Last summer, I accidentally rediscovered a part of myself in a New York art cafe.  

I made the trip to NYC to see a dear friend who had recently moved to Brooklyn. While I am endlessly happy for her, we do miss her terribly in Nashville. BUT I now have an excuse to visit New York more often. Silver linings!  

Being the ever-thoughtful friend she is, she had already picked out places she knew would make my little art-and-history-loving heart happy. We took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, marveled at the history of Ellis Island, and leisurely toured the Frick Collection shortly after its reopening to the public (stunning!). 

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It was one of those great short weekend trips that was packed full of great moments, all of which made me go, “oh, now THAT was my favorite thing of the weekend.” But the top spot ended up going to the art café we visited on a rainy afternoon. Yes, an ART CAFE. 

Happy Medium is a café whose menu serves art experiences instead of food, what!? Yes, please! You reserve a time slot and can order from a menu of art mediums delivered to your table. You can paint pottery, work with clay, paint, collage, pastels, and many more. The atmosphere was cozy, warmly lit, and the music was art house chic. And the libations made you a bit fuzzy in the best creativity boosting way. It was a VIBE, and I was into it. 

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From the menu, I ordered the “Fresh Watercolors” which came with a palette of colors, some brushes, and a small stack of watercolor paper. My friend opted to paint a piece of pottery to decorate her sparse Brooklyn apartment. We had a cozy spot, and a clean slate to create.   

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Creating again was cathartic. I used to paint watercolors in college, which was more years ago than I would like to admit. But back then it seemed stressful and forced. I was desperately trying to paint THINGS, and frustrated when they didn’t look like that thing.  

This time was relaxed. No assignment, no idea of what to paint, just playing around. What came out of me was just abstract shapes in different color palettes. Not anything like what I’ve painted before. But I loved them. It felt free to just do something intuitive and analog with your hands. Let it flow and see where it goes. Not striving for it to be perfect or even be anything. It was rejuvenating, and the atmosphere felt like a little intoxicating soup of creativity swirling around the room. I felt “big city cultured” in the best way. But maybe it was just the THC drinks we consumed?   

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It was a simple but beautiful way to spend a couple hours. But I think it set in motion a small creative awakening.  I discovered an offline way to calm my frantic mind and achieve flow. Not so easy to do these days.  

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So, a month later I made a trip to my local art store to buy a watercolor set. I have no idea what I’m doing, but it doesn’t really matter. I forgot about the part of myself that loves to create art. I never really thought of myself as an “artist.” I always enjoyed art in school, enough to take a few classes in college. But adult life is a lot. And somehow it seems frivolous to sit down and do something “unproductive” like just painting for fun.  But it turns out that’s exactly what I needed.  

So now that’s what I do now when I need a moment of Zen. I sit out on my back porch, listen to the birds, maybe sip a beverage, and try to recapture the magic flow of that fuzzy afternoon in New York. Switch off and flow. Maybe eventually I’ll get better at it. But if I don’t, what? I love it. And that’s all that matters.  

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Anyhoo, I’m still waiting patiently for Happy Medium to realize Nashville desperately needs an art café. I promise you, it would bank.