This image came out of a strong desire to do some lettering late one night. I’ve been spending a lot of time over the last few months lettering in my daily sketches. I decided on the word ‘Chicago’ for no particular reason. But I soon realized that cities – no matter how long we spend in them – symbolize different phases in our lives, they hold stories from the best and worst parts of our lives, and they may change the way we think about the world.
So I’m curious: what city holds an important story from your life? If you share a short, meaningful story about it I will letter that city. I’d love to hear a story that had a significant impact in your life; it doesn’t have to be long or elaborate, just meaningful to you. I cannot wait to hear your stories!
Chicago was the first city I moved to after graduating from college. As I’ve navigated through all the craziness a young twentysomething must wade through, the thing that remains a constant comfort in this city for me is the architecture. I often find myself getting lost in the small details of these buildings. You can truly find beautiful architecture anywhere in this city; there is potential for a pleasant surprise around every corner. It reminds me to stay hopeful, to stay the course, because you just never know.
I’ve been really working on creating fresh color palettes – I tend to use a lot of similar warm, bright palettes but it feels good to break away from it. Or at least try to. In college, one of my design professors would always tell us to “Avoid default” and there are so many different ways to interpret that advice. Over the next few weeks, that means color palettes for me. Especially since I’ve been missing painting dearly and might bring it back into my life soon, along with lettering. These 
When you walk into 
