yourself in other people's creations. Graffiti/street art is definitely something you see a lot of in New York City, on random street corners or sidewalks.

After a delightful brunch at The Butcher's Daughter, Rachel & I were off on a mission to find some of the amazing street art in New York! It felt like a treasure hunt, honestly, as we had to keep our eyes peeled so we wouldn't miss the smaller pieces in doorways and corners.

My absolute favorite piece of graffiti among all the ones we saw is a piece by Kelsey Montague. She created a detailed pair of white wings against a black background, and it looks so epic! I was very excited to get to pose there when we stumbled across it on Mott St.

Other graffiti/street art we stumbled upon included a portrait of Audrey Hepburn, another of Diana Vreeland, and a Superman inspired piece. Each one had a different style, and I thought it was really cool that there was such a diverse set of art to watch out for on the streets of New York! It was seriously fun to just wander and find random things everywhere.

1. Would I do this again? Absolutely! The graffiti on the streets of New York (of most places, really) is almost always changing, so there's always something new to see. Plus, I want to see the ones in other places (like DUMBO). I seriously think there's something lovely about going out of your way to notice art on the street.

2. What was your favorite part or a memorable moment? Honestly, it was probably as we were walking down this one particular street and starting to see more and more little examples of street art everywhere. It was a magical experience, as it felt like our eyes had been opened to a new world.

3. Anything you wish you'd known beforehand? Do your research! We prepared a list of the ones we wanted to see, but some of them had already been painted over with new things. You really have to make sure your sources are up to date and have the exact location for an easier time finding them!

In case you missed it, here's our first Books in Real Life post inspired by Racing Savannah.