The first #MonsterMyHouse drawing was my own house. In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic and more or less confined to my house, I wanted to create a picture that captured how I felt: worried, caged and stir-crazy. There was a monster out there, and my cute-as-a-button house with its blue shutters and tidy bushes was my safe haven. It was fun and funny to draw, and a little bit therapeutic.
When I shared this drawing on Instagram, I didn’t anticipate the positive reaction it got. So, while deciding what to draw next, I posted a call for houses. “Tag me in a photo of your house! I’ll monster it for free!” People tagged, and I drew. But people didn’t just want to see their houses get monstered. They also wanted to own the original artworks.
It was a light bulb moment. Most of the world was shut down, but I still had a job. No one in my house – or my extended family – was sick. New England winter was finally turning to Spring. I had too many blessings to count, but not everyone was as lucky. So to pay it forward, I created #MonsterMyHouse to raise money for food banks and aid organizations. The size of the donation doesn’t matter. That people gave is what matters.
Would you like me to monster your house? Post a photo of it on Instagram and tag it with @inkinthemargins and #monstermyhouse.