Our recent Louisville meet-up introduced me to some really inspirational artists from the Atlanta area, so I knew that I wanted to experience more of the inspiration of Atlanta.

My hometown of Athens, GA has always been known for its art and music scene, so it’s no surprise that I find so much inspiration in other local artists.

I decided that since Atlanta is only about an hour’s drive from home, it would be a perfect place for a meet-up that didn’t require the adventures of traveling.

Little did I know…

Little did I know, when leaving my home that I would have a completely new, yet inspiring adventure, caused by a broken-down car. On the outskirts of Atlanta, on my way to our planned meet-up, my car suddenly died.

As the leader of the Reflect Arts Group and the organizer of the meet-up, I couldn’t afford to be late. So, with my car on the side of the road, I quickly searched for a towing company, hoping that someone could help me, and quick!

My first try was 24hourtowingatlanta.com. I’m sure glad that I tried them first. I was lucky enough to be just a few minutes from an available truck.

Steve, the tow truck driver from 24 Hour
Towing Atlantawas amazing to work with.

He knew of a garage in the area that had great weekend service, and was close to downtown, where I needed to be.

He drove me to the garage, and while we were on the way, I was able to arrange for a rental car to meet me there. Steve was courteous, friendly, and most of all understanding of my time crunch.

Despite my car problems, I was on time for the 2^nd Reflect Arts Group meet-up, and we were able to enjoy everything that the Grant Park area of Atlanta has to offer.

We even found great artistic inspiration in the animals at the zoo and the amazing historic architecture.

It’s that thought process that led me to plan the very first ever Reflect Arts Group meetup, and what place better to do it in than historic Louisville, Kentucky?

After posting my idea for the meetup I was pretty surprised by the enthusiastic response from the group—with more than 32 people from around the country planning on making the trip to attend.

This would be a historic chance for us all to come together and experience a bit of life together, and I was thrilled for the opportunity.

Working up to the days of the big meetup I selected a limo service Louisville KY to take us around town to see all the local historic spots the area’s famed for, this turned out to be one of the best decisions I could have made, but we’ll get into that more later on!

Gingerbread Houses, Stately Abodes and Beautiful Colonials

Louisville Kentucky is known for its beautiful architecture, and that’s one of the reasons I chose it as our first meeting place. I’m absolutely in love with historic architecture because it’s full of life; it’s an art all its own, and looking into the homes that talented craftsmen slaved away creating is real inspiration.

I booked the limo service a few months prior to the big meetup and a few stately limos were standing by when we all emerged from the airport. Riding from location to location on the historic tour was a real pleasure and the cozy but well-styled interior of the limo gave my group a chance to talk face-to-face while heading off to the next destination.

Everyone remarked about how plush and comfortable they were, and about how riding around was almost as enjoyable as taking in the beautiful Louisville architecture.

A polished but friendly woman named Nancy rode around from location to location with us to provide a tour of sorts, and through her we learned about many of the hidden gems around Louisville, getting a firsthand look at truly inspirational Victorian Gothic homes, Chateaus, Queen Anne’s and all those beautiful structures put together at the beginning of the 20^th century.

I must have snapped 2,000 photos that day, and I’ve been drawing on them for my sculptures and paint pieces ever since.

While in Louisville we took in the architecture and experienced one of the finest dining establishments it has to offer, Proof On Main. It’s nestled in the austere 21c Museum Hotel, which served up exquisite entrees, and some inspiring art as well.

All-in-all the Reflect Arts Group first annual meetup was a huge success. We’re planning on another meeting next year as soon as we finish squabbling over the meetup location.

But we’re all hoping the experience goes as well as Louisville did!