Worthy Art, or Worthy Message?

I was out walking the dog when we came upon a spray-painted message on a small electrical station near our city university reading, “Love You.” A worthy message, but one so hastily written in flat black spray-painted lettering that it looked more similar to a “condemned” hastily written on a broken-down home than a sincere message. A friend mentioned that this sloppy, but positive message had been appearing all over town causing many locals to feel it was a very “unloving” intrusion. I’ll give the creator the benefit of the doubt in that their heart was probably in the right place, but the execution seemed to project the general ugliness of a throw away culture that tossed trash in the streets. Contrast this with the mural I randomly encountered walking past a business later that day. The message might not be as clear, but the color, the carefully considered design, and the sharp lines made me smile, causing me to stop and think about the piece. If the medium is in fact the message, how about investing a little time in getting permission to create “Love You” art in public zones where they will be more powerful, over randomly tagging a stop sign that just creates anger? I know, art is a tricky one. Spontaneity can be just as important an element in art as inspiration, but you have to seriously ask yourself, am I adding to my community, or just soiling it?