Sam Hill’s Story of Missy and Sadness
I met Sam Hill while working at The Other Place which is a day program for unhoused people in New York City. Sam D. Hill Jr. is a Black man who grew up in the Tombstone neighborhood on the west side of Detroit, Michigan in the 1950’s. He enjoyed producing his own music and perform concerts for small parties. His stage name is Sammy Chin.
The illustrated story I’m introducing by Sam began with a seemingly simple statement during a one-minute drawing session. Sam said, “This is my dog, Missy.”
When I hear this type of brief remark, it is a launching off point to explore Sam’s memories and imagination. This type of fleeing mention transforms into an intricate narrative, empowering the maker to express their unique voice and perspective.
My careful listening to the persons I’m working with is essential to recognizing the subtle prompts. It requires tunning-into the participant’s words, tone, and context, enabling myself as a facilitator to uncover hidden layers of meaning and potential. In Sam’s case, the mention of his dog opened the door to a rich narrative that might otherwise have gone untold.
He drew a dog saying “this is my dog Missy.” There I began with thoughtful questions, to get Sam to elaborate details and continue drawing as the story unfolded.
Sam: An eight-year-old boy named Sam grew up in a house with a big back yard. In the house there was a dog named Missy. Missy liked to stay in the kitchen on the green tile floor.
With only a dog in the middle of the paper I asked where is Missy? I would also write down what Sam said.
Sam: Missy is in the kitchen.
Me: Where in the kitchen?
Sam: On the floor.
Me: What kind of floor?
Sam: Green tile floor.
I keep on asking questions until his design develops to cover the entire picture plane. I do this with each drawing. In each of these illustrations over many days, each response added depth, leading Sam to illustrate elaborate scenes of his daily life. Notice his design development as a result of the prompts. As the story unfolds his designs get more complicated.
These illustrations became both a creative outlet and a historical snapshot of his childhood as a Black boy in 1950s Detroit.
In Sam’s case, this approach not only resulted in ten detailed illustrations but also revealed the emotional resonance behind his memories, blending personal history with creative storytelling. It underscores how every small detail—when truly heard—has the potential to launch a meaningful creative journey.
Watch how Sam's story unfolds below:
Sam: An eight-year-old boy named Sam grew up in a house with a big back yard. In the house there was a dog named Missy. Missy liked to stay in the kitchen on the green tile floor.
Me: What else does Missy like to do?
Sam: Missy liked to drink from her water bowl.
Missy would often chew on her stick on the kitchen floor.
Soon another dog came to live with them. His name was Sadness.
Me: Why is this 2nd dog named Sadness?
Sam did not know exactly why his name was Sadness.
Sam: It must be because of his black curly hair.
Me: What does Sadness like to do?
Sam: Sadness liked to relax in the kitchen.
Me: Why? What is relaxing about the kitchen?
Sam: There is a bed, a water bowl and food bowl for the dogs.
Sam described carrying big bags of dog from the store to home for Missy and Sadness.
Me: What else did you do with the dogs?
Sam: I liked to throw the stick to Missy and Sadness when they were in the backyard. Missy and Sadness loved to chase the stick.
Me: What else was in the backyard?
Sam: There was a shed in the backyard. Sam’s father liked to hunt wild rabbits. He would skin them in the shed.
Me: What was your mother doing?
Sam: Sam’s mother would cook the rabbit for dinner. Sam, his older brother and father liked the rabbit dinner very much.
Sam: Missy and Sadness would play together all day.
Sam: Soon Missy got pregnant and had lots of puppies.
Sam watched the tiny puppies suck on Missy’s teats for milk.
Sam loved the puppies and so did Missy and Sadness, but Sam’s parents didn’t have enough
room in the house to raise more puppies.
Sam: Sam’s Father found new homes for the puppies and gave them away. Now the house was quiet.
Missy and Sadness missed the puppies and decided to ran away to find them.
Sam: Sam never saw Missy or Sadness again. He thinks that maybe Missy was picked up by the local
dog catcher, but he does not know for sure. Maybe Missy is now with Sadness too.