Katie Lukes

It elicits a feeling of friendliness, of humble roots. I feel like the Midwesterners are great at enjoying the little things, especially when it’s summertime. It also shows the range that the Midwest has; the Midwest is not all cornfields and cows (but they’re definitely a big part).

The moments on the bottle where people (and animals) are interacting with a baseball are my favorite. To me it symbolizes connectedness and how joy can be contagious.

I can’t count how many times I’ve illustrated the Chicago “L” for projects, and I always like to show the conductor interacting in some way. It was fun coming up with the idea of the conductor catching a baseball in this version.

I took a lot of memories from my childhood as inspiration for this piece. Growing up in the Midwest, summer can feel especially sacred after going through a harsh winter and people really savor the season. Lots of beach visits, visits to farms and small towns, and rollercoaster rides came to mind when I thought back on my summer memories!

Maybe the song “Small Town” by John Mellencamp. It’s quintessential heartland rock with nods to blue collar workers. It’s very nostalgic to a lot of Midwesterners.

Working on mundane daily tasks is the secret weapon to creativity. They take the pressure off when working on a project because they don’t require much brain space which allows me to be just distracted enough by them, but the freedom to think of ideas for the project.

Anyone that meets me at this stage in my life might be surprised to find out that I’m from a small town in Wisconsin, and I’m the only one from my family who really left the area. I have lived in Chicago for 13 years now and am such a city person!

It was important for me to keep the style and aesthetic relatable and approachable just like the people that make up the region.