Graffiti artist in Urbana, Ill. has an upbeat message for you

This bit of graffiti, spotted by entomologist and photographer Alex Wild, seems like the perfect way to start off a Monday morning. Thanks, anonymous tagger! I feel better already!

Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

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MORE: Art and Design • graffiti • happiness • spreading joy

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https://twitter.com/misterjayem MrJM

Urbana in the morning
Champaign at night
http://noctilucent-studios.blogspot.com/ Noctilucent Studios

I wonder if it was targeted for a specific someone who passes by that way on a regular basis…?
irksome

“… and it was this stack of worn tires and a decrepit bicycle that led me to that conclusion.”
Mujokan

Luckily for me, the definition of “wonderful” has undergone depreciation since the rise of the Tea Party.
- Guest
  
  they’re full of ‘makes you wonder’, and that totally counts.
http://twitter.com/bobledrew Bob LeDrew

Which major clothing retailer will “borrow” this sentiment? Pool, anyone? I put $5 on American Apparel.
Chanfan

Not to shill for the man or anything, but I can’t help but wonder how wonderful this makes the building owner feel.
- L_Mariachi
  
  The building owner who leaves stacks of old tires and wrecked bicycles leaning against his property? I wouldn’t get too concerned about his feelings on upbeat graffiti.
http://twitter.com/ccb Chris Callison-Burch

My favorite bit of sweet but misguided graffiti was in Baltimore. It said “Happy wedding anniversary grandma and grandpa.”
chrisfrelin

That is comforting to such see a kind sentiment. Reminds of of this scrawling I saw the other day:

http://automaticlifestyledispenser.com/2012/02/06/you-are-loved-graffiti-on-mens-room-wall/
http://twitter.com/bigattichouse bigattichouse

Someone had put nice sentiments in chalk inside the south tunnel of Amtrak in Chicago Union Station as you leave… very faint last time I saw them “Love each other” , “Forgive one another..” They’re on the cement dividers all the way down near when the train exits the station if you are facing east (the lake)
http://twitter.com/erg79 Evan G.

http://whitepeoplegraffiti.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/Myrmecos Alex Wild

If you’re in Urbana and looking for this graffiti, it’s on the back wall of Goodyear, on Vine St. near Lincoln Square.
http://twitter.com/Listener43 Listener43

I note that the ‘artist’ used the past tense ….
oasisob1

Entomologist? Wrong superhero? http://xkcd.com/1012/
bolamig

good link evanG. I wish I weren’t so white.
UniAce

Holy carp! This is 2 blocks from my house and I see it every day. As Alex said, it’s on the back of the Goodyear (aka Urbana Tire Co.). The nice dudes there have kept my now-technically-classic 1985 Chevy Blazer running through grad school. The graffiti has been there for at least a few years (I’d guess at least 4). It wasn’t always visible, as sometimes tires would be stacked in front of part of it. Also, it was not plainly visible from the street until a whole block of small mostly-dilapidated houses was razed about a year ago.

Anyway, good eye Alex! If you haven’t done so already, you should keep an eye out for the various square-headed robot graffiti I’ve seen over the past few years, closer to U Illinois campus. cheers!