Sixty inches from center
Sixty Inches From Center is an online publishing platform that produces collaborative projects focused on artists and culture in Chicago and the Midwest. This year, I have had the privilege of working with the dedicated staff of Sixty as a Visual Collaborator. The first article I contributed to, titled "Patronage," was written by Vera Blossom. In this creative nonfiction essay, Blossom explores the equalizing and transactional aspects of patronage by drawing connections between therapy and an OnlyFans subscription. My background in Comic Illustration helped enable me to effectively translate Blossom’s narrative into a visual medium. I wanted to highlight screen-based communication, and do what I could to also include a human behind the phones. Additionally, I recreated the OnlyFans logo and a broken piggy bank as images stamped onto condoms, which I considered an effective way to underscore some of the story’s central themes. To evoke a sense of social media, I incorporated gradients reminiscent of the Instagram logo as the primary background motif.
Editorial Illustration
Patronage
“The gap between mine and Derek’s lived experiences was useful. I wasn’t able to lean on the assumption he could relate to aspects of my life in the way I might have if he were queer or a woman of color. The gap forced me to explain everything in my life plainly and explicitly—no shorthand. “
Vera Blossom
a long overdue celebration
“The album has endured time. As the show progresses, the energy in the room only crescendos. It’s difficult to put that feeling into words. I want to chalk it up to “you had to be there.” But if you weren’t, what was felt was freedom.”