I Etch A Sketched in Nashville this week

...and it sure was fun!

Guests predominantly flew in from Louisiana, Houston, and Denver for a conference at the W Hotel. I rendered their portraits from life on Etch A Sketch in around 5 minutes! Favorite topics of conversation included board games, first dates, the fluctuating Pokemon TCG market. Two different guests brought up being from Calgary, and two other guests brought up that they loved reading Babysitters Club books. I collect those niche connections like treasured trinkets to stow away for future conversations throughout the event.

I get 5 minutes to turn a blank canvas into a portrait, and I try my best to spend those 5 minutes wisely. I consider it a pleasure and an honor to use that time to get a peek into the lives of my subjects.

For every event I try improving at least one thing. For this event I tried out a new Etch A Sketch stand that is moderately more ergonomic than keeping it flat on the table. The stand is designed to keep the Etch A Sketch in one spot so it doesn't move all over the place while I work. I thought about getting some fancy 3D printed solution but this lego prototype worked out great and even had a decorative Etch A Sketch on the end!

The line was consistent all night, so it's difficult for me to snap photos throughout the event. But I try my best to snap quick comparison photos when I have a chance. Charlie here told me about how her cowboy hat was a fantastic thrift store find. We love a good thrift deal!

A highlight of visiting Nashville is heading over to Centennial Park to visit the Parthenon! The Athena statue inside is the largest indoor sculpture in the western hemisphere, towering at over 41 feet tall. I spent a good 20 minutes camped out in front of a TV playing a documentary about the creation of this sculpture. This piece really took a village and it is an honor to see it for myself. If you ever find yourself near Nashville, this is absolutely worth adding to your itinerary.

I have a confession. This wasn't my first time at the Parthenon. My first visit was back in 2018 for a whole different Etch A Sketch drawing event. My hope is to return in 2034 wearing a different color!

I hope you enjoyed this little blog-like entry about my life. I sometimes feel bad that I don't post here more often, but I tend to focus on sharing completed art or videos that take me hours to edit that highlight favorite canvases from my Etch A Sketch collection. For that reason my posts here are a bit more sparse, but my hope is that you all know that the times I choose to share here, I do so with much focus and care.

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Thank you all for your continued curiosity about my life and career. I'll be heading to Orlando tomorrow to make free Etch A Sketch portraits for guests at ICON Park on Labor Day (this Monday) from 2-4pm. I would sincerely love to meet you and make a special piece to commemorate the occasion! Can't make it to ICON Park? I'll be doing media with Ripley's on Tuesday morning with Good Day Orlando and potentially more local media to celebrate the launch of their newest book (which includes my art! yay!). I'm planning to take a buncha photos on that trip too, so either way I'm looking forward to filling you all in upon my return!