When COVID swept through our world, I struggled to remain creative. But as things began to open up again, I started meeting an artist friend for hours-long outdoor art-making sessions. In one, she showed me yardsticks she’d painted and collaged during lockdown. Inspired by the six-foot rule, her yardsticks were her way of turning a measure of distance into something beautiful to share with friends. Something about the form factor felt magical to me, and I began to create my own yardstick stories. Each yardstick holds its own narrative — a sequence of frames that add up to tell a larger story.