What do you wear to a calligraphy class? I had no idea, and since I was running late, per usual, I decided on my Duke sweatshirt and a scarf. I hopped in my car on a rainy Tuesday night and headed to Amélie’s French Bakery & Café in NoDa. For almost two hours prior, the boo thang was complaining since this activity was taking away from “his time.” He asked me, “What’s calligraphy anyways? Is it a type of font?” I’m not going to lie, I was stumped on how to answer. It was almost like explaining to someone how to write in cursive, “Um if you don’t know by now, you just don’t know.”
Let’s rewind. A coworker of mine, Stefanie, is a calligrapher. She and I have bonded over “girlfriend time” while chatting about challenges of the work day and, most importantly, what a pain in the ass significant others can be. She mentioned having a “knack for calligraphy” after attending a class in New York taught by one of her favorite calligraphers. What started out as a hobby for her quickly became a lucrative business that goes by the name of Stroman Studios. It wasn’t long before I was invited to her class, “Cupcakes + Calligraphy.”
Now, we all know how it is having a full-time job. You have the strong desire to check out so many activities, even during the week, but when the day comes to participate, you find yourself making up excuses to not have to go. My anxiety built each week knowing the class was going to start at 7, which on the time scale of “go or no” teeters on, “I don’t think I’m going to make it.”
So, there I was, the day of the class, struggling to get work done and trying to figure out how to respond to the boyfriend’s questions about calligraphy. I decided the best answer was no answer at all and he took it upon himself to Google it. *Sighs* Wrong answer. “Who would want to draw letters for two hours?! That’s so boring.” Then I began feeble attempts to seem super interested and argue with him about how exciting the craft would be.
Adamant about attending the workshop and beginning my #QCSoberNights chronicles, I finally found my sweatshirt in strategically placed piles of clothing and raced to Amélie’s. I had never been there for an event before, so I was pleasantly surprised when she texted me — because I was running late — saying, “We are in the Versailles room.”
For those of you who haven’t been to this sweet little haven in NoDa, it’s the perfect spot for events, homework and for anyone with a sweet tooth, macaroons. Not to mention, it’s open 24/7! Located in a shopping center, you can catch spoken word at Dupp & Swat or chillax with some hookah at Red@28th.
I walked in — underdressed, I might add — and hit the ground running, or is it page writing? Surprisingly, I was good at it. I’ve always found calligraphy interesting, but never had the desire to try it for myself. Especially on a work night. I would usually trade productivity or creativity for drink activities, so I was shocked how excited I was to turn the page and get started on the next letter.
Before I knew it, I looked at my phone to see the time, and it was 8:40! I was convinced that with a little bit more practice, I’d be able to calligraph my own wedding invitations (envelope, insert and RSVP included) on eco-friendly paper in true hipster fashion. Steff’s response, “Um not just for yourself. You could start a business.” And that, is a real friend.
I ended the night by writing @omgaerin, my social media handle, for Instagram with the caption, “Tonight we calligraph. Thanks for the invite @stefaniestroman #sobernights.” The next day, Stef was reviewing the posts from the previous night and the highlight was my hashtag. Girl, you’re welcome!
Maybe calligraphy isn’t you’re thing. But for those of you who have gotten tired of drunken trivia or just drunken evenings, there are plenty of other things to do in the QC to avoid the wintertime blues and non-stop work of a young professional lifestyle.
What #sobernights have you had in the QC? Next up on my list is taking a cooking class with Chef Alyssa!
If you’re interested in taking the same calligraphy class or looking for a calligrapher, check out Stroman Studios at www.facebook.com/stromanstudios/ for more information
Mobile
