Paint & Pinot

Best advice – beverage on the left, paint water on the right. 

 What began as an idea for a fundraiser for the Frontenac Rotary became a new set of quasi-skills I learned. It was my tenure as Rotary Club president and we needed new ideas for fundraisers so we could, in turn, help out our community. Most trends take a while to reach Kansas, so the paint-and-sip experience was just taking off.  

The paint-and-sip experience, which was born around 2009, hit Southeast Kansas around 2016. They are used as fundraisers, birthday parties, girls nights and even date nights. Paint Parties allow for painters, both seasoned and green, to enjoy a drink or two and snacks while they follow instructions to achieve some semblance of the model painting.  

Now, as a non-profit group, we had to keep our expenses low. This meant we bought our own supplies and we would teach our own experience. The group decided that Lori Lavery and I would teach the class. Having never even attended one of these experiences, I had my work cut out for me.  

So, like all curious, needing to learn people, I went to Google and searched. I found in detail, step-by-step classes that I could get a membership to, for a price, so I did. I learned and I broke it down until I could explain it. But how do I teach, in person? 

The Crawford County Historical Museum was holding a paint-and-sip fundraiser the week before ours, so I signed up to learn what I needed to do. This class was not nearly as structured as the one online. People asked questions, wanted one-on-one assistance, and on top of all that, wanted to be entertained. So, while I was sitting there, I was taking mental notes and storing it for future use.  

I realized that although people were there to paint and, especially sip, they were receiving additional benefits from the event as well. Benefits of group creativity such as paint-and-sip events include: 

• Becoming a better problem solver 
• Connect with your community 
• Save money because all supplies are provided 
• An expanded sense of time 
• Self-Awareness & expression 
• Freedom 
• Stress Relief. 

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The Frontenac Rotary held two paint-and-sip events per year as our fundraising projects. We learned those fall events were much more heavily attended than spring events; some people showed up for the supplies and comradery and painted their own thing, and there was a need for social interaction away from the other areas of our lives.  However, when our attendance started dwindling due to the oversaturation of the same events in a small community, we started to struggle with our next big endeavor. Part of staying relevant will be to diversify the offerings a bit and trying new things that will appeal to the customer base. Future ideas include wineglass-painting workshops, pallet painting, and even cupcake decorating...with wine, of course.

4 Corners Graphics

/krēāˈtivədē/

noun

 the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work.

What makes a person creative?
Creativity is any form of an idea that solves a problem in a better way than normally done.

So, when my father got fed up with his four children’s constant bickering while he was trying to work in the yard, he had to come up with a creative solution to end it. As he looked around the yard, an idea came to him.

My father, the retired army captain, used his no-nonsense commanding voice and ordered each child to go stand in a different corner of the fenced-in yard. Once we got to our corner, we were then told to turn around and face outwards and keep quiet.

This went on for about fifteen minutes when my Uncle Murvel pulled into our driveway. As he and my Aunt Mary got out of the car, his eyes went from one corner of the yard to the next, taking in the four of us. He comes walking up to me with a big grin on his face, “What’s this new game? Four Corners? Can I play, too?”

And thus, 4 Corners was introduced into my family’s vernacular. It wasn’t until much later, after I was grown and started using my graphic design skills for my friends and family that 4 Corners Graphics was developed.

Business school taught me the importance of branding. Life experience taught me the importance of incorporating my passion into my work in order to draw others to my visions. So after many name ideas, brainstorming sessions, and failed starts, my childhood and adult life came together to describe the work that I use to help others.

I assist smaller organizations to create their unique marketing presence on a grassroots budget. I do this by blending graphic design with a marketing background that fits the needs of organizations that otherwise cannot afford a marketing department and/or has not the marketing/branding experience.