In “My Goals for the Year 2020”, I listed working through The Artist’s Way as both a personal and professional goal. One of the requirements outlined in the book is to have an “artist date” every week.
What is an artist date?
According to the book, “an artist date is a block of time, perhaps two hours weekly, especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artist. In its most primary form, the artist date is an excursion, a play date that you preplan and defend against all interlopers. You do not take anyone on this artist date but you and your inner artist, a.k.a. your creative child” (18). Cameron goes on to explain later in the chapter that “in order to have a real relationship with our creativity, we must take the time and care to cultivate it. Our creativity will use this time to confront us, to confide in us, to bond with us, and to plan” (20).
How has the artist date been up to this point?
Admittedly, this has been a hard task for me. I’ve googled and saved lists of ideas for artist dates as well as adding my own ideas to the list. Actually doing the date was difficult over the holidays, but I have no excuse now as to why I am not doing them. Cameron emphasizes that this date is supposed to be a non-negotiable task. For two weeks in January, I counted the time I spent in my creative area finishing a 1000 piece puzzle (I’ve been working on it for several weeks, and finished it January 15th). I count this time because it requires me to focus on only the puzzle, freeing up my mind for ideas to flow and also providing a sense of accomplishment.
What was last week’s artist date?
Last week, I took time to go to Barnes and Noble. It has been a long time since I have taken time to just walk around in the store. To look at new releases, search for titles I have been wanting to read (but feel too guilty to buy because I have others on my shelf that I haven’t yet read), to look for books for my grandson, to checkout the bargain shelves, and to soak up the energy I sense when around books. I had a Christmas gift card from my husband, so I could go in and look around knowing that I would buy a book (or two or three). I had a budget to stay within (gift card amount). Otherwise, I could go crazy.
How did it go?
It was a refreshingly peaceful hour of browsing and finding books. Looking at children’s books, toys, and puzzles. Checking out the titles of books I have been wanting or have on my Goodreads “to read” list.
I love a bargain, so these finds (three hardcovers no less!) were especially gratifying for me. I’ve read Sue Grafton’s books from A-M. My next will be N is for Noose that I’ll check out from the library. Then I’ll be ready for O is for Outlaw. I recently started reading the Armand Gamache series by Louise Penny (only on #2). I found two books from later in the series marked as $6.98, but they were part of a special buy – 2 for $10. The last book was $5 for The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton. The book has been on my to-read list for quite awhile. I also received an additional 10% off each book’s sale price.
Yeah, but you’re an English teacher.
Yes, I was an English teacher for twenty years, but I have always loved books. That will never go away. This was the perfect artist date for me. I don’t let myself go to the bookstore very often because I do have bookcases full of books (most I have read, some I have not).
The feeling of peace, satisfaction, ease, hope, and encouragement I gave myself that day fuels my creativity. Just what the artist date is supposed to do. Help me be in a mindset to draw on the creativity within me as well as from things around me.
What’s Next?
We also have some wonderful local bookstores (Dickson St. Bookstore, Nightbird Books) that I haven’t visited in a long time and plan to do so on future artist dates.
So, for this next week, my artist date will be….
Any suggestions?
Works cited: Cameron, Julia. Artists Way: 25th Anniversary Edition. Penguin Books, 2016.