East Coast West Coast Two Artists Meet in the Middle
Have you ever started an online friendship with someone and then that friendship goes on for years, but you've never actually met in person? I have a feeling this happens quite a lot these days with the internet being such a big part of our lives.
Miriam Schulman of Schulman Art and I are two artists who have been hanging out in the same artists' group for at least 10 years, exchanging ideas and brainstorming about how to run our online artist businesses. Even before there was a Facebook or an Etsy, we were selling art on Ebay and that's where we first became acquainted.
Earlier this year the two of us began strategizing about how fun it would be to actually met in person. Miriam lives on the East Coast outside New York City and I live on the West Coast outside Portland. We wanted to make it easy travel wise for both us by finding a location somewhere in the middle of the US.
The PDX Carpet
A couple of weeks ago, the big a day finally arrived! While I was getting on a plane in Portland, Miriam was in the air flying west from New York. We both landed in Denver within an hour of each other.
It was such a exciting feeling when we first caught glimpse of each other at the airport. We couldn't help but burst out with joy and laughter! It was like we had stepped out from behind our computer screens and into the real world. And the best part is we instantly realized this wasn't just an online friendship, but that we had made a instant connection in person as well.
We stayed in a rustic little western town right outside Denver with a great big sky and a river running through it. We went hiking, took lots of photos with our iPhones, energized with a yoga class and went out to eat every night. We talk about art, painting, teaching workshops, email lists, promotions. Most of all we discussed ideas on how to give our readers and customers a better experience through our artwork.
Capturing that perfect iPhone shot on a hike down by the river.
Everywhere we went we strategized and planned about business and art.
We stayed at an amazing bed and breakfast, called The Dove Inn. Our wonderful host made sure we had a good breakfast every morning, snacks and plenty of coffee. Then she sent us on our way with a list of places to see, things to do and the best restaurants to eat at.
We returned home with the satisfaction of just having gone a great big adventure with a new (old) friend.
Now it's your turn. Have you ever had an experience like this? You've gotten to know someone really well through phone and online conversions and then you end up meeting in person? If so, tell me about it in the comments. Was it an enjoyable experience or did you find out you liked the person better from a distance?
Side Notes
I've invited Miriam back to write a guest blog post that you will not want to miss, so look for it, coming soon.
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