IT TAKES STRENGTH
FELT BANNER
In 2016 my daughter was born and soon after I had decided I wanted to create something for her that she could keep, hopefully forever. A Dad can hope, right? Around a year or so in I was listening to The Smiths and the song ‘I Know It’s Over’ was on and the lyric “It Takes Strength to be Gentle and Kind” really hit me. It was the type of lesson and wisdom I hoped to pass on to her. So I started drawing.
ROLE:
Personal Project
GOAL:
To create a banner, something my daughter will hold on to.
I’ll be honest, at the time I didn’t think I could draw the entire thing, so I set out to pick one word to focus on. I chose the word ‘strength’ as the focal point, as I feel it always gets aligned with being tough, aggressive, and rugged. But when it’s paired with the words “gentle and kind” it takes on a different feeling. The world can be, and is, a hard place. Growing up is hard. Being an adult is hard. But being gentle and kind to those around you and more significantly to yourself is of the utmost importance and requires the type of strength you won’t find in physicality. It takes a strength of heart, of compassion and empathy. Those are the kinds of things my partner and I hope to impart on our daughter.
After sharing some of the bits and pieces and eventually the entire design, a bunch of people reached out and asked if I was going to make more of them, as I had only planned on making one. The fine folks over at Oxford Pennant, out of Buffalo, NY—which is adjacent to where I grew up, in and around Rochester, NY—handled all the production. Great people over at Oxford.
Below is a collection of photos I’ve collected of the banners people purchased, being hung up in their homes. Like with me, a few of these fine folks are parents and made a point to hang them up in spaces where their kids do kid stuff. Others in work spaces as a reminder to them. Seeing them hung up in people’s homes brings me endless joy. I truly love it.
