Ahhh. The Artist Date. When I read Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way, I discovered Artist Dates. The idea of this is to refill and rejuvenate the creative well. At first I thought it was kinda silly. Why would I want to take myself on a date; what was that other than a waste of time?
So me, being the snoopy, try almost anything once type of person, I decided to take myself on an Artist Date. Now there are really no rules. The idea is to just experience something- anything that gets you out of yourself and using other senses and makes you feel good. I couldn’t tell you what my first artist date was, but I have made it a habit.
The trendy people call it “Me time”; whatever.
I call it absorbing and transmuting.
Here are a few of my favourite Artist Dates:
Art Store: Sometimes I like to go to an art store and just look around. All the colours and paints and brushes… I like to listen and observe the artists and look at all the amazing art supplies. I’m not really an artist myself; I draw a bit, I like to play with pastels, but something about the energy of the tools to create helps me feel inspired.
Book Store:
Nothing like grabbing a coffee and taking a few hours to just sit among the books.
Best case scenario, a larger book store like Chapters/indigo, or Borders if I have only a short amount of time, a smaller book store will do. I can totally immerse myself in the sights and sounds of a book store. The titles, the covers, snippits of ideas that might or might not lead to a new song it doesn’t matter. What matters is opening the senses. Holding the books. Opening one or more books randomly and reading passages of a sentence or two to see if it resonates with me. Sometimes I buy something, sometimes I don’t; more often I do, but I set limits. After all, I am a self proclaimed bookaholic.
Sephora:
The colours and hues of eyeshadows and lip colours. I like to go back and forth from one end to the other and just take all the visuals in. I like to observe the other customers and the workers. I go to the perfume aisle and smell them look at new products and see what it stirs in me. I could get lost in the larger stores forever.
Coffee Shops:
I like to grab a coffee (oh, really?) And just observe sometimes. I like to sit in a window or near a door so I can see people walking by. I usually have a book with me so I’m not too obvious, but I pick up on people’s energies and conversations and once in a while I tune in to what they are saying. More often than not it inspires something or just entertains me.
It’s funny to me that I don’t go to a music store, or a guitar store I guess because I’m always thinking or working on music I look at this as a break. It’s a different way to get the visual senses working.
So even if you’re not an artist. Doing things to awaken the senses that you don’t usually use in your every day job or your every day life…it’s a good thing. It gets you out of your worries, yourself, and who knows, it may even inspire something in you.
