Our Origin Story
A comedian walks into a bar, picks up a paint brush, and her life is forever changed. Well, sort of; first, let’s back up a bit. Every good story starts somewhere, and BrushCapades is no different. In fact, oftentimes the best stories told are the ones that happen unexpectedly. Such is the case for Anjl Rodee, BrushCapades owner and founder.
Taking Chances
Graphic artist by day and comedian by night, Anjl found herself phoning the largest paint and sip chain, PaintNite, to let them know how uniquely qualified she was to be an instructor. “Great,” they responded, “You can work in this bar on Tuesday nights.” She was eager and excited at the idea, but that wasn’t quite what she was looking for.
Instead, Anjl started hosting events on her own at her Seattle studio. She bought a few easels and invited some friends for a practice round, which lasted five hours. As class sizes grew, she rented venues and community spaces for larger events. And thus – having never even attended a paint night herself – Anjl bore the first iteration of BrushCapades.
Let’s just say, the business has come a long way since then. Classes are no longer five hours of catching up with friends, but Anjl remembers those days fondly. “As fun as that is”, Anjl recalls, “I knew I wanted more business direction, so I started using Groupon, which gave me a lot of traction.” Soon thereafter, what started as public paint and sip parties at her studio went straight for corporate.
The Heart of It All
Situated in the heart of Seattle, BrushCapades has become Anjl’s way of challenging people to connect on intimate levels. As a people-first person, Anjl quickly realized she needed to break the traditional bounds of what it meant to be a student. Everyone, at some point, was taught something that limited their creative expression – and many of us heard teachers telling us no from a young age, which Anjl wanted to deconstruct.
“We were built to create,” she says. “No reason to it, people create things literally just because we like to. Our brains are built to do it. It’s innate, non-threatening, and meditative.” She likes to share this illustration with her students: if Van Gogh and Andy Warhol were sitting in the same class, they wouldn’t paint something that looked the same, and that’s what you want. Since starting BrushCapades, sharing that positive message and shifting people’s narratives, has become just as important as the art itself.
Where It’s Going
It’s clear that, simply, Anjl cares. About art, yes, but also about meeting people and enacting internal change. The easiest way to understand her mission is to simply experience it. By participating in a BrushCapades class, you’re invited to create art and cultivate a mindset oriented toward greatness. As her community continues to grow, Anjl looks forward to new opportunities. WIth eyes set state-side, internationally, and digitally, BrushCapades is eager to continue sharing its message of inspiration and creativity with the world.