A Ribbon-Cutting Day
> That’s Prentice Women’s Hospital in Chicago where both of my sons were born.
I drew it for my wife Theresa as a Mother’s Day gift. But it started with a poem. Specifically, a newspaper blackout poem.
The idea is simple:
Writing something from nothing is hard. So rather than start with a blank paper and zero words, start with a newspaper and thousands of words. Then simply blackout the ones you don’t need.
While a worthy creative exercise anytime, creating one to celebrate a specific day using that day’s newspaper became my favorite excuse to break out the Jumbo Sharpies and start hunting.
My youngest son Henry was born 2/3/23. In that morning’s Chicago Tribune, one article celebrated the opening of Chicago Cub Jayson Heyward’s new baseball academy, led by the headline “A Ribbon Cutting Day.”
Well that’s sort of a perfect place to start, no?
After scouring for some useful words and phrases, I blacked out everything else to reveal:
A dream nestled in Chicago is little and worthy.
12 Google Earth screenshots for reference and 14,000 Apple Pencil strokes later, I had the accompanying image that “Ribbon Cutting Day” needed. A big joyful celebration, pouring out of a small window in a city that can make you feel small.
Little and worthy indeed.
The final product, as currently framed in our living room:
Also thank you Procreate for tracking the stats that I’d probably be better off not knowing.
A (highly condensed) timelapse recording for those interested in the trial and error along the way.
