Take Yourself on an Artist Date
I’ve been reading a book called “The Artist Way” by Julia Cameron; and the author writes about a great idea that allows you to reclaim you creativity, especially if you have a busy lifestyle. She says that each week you need to take yourself on an Artist Date.
What exactly is an Artist Date?
An Artist Date is a block of time, either one or two hours set aside each week to simply nurture your creative side.
Spending time in your favorite bookstore, watching an old movie, taking an undistracted walk or visiting a gallery.
A get-away, or “play date” that you preplan in advance and that you guard against being rescheduled or distracted. Cameron advises that this date be simply with you and your creative side, no kids, no spouse or significant other, no taggers at all. This allows you to really stretch your legs and go to places only you and the creative side of you can appreciate (in my case, that would be the planetarium! Yeah, call me a geek, but I get inspired by the light show and I’m the only one in my family that gets a kick out of it!)
Why do it?
Cameron compares the need for an Artist Date this way: Picture your creative side as a child that has not spent any quality time with their parent all week. That child, in order to grow properly, doesn’t necessarily need a lot of money spent on them when they hang out, but the child just needs attention and to be nurtured.
The author describes an Artist Date as a weekly excursion which allows the creative side of you to be taken out, pampered and listened to. This is really important when you have a hectic daily lifestyle.
You can see how this quality time spent with your creative nature can work in unison with (but definitely not replace!) your quality time with the Holy Spirit.
So share with us your thoughts. Do you need to take yourself on an Artist Date each week? Maybe you see the need but can’t see where you’d get the time? Share your thoughts below:
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I don’t know how far you have to go “court” yourself, but the front of my house, an hour before the sun totally disappears, while the wind is blowing the heat away from a hot Texas day.
I tried Starbucks, the mall, a park, the bookstore, but when people realize that they are being studied by a starnger with pad and pencil…it gets really weird.
I know exactly what you’re saying, though,…I’ll eventually find that place.
Good topic.
Thanks Gimel-
I had to “LOL” since I hadn’t heard the term “courtin’” since hearing my Grandmother talk about it!
With the volume of work you crank oout each week, I was looking forward to your take on this week’s post.
Thanks, again for chiming in.
Tony-
I say it’s definitely necessary. Laugh at me, but I usually get a creative kick out of watching my favorite movie: Batman Begins. Since my heart is toward action comics and cartoons, it inspires me to do it with excellence. I think my artist date is usually just watching a cool sci-fi something or other, or a really good cartoon. That usually gets me going
My Artist Dates are as follows:
Short Date:
Hanging out in either Barnes and Noble or “Richard’s Comics” in downtown Greenville, SC
Longer Date:
1. Diving into “Imagine FX” magazine, reading and learning from the articles on digital painting.
2. Watching the original “The Day the Earth Stood Still” movie, good ol’ b&w version.
Dream Artist Date:
Going to Comic Con San Diego 2010….WOW!
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