When I was younger, I was a huge fan of chapter books, picture books, and really any book I could get my hands on: Nancy Drew, Amelia Bedelia, Little Women, Island of the Blue Dolphin. I would just imagine myself being one of the main characters. And that's basically the inspiration for this piece—showing how stories come to life.

I like Syracuse architecture, so some of it is echoed in the illustration's castle, but it's very abstracted. I wanted to show someone who is walking past the poster that, while you're in the setting of Syracuse, you can be in this other imaginary world completely of your own making.