"We're All In This Together" Signs Appear Around Chicago

“Hey Chicago!” @yabsticker announced this week. “There are 24 of these brand-new pieces for you to find!”

You Are Beautiful (@yabsticker) and artist Matthew Hoffman (@heyitsmatthew)—in partnership with John Supera at Supera Asset Management— created and installed 24 “We’re All In This Together” messages on buildings around Chicago.

“This is awesome,” @adventure_with_ellie wrote on Instagram. “I drove past one the other day and smiled. Thanks for always spreading positivity around the community! 💗💗”

You Are Beautiful, started by Hoffman in 2002, is best known for its stickers, murals, and art installations with the phrase "You Are Beautiful." The hashtag #yabsticker shows up more than 14,000 times on Instagram, with "You Are Beautiful" stickers, banners, clothing, drawings and signs all over the world.

Over the years, the company has also produced other installations with positive messages, such as "Anything is Possible," "Turn Dreams into Reality," and "Go for It."

After quarantine began in March, Hoffman created downloadable coloring pages with the message of “We’re All In This Together” and also made an oversized version of the art for their Chicago office window. Supera walked by one day and thought it would be great to put up as many as possible on buildings around the city to spread a bright, positive message. “You Are Beautiful” had launched a similar series of public installations in 2002.

“2 dozen friendly reminders popped up this weekend around the city,” Hoffman wrote on his Instagram this week. “In 2002, I was uneasy about things, and wanted to make things a little brighter, a little better. So I put up [You Are Beautiful] pieces around the neighborhoods of Chicago to simply say ‘just be yourself, be comfortable in your own skin, and breathe— you’re going to be ok.’

“Now in 2020, I get nostalgic goosebumps how it feels like I’m getting back to my roots. This time has helped clear out all the clutter & cut out all the noise. If I could do only one thing— this would be it: To remind us, that staring into the big scary unknown—you have what it takes to get through this. And if you need a hand, we’ll be there for you. Just ask :)”

The free coloring page download of “We’re All In This Together” is available on the You Are Beautiful website; the site also sells indoor and outdoor wooden versions of “We’re All In This Together” in either a birch wood or bright yellow color.

“Messages of positivity and community are needed now more than ever,” the company says.

The art is made in their Chicago studio.