Ever wonder why pubs feel like the perfect place for sharing stories?
By capturing what’s happening behind the bar, the illustrator Edie Medley sheds light on universal conversations and the pub’s role in our social dynamic.
If you’ve been out for a pint lately, you know how juicy conversations with friends can get — the type of chats you don’t want someone to overhear and illustrate what’s been said. Have you ever caught a ridiculous chat at a pub and immediately wanted to tell your friends about it? Whether it’s funny, awkward, or relatable? Well that’s exactly what Edie’s illustrations do.
Like many artists, Edie Medley balances her illustration work with another job – in her case, hospitality. While bartending in a South East London pub, she had the chance to hear, or should I say, overhear customers’ conversations (because who wouldn’t?) — and turn them into art.
“I came from being behind the bar and thinking ‘how can I use this time?’” explains Edie. During a shift at a beer garden, an argument at a table gave her an answer. While watching a woman throwing her drink on the other person’s Gore-Tex jacket, Edie had no idea this argument would mark the beginning of her new project. I’m Not Listening was born.
Over time, just as a habit, the illustrator notes snippets of relatable conversations, whether mundane, humorous or serious. “I like conversations that feel familiar, but also one-liners that make you want to hear the rest of it.”
While some attract her attention more than others, there are certain conversations she admits she would rather not have heard: “A guy was clearly considering breaking up with his long-term girlfriend, and he was asked whether he saw himself with her for the rest of his life. His response was ‘no not really’, then she turned up to the pub!”
Moments like these show that pubs are such social hubs for both light jokes and heavy truths.
These illustrations highlight a subconscious knowledge that pubs are such an important place for social interactions. There is something that helps to have conversations we probably wouldn’t have in another environment — whether it’s the drinks or the music.
For Edie, the atmosphere is key in this gossip environment: “There is something magical about a dimly-lit, cosy pub: it’s where people go to catch up with their friends, so of course the conversations are going to be colourful.” In cozy corners or half tucked into shadows, truth can be easier to find. It’s not as confrontational. Not as visceral. A pint of your alcoholic beverage of choice also helps to raise certain truths you might not otherwise confess to. Edie taps into this.
Being behind the bar is a great place for an illustrator, as Edie serves so many different characters and faces, which lets her stand back and observe all the interactions happening around her. “I’m constantly trying to figure out if two people are on a first date.”
What makes Edie’s art so brilliant is probably the fact that these illustrations are so relatable. “Conversations between friends about terrible dates or romantic experiences feel particularly universal. And, more specifically to London, I often hear people talking about the cost of living, difficult landlords, and rents going up.”
While looking at her illustrations, there is a comforting feeling about them. These everyday talks remain relevant regardless of how old you are. No matter how intimate they may seem, they connect us. Who has never debated whether to quit a job, move cities or deal with annoying flatmates? Edie concurs: “I’ve had lots of people tell me the conversations sound very familiar, like ones they’ve had or would have with a friend.” And maybe that’s why her illustrations resonate: they offer comfort and reassurance in our everyday dramas.
Pubs are more than just a place where we drink Guinness after work; they bring us together. “Sharing the illustrations online means they reach people who might never set foot there, and so they become more universal.”
In the future, Edie confides in me her desire to turn these conversations into a book containing all of them, “or maybe even a set of beer mats, that could be fun.”
By giving these conversations a second life, Edie Medley reminds us that we all share the same struggles, heartbreaks and laughs, no matter where we are in life. We all go through these moments, and at the end of the day, spending time with friends over a drink may be the simplest, but often the most authentic stories of all.
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