Meeting with Nawty from Sydney

We will not refuse a trip to the Sydney side with Nawty, and if you subscribe to her Instagram, you will really discover more about her. We wanted to know about this particular writer; she paints trains, and between two photos of tags, sharing on her Instagram also her lifestyle. Have a nice trip.

Hello Nawty, can you tell us more about you?

Hey! Thanks for having me! My name’s Jordy (short for my name), and I’m 27 years old. I’ve grown up in Sydney, Australia, all my life. I left school in Year 10. The week after I finished school, I was offered a Scholarship to pursue my dream of a Beauty Therapy & Makeup diploma. Throughout my 11 years, I Managed Day Spas, Laser clinics and was even privileged to manage for Christian Dior for 4 years and travelled internationally. I still had my passion for beauty, but after 11 years I felt I had achieved what I wanted, so I decided to work for another amazing Luxury Brand which I can’t disclose, and I have been managing for them for 2 years now.

It’s surprising: you work for luxury during the day, and some evenings you will paint illegally. How long have you been writing?

I started writing in 2011; my first word was JREOW, a nickname I had, haha. I still cringe over it to this day. Horrible letters, and I just couldn’t form them. So I changed my word to NAWTE/NAWTY in 2013; I got the idea from my Mum. She would still call me » naughty » to this day, haha.

Did you draw before designing letters?

Yeah! Characters, drawing, and art were what I was into before graffiti. I studied art in high school and was always into it as a hobby for most of my life.

Can you explain to us to choose writing as a means of expression?

I’ve been through a lot throughout my life, and I find it a way to express my feelings. There is a quote from one of my favourite Australian Hip Hop artists’ songs that explains this perfectly for me: “ We don’t wanna be forgotten; it’s why we write our stories on the walls of our city’s” – Horrorshow

On your private Instagram, you can also see your lifestyle in addition to your paintings, where often writers prefer to keep their privacy; can you explain this choice?

Graffiti as a subculture is more than just the craft; it’s a lifestyle, and Graffiti and the culture is richer because of the diversity of its participants, it separates it from other art genres because of it, and the craft if graffiti is a reflection of the lived experience from writers and what makes then who they are, and that’s what translates into their styles and work.

Also, we can see that you look like a doll; it contrasts a lot with the image of the writers that we can have. Do you consider that you bring your feminine universe into a very masculine environment?

I’m proud of my identity as a woman, especially as an overtly feminine woman in the context of graffiti. From how I’ve been treated for the most part, I don’t feel men within the scene are threatened by me regarding my graffiti style and participation, but that’s not to say there aren’t men who sexualize me and see me as a sex object; I’d honestly say, for whatever reason, it’s other women who’ve had more objection to my role in the graffiti scene rather than men. Women would be the ones to comment more on my appearance as an insult than men, which I see as these women have their own personal issues.