Girl Power, Badass Graffiti and wisdom: A digital Story Critique

It is so inspiring to hear a story like this, (and this is not the only one you will find) Shamsia Hassani takes what is a devistating situation and creates beauty for all to see using a medium that is transforming the way we think about art. 

The creators: 

The video itself is produced by The Creators Project, a digital project that was launched in 2009, with the help of Intel, to bring to life the many creative visionaries of the world, doing and creating works that change peoples lives and perceptions. Boasting more than 600 creators world wide, the project hosts a daily video, commentary, comments, and a YouTube channel. Creators include: David Bowie, Florence and the Machine, Daft Punk among many others from multiple disciplines. 

Digital Literacy: 

I have always been a fan of the Creators Project, until now I never understood the digital reach that the project has, with multiple outputs the artists stories are able to be heard and commented on in a variety of settings making it possible for anyone to participate in the comments, no matter their level of digital participation. As the video is shot in person, the participation of the viewer becomes first hand, as if you are sitting there with Shamsia, the videography is excellent, zooming in and out of the story and the works created. The subtitles are added to clarify the language, and are not distracting, a short intro builds interest for the viewer along with context that is important to viewing the film. 

There is really nothing that I would change, except making it mandatory that students watch at least one a week and become active participants by leaving a comment- 

The work of The Creators Project and artist like Shamsia is so important to the social progress of new art forms and social justice in the world we live in. In the video Shamsia comments on the burka, and how so many people think that the removal of burka's would fix the injustices that happen to women in her country, in all of her wisdom and worldly knowledge she states that the women of Afghanistan would still be there, it's not the burka that does these things to women, it is the surrounding society, you have to change society not a piece of clothing. 

Her amazing talents and protest against life in the Middle East are so inspiring, here is a girl that can loose her life for what she does, and she continues, trying to lift the spirits of her community. She is a participant in life to a fuller extent than many of us will ever be able to acknowledge. She has elevated an art form beyond the confines of high art street art, all the while reminding us what 'being human' really looks like.   

As graffiti becomes 'street art' there are still many that believe it to be a 'lesser' art form, I believe that the impact is far grater than any Picasso hanging in the Louvre', graffiti is work for all to see, the question is how do maintain it, and save it, or should it be? 

Check out the Creators Project @

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