It was a typical Wednesday, I haven’t had a typical Wednesday in some time now. I had spent most of the day running errands and crossing items off my to do list. By the time I had gotten home, I was exhausted and not in the mood for people to witness my lack of excitement. Needless to say, there were many reasons I gave myself not to attend the December’s Dine and Draw. However, the Creative in me knew I needed to attend. I needed the energy of my fellow Creatives, something I have come to rely on from my monthly AIGA events.

The Dine and Draw was held in Raleigh at The Hive, the private dining area for Busy Bee Cafe, and one of my favorite places to eat…loaded tater tots (enough said). When I arrived, I saw my friend Amy sitting at a table surrounded by 4 other Creatives I hadn’t met before. I immediately pulled up a chair and waited for inspiration and a glass of ginger ale. I took this opportunity to practice my hand lettering in a workbook I had purchased several months ago called Hand Lettering Ledger by Mary Kate McDevitt.  I had opened this book so many times before but this time was different, because I had to put pen to paper, it was a moment of truth.

Ok maybe I am being too deep, but this time was different, because I was surrounded by other Creatives who like me, were there to learn something new, talk about our craft and creative challenges, and to offer feedback on each others thoughts.

At this Dine and Draw I met four friends who had not seen each other in months, a young entrepreneur who was excited about her latest tee-shirt design, and a new member who just moved here from Missouri. They were all looking for the same thing I was, a chance to connect with someone about our creative passions. Now that we are all “adults”, I think we forget the joy moments we felt during art class. Those simple moments where bills, clients, obligations and deadlines do not matter. In those moments we were free to color and create on line free paper.

There was so many things I loved about Dine and Draw, but the best part was the opportunity to interact with some local creatives! The last few months has been hard on my creative mojo and some days thinking about picking up a pencil can be daunting, so having a set time frame to just create, was very welcoming. You should join us in Durham on January 28th for the next Dine and Draw!

Author of this post: Mayshanna Pandora Briscoe is a Freelance Graphic Designer, Mixed Media Artist and Aspiring Blogger. She has a B.A. in International Business and A.A.S. in Advertising and Graphic Design with a Certificate in Web Technology.  When she is not in her studio she can be found experimenting with a new recipe, posting pictures of her design life or food on Instagram, or making memories with her fan club (aka her friends, family and dogs).
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