Inside Dalaynidraws’ Mission to Build a Stage for South Miami Artists

When most people think of Miami, they often imagine rows of palm trees, beach bars, or a bustling nightlife. To Dalayni Etienne, Miami has a deeper, more insightful artistic side beyond what meets the eye. There’s been a noticeable rise in events to engage crowds with creative shows or activities. Whether to meet new people or leave with a new art piece, Miami can’t seem to get enough. Using her brand Dalaynidraws, she’s found her passion in bringing this momentum to artists outside of the city.

Who is DalayniDraws?

Dalayni Etienne is a Miami native based in Cutler Bay, currently in the graduate architecture program at The University of Miami. She describes herself as a “multi-faceted” visual artist, exploring all kinds of mediums from pencil drawings to printmaking. She was trained in fine arts and sports her whole life, and considers it a large part of her artistic identity.

In 2020, Dalayni decided to create a brand for her work, Dalaynidraws. She worked consistently to document her process and craft a narrative, and now she manages most of her business through Dalaynidraws. She takes commissions, sells clothing, and has even collaborated on a mural in Wynwood. The logo, American Sign Language for “love,” represents Dalayni’s connection to deaf culture representation in art.  

The Art Ting is Born

However, being from South Miami has often impeded her from being as involved in the art scene as she would like. “Whenever there's anything artsy, it's in Wynwood, downtown, or somewhere equally as far. Having to travel 45 minutes to an hour just to get to something artsy was very annoying,” Dalayni stated. “A lot of my friends also lived in the same areas as me. We were always off commuting somewhere, and we just wished there were more things happening in our area.”

What started out as a passing idea soon grew and took shape as Dalayni connected with more artists during and after college. Once she re-established herself in Miami after graduating, she sought to make her idea into reality. That’s when The Art Ting was born, bringing free creative events to the South Miami area.

“Our slogan is explore, create, connect,” Dalayni said. “Exploring different local businesses, creating art, and connecting with like-minded art lovers.”

Dalayni’s main concept is helping people discover places and people in Miami that they otherwise would have never known. She keeps all her events free so that they can draw in larger crowds for small businesses and earn that organic engagement. “Giving people something to do other than go to the club,” she laughed.

Partnerships and Vendors

Dalayni recalls a partnership she had for one of The Art Ting’s events as an example of this collaboration. “For the Valentine's Day event, I collaborated with The Gardener's Parlor. Emily’s amazing, she grows plants and knows everything there is to know about plants. And so I collaborated with her on bouquet making and succulent arrangements for the event. That's another form of ‘explore, create, and connect.’ Kind of like mutual profit and exposure from working together.”

Apart from events, The Art Ting has also expanded to hosting art markets. “Coming back to Miami, I was looking for different markets to be a part of. I looked into some vintage markets, and they're pretty expensive to sell there, but people aren't necessarily going there looking for art. Crowds go there thinking about buying clothes—which is valid—but artists aren't usually getting a lot of profit from these things,” Dalayni recounted. “And then you have to pay that initial overhead cost, and you don't know if you're going to be making that back at the end of the day.”

Dalayni’s mantra has always been, “Would I do that as an artist?” She wouldn’t spend time creating something she couldn’t see herself participating in. So once she noticed a need for low-cost artist-centered markets, she saw her chance to establish The Art Ting Markets.

She prides herself on creating a welcoming space for creators to sell their art. She restricts any resellers from vending at her events, highlighting the importance of supporting artists and small businesses passionate about making their own products.

What the future has in store

Dalayni is only just getting started with The Art Ting. Her goal is to eventually expand her markets and events to Minneapolis and New York, where she also has a large following. The concept stays the same, bringing art events to underserved artistic communities in their respective cities.

“I’m constantly learning and meeting new people,” she exclaimed. “I love exploring how other artists do things and how it could be implemented in my work.”

The Art Ting celebrates its one-year anniversary in December 2025. Dalayni’s goal is to balance hosting events and graduate school seamlessly in the coming year and start working towards expanding her brand beyond Miami.

Learn more about Dalayni and her projects at @DalayniDraws on Instagram!