ENGLEWOOD — A local artist’s latest work is bringing a simple message to Englewood.
“You Are Beautiful,” in large white block letters is strategically placed along 69th Street, across from Kusanya Cafe, 825 W. 69th Street. The positive message greets drivers and those who walk by. This sign was created by Matthew Hoffman, 36.
“I just wanted to spread a positive message,” he said, “because I had moved from a small town and so in a big city it’s easy to feel lost and feel alone. You had advertisements saying you’re not good enough unless you buy our stuff. So I wanted to create a little quiet positive message and say everything is fine as is.”
He started with stickers, but wanted to do something on a larger scale so he came up with the idea to create the sign. In order to do that, Hoffman launched a Kickstarter campaign in February. The first one went up in Andersonville. He promised to put them in other neighborhoods if he exceeded his funding goal, which he did.
Jimmy Williams, an Englewood resident and artist, said he likes the sign in the neighborhood.
“I like it. The message was real clear," he said, adding he would like to see more art in Englewood.
Hoffman said he will do Chinatown next: “Since the beginning, [the] message has always been simple. The idea is that anyone can come from any background and immediately get something" out of it.
As for what people get out of it, he said, "If you ask 100 different people you’ll get a 100 different answers. I really like that, in that it’s for everyone.
"I don’t want to direct what people think. I want it to be a personal thing.”
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