JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<textarea id="mytextarea" class="bg">help!</textarea>

CSS

#mytextarea {
    width:300px;
    height:200px;
    border:1px solid #000;
    
}
.bg {
    background:url('http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/2853/writeus.gif') center no-repeat;
}

JavaScript

$('textarea').focus(function() {
    $(this).removeClass('bg');
});
$('textarea').blur(function() {
    var $this = $(this);
    if($.trim($this.val()).length && $.trim($this.val()) != this.defaultValue ){
        $(this).removeClass('bg');
    } else {
        $(this).addClass('bg');
    }
});