I love the dreamy and interesting places my art takes me. I had such a great time working with the crew from Casper for The Snooze Bar event in San Francisco last week. There, they set me up at a table with a lit candle and lamp to paint guests' dreams.
Everything about The Snooze Bar was so well done. I walked right up to this sweet blue sign and I knew I was where I needed to be.
Right when you step inside, you feel like you've been transported to a cozy, chill place. When I arrived, The Magnetic Fields were playing. Already a good sign. The Casper staff was incredibly nice and welcoming. They played movies on a mattress mounted to the wall. The furniture was beautiful and everything had a relaxing feel.
And then things got going around 7 and livened up for the party. Guests stopped at the front desk to receive a set of slippers and then onto fancy drinks, gourmet waffles, mattress testing and fun.
A Casper bed in a tented room.
The Casper bed is so comfortable! I need to get one. The huge bonus for me is that they are made in the USA. How cool is that?
Every detail was considered. This display was upstairs near one of the tented beds. A stack of records, journals to takeaway, the ladder and mood lighting. I was so impressed with the look and feel of the event.
Coolest pillowcase ever!
The owner of Mesh Print Studio in Brooklyn, David, made me this super special pillowcase. He was onsite at the Casper event screen printing pillowcases on demand for guests. Here, he combined the eye print with the psychedelic design and I just love how it came out! He also made me a white on white version.
I felt like Lucy from Peanuts with her advice booth. I loved how open people were about their dreams. Dreams tap into weird spaces in our brain, sometimes bringing up things that can make us uncomfortable. Some people remember all their dreams. Some claim to never dream (what they really mean is never remember). I prompted guests to tell me about their most recent dreams, a recurring or memorable dream. Here I am with my first dream guest. She had a dream that her teeth were falling out, but they were large, crumbling elephant tusks. I drew a portrait of her with tusks flying all around.
Drawing a dream of a flexi straw fight in a mirrored English Tudor.
Drawing and painting on napkins presented a whole different challenge. While I have drawn on napkins in the past, I've never done so with the intention of giving it to a stranger as a gift. It ended up being really fun with not a single napkin tear.
I interpreted Akansha's dreams of various friends dropping out of school or quitting their jobs. One of the examples she gave me was a friend dropping out of med school to work at Trader Joe's. Amongst a loaf of bread and kale is a stethoscope. You can read her experience about The Snooze Bar on Akansha Agrawal's blog.
Brandy of Will Bake for Shoes
Brandy has a great blog and apparently super fun and stylish life! She told me about an early dream she had of riding her bike past lavender. It was fantastic talking to her and I hope to meet this local again in the future!
Andrew's dream involved being in a station wagon that was crashing into everything! It was so cool to hear these vivid dreams.
This guest dreamed of a rainforest. I decided to draw a simple scene with a boat in the middle. He asked me to add a sun above.
Rebecca Saylor of Oodlebadoodle
It's always a pleasure to see this beautiful face! Rebecca Saylor of Oodlebadoodle. Now that I think of it, they should have used some of her gorgeous handmade pillows for the party! She has this dream where she flies off a couple of steps.
One of the spookiest dreams I heard! This guest had just watched two recent episodes of Game of Thrones. The dream involved skinless, people and a horse head. Creepy!
This designer had this dream of every single person he has ever met riding escalators in a shopping mall. I have had similar dreams.
This cute couple wanted a dreamy scene, rather than an actual dream: a Paris picnic.
This guest waited patiently for his turn. With his dreams, he can fly whenever he wants. He will often be ahead of his friends, flying in the air. I asked him if he knew what lucid dreaming was. He hadn't heard of it before.
Alexandra of Par Avion Tea
This is the lovely owner of Par Avion Tea. She had a dream involving one of her collaborations with a large company. Alexandra has a sweet spirit about her and I hope to try one of her teas soon!
Someone had fun! Her recurring dream is of a tsunami at sunset. She says she's always calm when it's happening.
What a blast it was working with everyone! I had the best time listening, asking questions and drawing. Working with strangers is such an amazing experience. In this context, I got to know them quite quickly. So many amazing people in one place. I would love to do it again!
