The flicker of inspiration to create this campaign derived from a figure drawing project I completed during my undergraduate coursework. The informational pamphlet I created in class served as a source of art therapy; I overcame the demons that have consumed me for so long through the process of creating. The pamphlet provided statistics of sexual assault, along with visually illustrating stories of survivors, including myself. My name is MaKinlie Hennes, and I was raped by my boyfriend at age 16. I have overcome my grief in order to advocate and provide support for the other survivors silently carrying the weight of their experiences. 

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Once I shared the project on social media, it flourished in ways I could have never imagined. This was the very moment I decided to apply to graduate school and develop a thesis over the topic of sexual assault. My work on this topic was far from over. Multiple survivors reached out to thank me for eloquently providing a segue into a very difficult social conversation. They felt loved, supported, and heard. A few weeks later an aggrevated rape occured in Hays, and due to my advocacy, the survivor reached out to me personally for help. Together we attempted to process and talk through her experience, and her newfound strength led her to join this very campaign and share her story. She, along with the other survivors, are my reason for creating the 43 Tiles Campaign. The name derives from a crucial part of my own experience. As the man I loved forced all the life out of my body, I stared at the ceiling tiles, counting all 43 over and over in an attempt to distract myself from the despair of losing control of my own body. Through this campaign, I seek to educate and empower in attempt to reverse rape culture.