Anonymous author and street artist WRDSMTH has been tagging his “WRDS” in public spaces for less than a decade. After growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, the artist relocated to Chicago in order to pursue copywriting in the advertising industry. Finding a lack of inspiration and creativity in commercial work, WRDSMTH eventually moved to Los Angeles.
After what he calls “Doing Time in Hollywood” as a freelance writer in the entertainment industry, WRDSMTH began making his mark as a street artist in November 2013. Known for his distinctive old-fashioned typewriter image, WRDSMTH combines spray-painted stencils with wheat-paste texts in pithy, inspirational, and often romantic messages dedicated to those “chasing the dream.”
“The only lie I ever told you is that I liked you when I already knew I loved you.” “Aspire to inspire others and the universe will take note.” Messages like these made WRDSMTH a uniquely positive and graphically iconic presence in Southern California.
After amassing an explosive following on Instagram, WRDSMTH presented his first gallery-based solo show, “I’d Like To Have A WRD With You,” in Los Angeles in 2017. Like his street art, WRDSMTH’s canvases utilize his mixed media technique and writings, all inspired by his life and career as a writer.
Outside of Southern California, WRDSMTH’s tags can be found in New York, Chicago, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Memphis, West Palm Beach, Miami, Toronto, London, Paris, Berlin, Kraków, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Tokyo, and Auckland.