Artist Sarah Osorio, heart, connects and creates with fellow artists throughout Excessive Distinction’s weekly drawing periods hosted at eyedrum gallery. (Pictures by Dustin Timbrook)
On July 15, greater than two dozen visible artists gathered in Atlanta’s eyedrum gallery, working from sunset into the early hours of the morning. Huddled round tables stacked excessive with pens, brushes, tablets and books, some have been busy sketching whereas others put ending touches on their work. For a lot of creatives, this type of all-nighter is the anxious symptom of a looming deadline, however, for the contributors of Excessive Distinction, this was simply one other informal Tuesday evening.
“It’s like the most effective day of my week,” mentioned illustrator Joe Havasy as he drafted thumbnails on free leaf paper. “I get to see all my associates which might be artists they usually encourage me and push me to go tougher and do extra attention-grabbing work.”
Based in December of 2023 by artistic multi-hyphenate Dosa Kim, Excessive Distinction started as a treatment to feeling remoted or depressed whereas creating. “It was simply lonely,” mentioned Kim, describing his return to Atlanta’s artwork scene after a number of years of dwelling and dealing as an idea artist in California. “Being in LA, it’s simply extra neighborhood primarily based . . . After I obtained again right here I simply didn’t discover that.”
Kim’s resolution was easy — begin a weekly drawing group. He started by internet hosting modest periods in his personal studio on the co-working facility Artwork & INDUSTRY. “At first it was one individual named Eemer who confirmed up. After which earlier than you understand it, Raz confirmed up. After which it began to snowball from there.” And snowball it did. Within the year-and-a-half since its inception, Excessive Distinction has constructed a loyal and enthusiastic contingent. Lots of its regulars not often miss a Tuesday evening session. “It’s nearly like church,” mentioned Kim.
The congregation ranges from seasoned avenue artwork veterans who rib one another playfully to bright-eyed upstarts who change suggestions for his or her favourite tutorial books. Uniting all of them is a spirit of sharing — methods, supplies, meals and even alternatives. Nobody medium or model defines the enterprise. Some artists observe drafting in perspective whereas others discover hand-lettering with parallel pens. Some render impartial natural kinds in charcoal or paint whereas their neighbors conjure neon-soaked illustrations with digital tablets. Those that don’t draw come outfitted with crafting provides, snacks or good dialog.
A guiding tenet of checking your ego on the door retains the vitality of Excessive Distinction heat and welcoming. It’s a precept that alleviates a lot of the nervousness newer artists really feel about others judging their work whereas additionally permitting artistic professionals to pursue concepts free from the pressures and constraints of their company day jobs.
A type of professionals is graphic designer Leah Abucayan, who spent the night sketching stylized portraits of her groupmates. “I really feel like Excessive Distinction forces you to do one thing for enjoyable only for your self. You’re round people who find themselves doing the identical factor — one thing non-competitive,” she mentioned.
Like many members, Abucayan’s expertise with the collective extends past the Tuesday evening meet-ups and into particular occasions organized by Kim. The next Saturday she would compete in a high-energy Ink Battle earlier than a crowd of a whole lot of excited Dragon Con attendees. Her opponent? Pal and Excessive Distinction longtimer Raz.
These auxiliary alternatives play a serious position in constructing members up. A number of painters obtained their first stab at a public wall throughout the Atlanta Crossroads Mural Competition, co-organized by Kim with native muralist Chris Wright. The Fortuna Artwork Present (Could 2025) exhibited every creator’s distinctive model by means of a collaborative customized tarot deck. Some tasks, like a community-illustrated scroll and a Secret Santa artwork change, are much less public-facing however nonetheless assist to foster emotional understanding and long-term connections between artists.
“Virtually each venture that we do, we guarantee that we characterize like 20% brand-new expertise,” Kim mentioned. “It doesn’t really feel such as you’re amongst gods or something like that. We’re all a bunch of dorks operating round making an attempt to determine what we’re making and stuff. In order that’s enjoyable.”
Excessive Distinction has a transgressive and revolutionary social media aesthetic — stark photocopied flyer designs, balaclavas as motif — however the prevailing vitality within the area is certainly one of kindness, acceptance and generosity. Though Kim by no means explicitly referred to the association as a household, that relationship dynamic was palpable. Midway by means of the occasion, Kim lit candles on a chocolate cake, delivering it to 2 grinning members of the collective. Associates gathered round to sing completely satisfied birthday, slices have been handed across the room and the artmaking carried on. It was an important day, but it surely felt like one thing which may occur right here each week. One thing deeply human.
As midnight handed by, the group unfurled their lengthy paper scroll and continued a months-long strategy of filling yard after yard with spontaneous drawings and textual content, solely to roll it again up and tuck it away till the following gathering. Why make investments a lot time and vitality into a bit too massive to totally show? Kim hinted at an evidence when relaying his dismay about generative AI’s disruptive impact on artistic careers.
“You already know, I obtained actually defeated once I noticed the writing on the wall. I used to be like, ‘Rattling, this sucks.’ However, by the identical token, there’s all these folks right here,” he mentioned. “They’re not doing it for another motive however to get with like-minded those that prefer to make issues. It’s a testomony that people are going to be doing what people do. It’s type of superior.”
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Dustin Timbrook is a artistic generalist working in artwork, movie and music. He volunteers on the board of administrators for Avondale Arts Alliance. Timbrook loves spending time along with his household, taking part in with canine and gardening.
