Monday, February 15, 2010

A possibly- hipster love story


My boyfriend and I toy with the line of being hipsters on a regular basis. We both like to think that we are far less self-celebratory and ironic than required to claim true hipster membership but our interest in art, design, bicycles and skinny jeans does makes us suspect. I bring this up because I just made an Olympia beer valentine's day card.
Another thing my boy and I have in common: we are both cheesy as hell. So no, i didn't just feel like painting an homage to cheap beer (besides, being a good Milwaukee girl PBR is my nostalgic beer of choice), it's a symbol of how we met. (cue the awws)
I was at his local haunt for the first time ( which has been transitioning into a playground for all those newly hipstered hipsters) and saw him dancing. My friend pointed him out to me and asked if I thought he was cute. Yes, but hell if I was going to talk him since I'm shy and a little skittish in social situations. My dear friend, brazened by a drink or two, snatches a beer my another friend had just bought for me, walks over to him, gives him the beer and says it's from me. I am horrified and blushed violently. He introduces himself, but goes back to hanging with his friends. A little later my friends and I decide to leave, but before we do, a friend of his notices and she asks for my number. I have never given my number to someone I have just met, and decide why not, and give it to her. Later he realizes I have left and feels like an a-hole for not getting my number. 2 days or so later his friend tosses my number to him as he's lamenting the situation. Now we've been dating for nearly 5 months, which isn't a terribly long time, but a lot of things have happened that make us very appreciative for each other's company; welcome relief from what life has been throwing our way.

We ponder how we met, thank the boldness of our friends but most of all wonder how a cheap can of beer started this exhilarating adventure we're on.
The card is watercolor and micron pen on bristol board. This picture is mid-production, as the flaps open to little water color vignettes that were painted on a separate piece of paper and glue on the inside panel of the card.

As expected, the cheesiness of this card blew my boy away, and at the end of the day, I'm going to say that the response this card elicits snatches it out of the domain of hipsterdom and places it in the land of nostalgic goodness.
Moral of the story? Go out and if you're not brave enough to meet people yourself get a trusted friend or two to help you along and test your comfort level (safely please!) Then craft something from that experience!

No comments:

Post a Comment