Addis Abeba’s young people have taken to a trend known as “Sip and Paint” during the past few years, giving those who are interested in art and creativity a place to gather and try out new techniques and ways of expressing themselves.
The idea has spread rapidly throughout Addis, and events are being planned in a wide variety of formats by a wide variety of groups. Depending on who is hosting the event, the cost to participate might range anywhere from 600 birr to 2000 birr. This includes events like Paint and Pinot, Sip N’ Paint, and their many iterations.
These events, which have been making their way into the Addis Ababa event scene despite their high prices, have proven to be rather successful, and they keep returning month after month. Drinks, from wine to tea and Tej, are included in the packages on offer and provided alongside a blank canvas and paints as part of the Sip and Paint concept.
Participants are then free to explore their creative sides while enjoying refreshments and a casual atmosphere. After the event is over, the participant takes home the finished work of art.
Dagmawit Samuel, a 27-year-old who loves art and painting and wishes she had more opportunities to do so, discovered the event through the social media platform Instagram. She had always intended to try the package out after learning that it included more than just time to paint.
Not until she entered an Instagram contest for a chance to win free admission to one of the Sip and Paint events did she get to try it out.
“The concept was quite new to me, and the overall experience was really interesting, to be honest, as it was very relaxing and fun. Getting the chance to have my own space and canvas to work on was really nice, very calming, and a great way to enjoy yourself in Addis,” she explained.
Dagmawit saw the gathering as a wonderful chance to meet and bond with many people who shared similar interests. She also liked that there was the opportunity to meet new people, both professionally and socially.
She claims that she enjoys returning and reliving the experience occasionally, despite the fact that she doesn’t do it as regularly as she would like due to the expense and time involved. “There is a therapeutic side to it as well. For me, it is an amazing pastime, and it is one of the best things I have experienced.”
Also a fan of the Sip and Paint events is Fikir Tilahun, a 22-year-old art lover who enjoys trying out new and exciting events like these. She has attended versions of the event, such as the one where attendees paint on a bag to take home.
She enjoys the events because they are fascinating and unique, even though she doesn’t think highly of her own artistic abilities.
She agrees that the concept is one that is growing with time, despite the fact that she isn’t really happy about how everyone is now coming up with their own versions of the Sip and Paint events due to their popularity.
“It has become a platform where art lovers can come together and see what they can do while mingling and making acquaintances, and that is really great,” she says.
Artist Zion Yaynu, who relocated to Ethiopia from Australia three years ago, was among the first to organize a Sip and Paint event in the country under the moniker Paint and Pinot.
“In Australia, it is an activity that is quite common. When I came here, I saw that there weren’t things like that here, so I decided to do it because it is a different activity where people can come with their friends or even on a date, as well as to mingle and make new friends.”
Zion considers these gatherings highly beneficial because they provide a serene environment in which one may temporarily escape the pressures of everyday life and focus solely on the act of creating art.
The celebrations, according to Zion, resulted in a renewed interest in and appreciation of the creative process.
“A lot of people, when they look at art, always have the belief that they can do something similar and that it is an easy thing. What I have noticed at the sip and paint events is that, when people leave, they have a newfound respect and appreciation for artists,” she said. “They start understanding exactly how difficult it actually is.”
Zion acknowledges the growth of the events and the emergence of new variations, but she feels that some of them could stand to be a little bit different from one another. “After taking inspiration, they should add to it and mix it up,” she explained.
