Workshop Snapshots are stories shared by our guests! It's been 6 months since we hosted our first creative workshop so we are excited to share a story from one of our early workshops! Jeff Jacobson was one of our early guests who we met while hosting a hand lettering workshop at our previous location at The Portal. 

By: Jeff Jacobson

Most friends have one first meeting. Amy Davis and Jeff Jacobson had two. The first time being on Instagram.

Both were following the Instagram feed Made Vibrant Community’s Better Lettering Course  for different reasons: Davis, an artist living in Arkansas, wanted to add hand lettering to her panoply of skills, hoping to one day open an Etsy shop. Jacobson, a corporate trainer living in California, wanted to improve his handwriting so that participants could read what he wrote on flipcharts.

Neither remembers exactly how it started, but one of them sent out a few likes, the other responded, and soon they were flinging emoticons across the Instagram airwaves, as well as chatting about brush pens, lettering styles, cats, Halloween (their favorite holiday), and even Hollywood heartthrobs.

Amy told Jeff that she’d be visiting Southern California, and wanted to know if he was interested in joining her for a hand lettering workshop.

Jeff thought about it for a millisecond. “Yes!”

Thus, their second meeting occurred at the Portal in Santa Ana, CA, for Lauren Cotter’s popular Laurenish Design Hand Lettering and Cursive Workshop, sponsored by M.Lovewell.

“It’s you, it’s you, it’s really YOU!” They shouted and hugged upon seeing each other in person for the first time, then promptly sat down and began lettering.

Both were enchanted by the welcoming environment and laid-back atmosphere that M.Lovewell created, and agreed that it was probably the best class that either one had ever taken.

After class, they joined Amy’s friend Kim for lunch, and talked nonstop about Arkansas, jam, Shanghai (Jeff just moved home from China), hand lettering, and the upcoming presidential election, before parting with the promise of getting together again some time.

Jeff plans to take more classes with M.Lovewell, and hopes that Amy will make a trip out west soon to join in the fun.