Paint and Sip Online, Digital Classes Gain Popularity During Pandemic
Listen to this articleWhat do you do bored at home on a Friday night during a pandemic? You might turn on netflix, or surf the web, but you need some sort of interaction. Why not try something new with America’s virtual paint and sip classes? No, you don’t have to be an up-and-coming artist to join, and you can participate with even the most basic art skills. In fact, you might even gain some skills and even some new friends.
Your New Pandemic Hobby
Paint and sip classes are just that– drink (any drink) while you paint. They’re usually guided or hosted by art teachers taking you through simple artistic exercises. The point isn’t to make great art, although you never know if you’re drinking with the next Picasso. However, the learning process shared with other people is where some find value and an escape from troubling reality.
With the resurgence of the novel coronavirus it seems we should get comfortable with lockdown. One thing we as a civilization have come to realize is the importance of interacting with other human beings. As a loneliness epidemic looms over the United States and surely other countries, some entrepreneurs are getting creative.
One of these entrepreneurs, Gareth Shelton, started to host these events in London before the pandemic. “We wanted to get rid of the stuffy art class image,” he said. “When people are going for drinks after work, they are hungry for something different to do. Wine makes it more interesting and makes people less anxious.”
Who Said Going to Art School Wasn’t Profitable?
Paint and sip classes online and in person have gained popularity during the last 8 years. One report from Inc. Magazine informed that the sip and paint company Paint Nite became the second fastest-growing company in the US in 2019. One example of this stellar growth is the firm’s revenue in 2016 which reached a stellar $55 million in revenue.
According to Shelton, the market is made up of mostly women between the ages of 25 and 50, making up around 80% of customers. Despite this, companies are also trying to target men and increasingly looking for new ways to attract a more diverse audience. The pandemic may help with this since everyone is in a similar situation stuck at home and looking for something safe to do.
Evening Standard writer Ben Olsen is optimistic about the future of paint and sip classes online. “Artsy pursuits, which now come in a variety of genre-bending forms … all provide a positive platform for channeling creative energies, widening the field for would-be daters and also just getting people out of their house.” In modern times, however, this means getting people away from Netflix and onto a zoom call.
Getting Tipsy and Painting
Just to be clear, this isn’t about drinking at home alone, we know you’re already doing that. Instead, you’re drinking with other people as you learn to paint. If you’re already a painter, then great, you can show off your skills. But drinking ‘liquid courage’ during these events does have a scientific side. Alcohol is known to reduce stress and anxiety, and increase creativity.
This is welcome news in a time when chaotic 24/7 news cycles have us biting our fingernails and no outlet to escape it. Paint and sip classes online may be the perfect remedy for these times while providing a new outlet for expression. We have everything to gain, whether it’s better art skills, a new hobby, or simply a fun time with friends and strangers.
