Airports are weird places, aren’t they?

Thousands of people rushing past each other, eyes locked on boarding passes and departure screens. Everyone going somewhere, yet nobody fully present.

We’re told to arrive hours early, hurry up just to wait, and then sit in uncomfortable chairs surrounded by strangers we never speak to.

I used to hate the waiting, the layovers, the loud silence. Now? Well, I found ways to make the time more enjoyable- in addition to people-watching, which even that gets boring after a while.

Somewhere between Terminal A and Terminal C, I discovered something unexpected: connection happens in the most unlikely of places if you’re willing to create it.

It started simply. Instead of scrolling mindlessly while waiting for my flight, I’d find a seat at an airport bar, order a burger, or an IPA, depending on the time of day, and pull out my pen.

Then I’d draw. On napkins. Plain, ordinary cocktail napkins.

Nothing special, until it was.

The first time I handed a finished napkin drawing to a bartender at BWI, I expected a polite nod. Maybe a quick “thanks” before it was tossed away. All good. Instead, she looked at it for a moment, folded it, and said, “I’m keeping this.”.

I didn’t think much of it until I returned to that same bar three months later and she recognized me immediately.

“The drawing guy! I have your napkin framed in my living room.”

Whoa. Framed! Again…Framed! A cocktail napkin with a simple sketch I’d made to pass the time.

This has happened more times than I ever would have even thought possible. Drawings given away that find homes on refrigerators, in offices, propped up on desks. Small gestures that find a way to outlive the moment.

But I’ve realized along the way that it’s not just about giving something away. It’s about what comes back to you. While I draw, sometimes people watch. They ask questions. They offer opinions.

Last month, after handing one of my sketches to a bartender, a woman at the next seat noticed. She leaned over and said, “Do you do this often?”

I showed her my Instagram page, scrolling through posts of daily drawings and quotes. She studied it for a moment, then pointed to several thumbnail images that were completely blank.

“Why don’t these show the finished drawing?” she asked. “I wouldn’t click on these if I saw them.”

I hadn’t even noticed. In my rush to post, I’d forgotten to consider how it appeared to someone scrolling quickly through their feed. They were blank because I was filming a sketching session, and that’s how a canvas starts…blank.

That five-minute conversation with a stranger in an airport bar transformed part of my entire approach to sharing this work.

I hadn’t asked for feedback. Wasn’t looking for it. But in that moment of vulnerability—of creating something while someone watched—I received exactly what I needed.

Valuable insights, unexpected places.

We think help comes from experts, from people with credentials and fancy titles. And sometimes it does. But just as often, it comes from the person on the next barstool. The exhausted traveler waiting for a delayed flight. The bartender who’s seen it all.

All we have to do is open the door to conversation. To connection.

For me, that door is a napkin and a pen. For you, it might be something entirely different.

What small thing could you do in the places that feel most impersonal? What tiny gesture might bridge the gap between you and everyone else rushing past?

It doesn’t have to be art. It could be a question. A compliment. Maybe some real curiosity.

Airports can be more than just places we pass through on the way to somewhere else. They’re still places where humans gather. And that can mean something.

Next time you’re “stuck” in an airport, waiting room, line at the store, or wherever people are who might not want to be there—try creating that opportunity. You might be surprised by what comes back to you.

Grateful you are here,

Wade

PS - If you’d like to bring some of these airport-inspired drawings and quotes into your own space, I’ve just released a new collection of prints.

They’re perfect for offices, living rooms, or anywhere you need a reminder that connection can happen anywhere. Check them out at Draw for Hope​