I ask husband-wife duo Rett and Tayler Carraway what their ideal first date would look like if they were guests of Happy Medium, a destination for casual artists, rather than its co-founders. “No one's ever asked us that,” Tayler smiles. “I hope that Rett would've taken me to Figure Drawing as a date: you have this shared experience, but there's not a lot of pressure. It's like going to a movie - you don't really talk during it, but then afterward, there's so much to discuss because you see the work of the other person, which is intimate.” Rett agrees, “Everybody is drawing the exact same thing. They have the same prompt and tools - but everyone has completely different approaches and outputs, so you see someone else’s way of perceiving the world.”
The adage goes that opposites attract, and the same can be said for Rett and Tayler’s origin story. The couple initially met in college while studying economics, but as Rett puts it: “Our ways of viewing the world and making things are completely different. My process is very methodical and research-based, collecting hundreds of references and really absorbing as much as possible before making a mark. I would say Tayler's approach is to make something and ask questions later. We both create on an equal level, but from completely different places.”
Still, the duo shared enough commonalities to bring their vision for Happy Medium to life. With an original goal of creating design-forward art supplies, Rett and Tayler ultimately recognised the visceral need for gathering. “We always wanted to have a bricks-and-mortar space, but I think if you had asked us in 2019, we would've said our products came first,” Tayler explains. “It just so happened that as we went through the pandemic and opened our first location, there was this real appetite for doing things in person again.” Since then, Happy Medium has introduced products like The Easy Frame, and the events menu at their Manhattan Art Cafe has grown exponentially, ranging from experiences like bracelet beading to collaging. Their mainstay events and workshops also provide the opportunity to embrace the tactile joy of making something from start to finish, from custom furniture to paintings.
Together, Rett and Tayler spent years honing the concept while navigating their own creative curiosities. “I think the biggest thing we were looking for when building Happy Medium was balance in our lives,” Rett notes. “We weren't necessarily looking to commit ourselves to the life of an artist and only make art all day, every day. It was through that conversation that ‘Happy Medium’ became the name.”
While much of what happens in art can be considered a happy accident, for Tayler and Rett, one idea remains steadfast: everyone is an artist - and the importance of creating an environment that fosters play and discovery can’t be understated. Step inside either of Happy Medium’s locations, and you’ll experience this magic for yourself: warm, soft lighting and house scents create a feeling of calm. Nature also has a role: at Happy Medium’s Greenpoint outpost, guests can enjoy a welcoming garden setting - complete with a lilypad-laden pond and cafe-style seating - for a drawing class under the sun or stars.
Rett and Tayler’s respective sensibilities add a particularly special touch to the spaces. They both grew up in households that valued creating over consumption and have carried that discernment today (Rett made every piece of furniture housed at Happy Medium). “We’ve always collected objects in our travels and had them in our home. Now, every single one of those things - a few very precious - are scattered around Happy Medium. This is really our living, breathing expression of all of those things. They are the ways that we make it feel real and personal.”
Aesthetics aside, and in a landscape where many feel pressured to monetise their hobbies, Happy Medium is a welcome antidote. “It's really giving that person permission to get started,” Rett contends. “We hope they carry it with them in whichever way is most meaningful to them. If that means selling their work, then fantastic. If it means feeling more connected to their grandmother whose paintings are on their wall, even better. I think the most important thing is always remembering why this place exists, who it's for, and who we were when we created it.”
Tayler continues, “It's actually the capital A artists, or those who sell their work for a living, that oftentimes feel the most intimidated. This pure self-directed creativity can feel pretty novel to them. We’ve found that Happy Medium is even a refuge for professional artists.”
Refuge feels like the right word as I watch sunlight envelop the space. As Rett and Tayler move through the garden, tending to the foliage and each other, I’m reminded how art and creativity breed connection. “One thing we experience at Happy Medium is the power of the feeling alone, but also together at the same time,” Rett says. “Whether or not you come by yourself, there's always a period of time where the room goes quiet, and everybody's immersed in whatever it is that they're working on. You get that experience of solitude. There's something powerful about that creative energy surrounding you, but not necessarily talking about it and experiencing it instead.”
Tayler wears the TOAST Orla Donegal Wool Sweater and Pleated Cotton Linen Twill Shorts. Rett wears the Bill Cotton Wide Leg Trousers and Wool Cashmere Overshirt.
Words by Rachel Schwartzmann.
Photography by Ash Bean.
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