In a world full of digital noise, street art can tell vital stories, rejuvenate urban spaces, and bring communities closer together. For over 10 years, creative agency Beautify Earth has collaborated with artists and brands to connect communities through murals, street art, and strategic marketing. Today’s guest, Beautify Earth CEO Moral Masuoka, joins host and NOT REAL ART founder Scott “Sourdough” Power to discuss her organization’s commitment to positive social and environmental change through public art. 

“People are starting to think about the spaces that they live in, especially when it comes to community and how we’re relating with the people around us, getting out of our own houses, and trying to be engaged in the places that we live,” says Moral, who combines her love of contemporary art with social policy and urban design to create community engagement. “Street art does an amazing job of that. People can be connected by a piece of artwork in their community. It’s something that you can talk about and [identify with]. It can also become a representation of the stories and the people who live there.” 

In today’s episode, Scott and Moral discuss public art as a vehicle for placemaking, balancing professionalism with creativity and spontaneity, and the importance of cultivating creative habits daily. The two also explore  the complex relationship between street art and gentrification: 

“[Street art can either be] a tool of people trying to gentrify neighborhoods or it can be a powerful tool to represent the people that are there, amplify voices, and show the people in the community that need to be prioritized, not displaced,” says Moral. 

To find out more about Beautify Earth and its mission to elevate street art and advocate for its practitioners, listen to our conversation with CEO Moral Masuoka on the player above. 

Key Points From This Episode:

• The origin story of Beautify Earth and how it utilizes art as a tool for positive social change.
• How the perception of street art has progressed and how it can connect communities.
• Street art as a vehicle to amplify community voices versus as a tool for gentrification.
• Different roles that art can play and why situational awareness is key.
• Opportunities for connection within the network of artists that partner with Beautify.
• Ways that Beautify caters to the constantly evolving needs of artists.
• Common career challenges that Beautify works with artists to overcome.
• How Beautify educates clients (and artists) about the economic impact of art.
• Lessons that Moral has learned as Beautify has grown into a creative agency.
• Balancing professionalism versus spontaneity in street art.
• Insight into Moral's career journey, her love for art, and how it led her to Beautify.
• Why Moral believes it’s important for everyone to cultivate a daily creative practice.
• Reasons that drawing should be considered as crucial a skill as writing or math.
• Moral’s parting thoughts about the unique value of art as a communication tool.

For more information, please visit http://notrealart.com/moral-masuoka-beautify-earth