In the remote city of Iqaluit, Canada, one mother was tired of seeing the unsavory graffiti that appeared on the walls of her town. According to CBC News, when Janet Brewster’s young son asked about the meaning of a drug reference sprayed on a wall, it was the last straw.
So she did something about it–she decided to wage a war against the negativity and profanity with uplifting and positive messages.
Armed with spray paint and the determination to put an end to what she calls the “micro-aggression” represented by angry and vulgar language, Janet Brewster has turned nastiness into niceness.
In her hands, curses against the police spray painted on a former RCMP building become, “Hug the Police.” A suggestion to engage in drug use becomes, “Let’s light up our life.” Obscene drawings become hearts or smiley faces and many an expletive has been changed to, “Lucky you.”
Brewster believes that the constant barrage of negative messages expressed through the city’s graffiti can affect people’s general outlook and state of mind:
“On most days you can just move on. But if someone is having a particularly bad day, one more negative message isn’t welcome.”
By flipping that anger and negativity into a positive and happy sentiment, Brewster has found a way to turn something ugly and antisocial into something that might just end up making someone’s day.