I had the good fortune to meet Paola Thomas of MirrorMirror over the weekend, and subsequently was invited to attend The Lab, a brand-new design community get-together she helped put together with John Tusher, owner of Velocity Art and Design. I expected it to be interesting, but found it to be nothing short of inspiring.

The Lab was inspired by Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge, whose Biz Ladies Meetups were “the catalyst for realizing how necessary creative gatherings such as The Lab are to the vitality of our design community,” says Tusher. He envisions the monthly events as places where everyone who is creative, from interior designers to collage artists to cheesemakers, can meet, share ideas, socialize, and find new outlets for their art and new inspirations for their businesses.

John Tusher introduces Matte Stephens to the crowd at The Lab, held at the Velocity Art and Design store in Seattle’s South Lake Union.

Featured artist Matte Stephens spoke to the crowd about his secret to artistic success: “I was gonna make this work or die. I didn’t give myself an option to quit.”

Click the link for more photos, inspiration, and information on attending the next event. –Mary T. (more…)