Fill Your Well with Artist Dates
Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way and many other books, espouses several basic practices to enhance creativity: Morning Pages (writing three pages longhand every morning, to clear “stuff” from your head and allow new ideas to surface); daily walks; and Artist Dates. I love all three, and definitely notice a difference when I allow myself to practice them.
I especially love Artist Dates, since they allow me to get out of my regular routine and either do something new, explore a new place, or revisit some place or activity that I love but rarely allow myself for whatever reason. An Artist Date is a “once weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you.” In this era of shutdowns and limited social activity, it may be a little harder to manage, but Cameron calls it “assigned play” and maintains that it is essential to keeping the creative fires burning. I agree. It’s too easy to get into a creative rut, to feel like you lack inspiration, to get bored and feel like creative work is, well, work.
I encourage you to try this practice. The best way to start is to make a list of things that sound like fun. What would you like to try? What would you like to do that you maybe haven’t done in a while? It doesn’t have to be a big production. Here are some I and my past students have tried. They may spark your own ideas:
Try a new-to-you type of cuisine – either take-out or make it at home
Go to a new neighborhood, park, or other area and take a walk and expore
Watch a movie in a foreign language
Allow yourself some time to draw, paint, color, or play with clay – even if (especially if) you don’t consider yourself talented as a visual artist
Visit an art gallery or museum (many great world-renowned museums have moved access to their collections online – a fantastic opportunity if you haven’t yet been to it in person)
Take a walk and bring along a camera/phone to take photos of things that catch your eye
Learn to bake or cook something new
Turn on music and dance in your livingroom
Make a collage – this could be of inspirational quotes, images of places you’d like to visit or live, etc.
Plant a container garden
Write a letter longhand to someone who would love to hear from you (even if you don’t send it)
Try a new form of movement – yoga, tai chi, belly dancing, salsa – anything you havne’t tried before
My local library is doing a “grab bag” of books, since people can’t browse the stacks right now. They pick out a bunch of books for you, and you pick them up. See if your library is doing the same.
Make a list of 100 things… on different themes: Places I’d like to go/experiences I’d like to have/things I’m grateful for. 100 might seem like a stretch, but go for it. Write as fast as you can. You never know what might pop up.
Create a vision board
Take yourself on a picnic
Re-read a book you loved
These are just a few of the many things you can try. Commit to doing an Artist Date this month. Why “this month” when they are ideally weekly? Because you will be surprised how many excuses you come up with not to do it! It will seem frivolous, or you just can’t take the time, or you “can’t think of anything…” Observe your resistance to creative play. That’s why commitment is crucial. Put a time and date in your calendar, and see what happens. Feel free to share any ideas/thoughts/experiences in the comments!
