People who live here or just visit Austin get the idea that this city is special, is different. I browsed the web to learn more about what people think it is that is so unique about Austin and Austinites. I found a lot of consensus around they idea that it is not necessarily the time you have lived here; it is a state of mind. And I found evidence that The Dirty Easel fits right in. The Dirty Easel is a true child of its city. And while there are thousands of painting studios in this country, I have found none so far that shares the same concept and philosophy. Here is what makes The Dirty Easel a typical Austin institution.

1. Austinites are friendly and have a great sense of community. Social painting means having a great time with your friends. And it becomes very easy to socialize and make new friends while being creative while painting. You get caught in conversations that don’t start off by what you do for a living and who you are.

2. Austin is a city that loves the arts: music (of course!), visual arts, performing arts, street art… Not only do Austinites enjoy seeing or hearing art, they love making art as well. Seeds of creativity are sprouting all over this city.

3. Austinites are known to be open minded free spirits. Austin is no place for conformity. People appreciate uniqueness and diversity. A room full of people creating their very own paintings mirrors this idea beautifully. At The Dirty Easel we don’t believe in copying someone else’s painting; we believe in inventing, in creating your own painting. And we believe that everybody is capable of doing it. Find the evidence in photos on our website, Facebook, or Pinterest.

4. Austin likes to keep it weird. And where if not in art are you allowed – even encouraged –to be weird? This is why we don’t want you to follow instructions while you paint. We want to set your mind free to find its own path. Our job is not to teach or instruct you; our job is to inspire you. Or to help you find the inspiration that will carry you through the process of being truly creative.

5. In Austin we believe in local. We have lots of farmer’s markets with local products. We have restaurants that base their menus on local products. Our airport doesn’t have any of those chain restaurants that are the same all over the world; the restaurants in our airport are all local. The Dirty Easel is not one of those chains either. We are a business that is run from and in Austin, supporting local bars and restaurants with our events. When we hold painting events at local companies, we enrich their corporate events and help their staff grow through team building events. We love being part of the Austin community.

Paint local!