The artist's date
At the start of last year I dropped one day a week of teaching to give myself that day to make art, but at first I wasted this time because I had no established art practice. I just didn't have the habit. So despite my desire to make art, I felt blocked and at a loss what to do. I didn't know where to start.
I came across a book called 'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron, which is a great book for any creative person that is experiencing creative block. The book offers a 12 week course to unblock yourself, including weekly reading and activities. The aspect of this book I resonated with most was the concept of the artist's date. What does she mean by this? An artist's date is a block of time set aside weekly which is committed to nurturing your inner artist. Essentially, this is a solo excursion or play date that you pre-plan - and definitely no tag-a-longs allowed. This is a private date for you and your artist.
As someone who felt I had lost touch with the artist I once was, this activity made perfect sense. If I was to have a relationship with my creative consciousness, I had better spend some time with it and get to know it, just like you would any other person. The artist needs to be taken out in order for it to awaken. You can't expect the artist to get creative if it's always sitting around the house. You need to pamper it a little.
It's up to you what you might do as an artist's date - a trip to the museum, park or a junk store are all great things to do and they don't have to cost money. The date doesn't have to be fancy; it's the time with your artist that counts. If you can see your inner artist as a child then you're half way there to understanding the concept of an artist's date. Give it some wonder, something to stimulate the senses, something to play with.
Cameron warns us of making artist's dates too serious. You may think a trip to a gallery is a perfect artist's date, except that instead of treating this as play you might start seeing this as research. Artist's dates are not research (although they may be enlightening), they are meant to be play.
My most favourite artist date was a simple walk through my little town of Creswick. I walked into town and along the way I jumped in every puddle I could find - I even crossed the road for more puddles! I bought a take-away hot chocolate, sipping it as I wandered around some more, occasionally stopping and talking to trees and little animals. I picked up interesting bits of bark and rocks. My inner child certainly came out that day and she is directly in contact with, if not the same as, my inner artist.
I encourage you to try it. Pre-plan a date, block out that time and don't let anyone steer you away from it. Dedicating this time to your artist will feel luxurious and exciting and fun. And with a bit of luck, your creativity will come out to play.
Where would you go on your artist's date? Leave a comment below.
Until next time,
Erin
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up". - Pablo Picasso
I came across a book called 'The Artist's Way' by Julia Cameron, which is a great book for any creative person that is experiencing creative block. The book offers a 12 week course to unblock yourself, including weekly reading and activities. The aspect of this book I resonated with most was the concept of the artist's date. What does she mean by this? An artist's date is a block of time set aside weekly which is committed to nurturing your inner artist. Essentially, this is a solo excursion or play date that you pre-plan - and definitely no tag-a-longs allowed. This is a private date for you and your artist.
As someone who felt I had lost touch with the artist I once was, this activity made perfect sense. If I was to have a relationship with my creative consciousness, I had better spend some time with it and get to know it, just like you would any other person. The artist needs to be taken out in order for it to awaken. You can't expect the artist to get creative if it's always sitting around the house. You need to pamper it a little.
It's up to you what you might do as an artist's date - a trip to the museum, park or a junk store are all great things to do and they don't have to cost money. The date doesn't have to be fancy; it's the time with your artist that counts. If you can see your inner artist as a child then you're half way there to understanding the concept of an artist's date. Give it some wonder, something to stimulate the senses, something to play with.
Cameron warns us of making artist's dates too serious. You may think a trip to a gallery is a perfect artist's date, except that instead of treating this as play you might start seeing this as research. Artist's dates are not research (although they may be enlightening), they are meant to be play.
My most favourite artist date was a simple walk through my little town of Creswick. I walked into town and along the way I jumped in every puddle I could find - I even crossed the road for more puddles! I bought a take-away hot chocolate, sipping it as I wandered around some more, occasionally stopping and talking to trees and little animals. I picked up interesting bits of bark and rocks. My inner child certainly came out that day and she is directly in contact with, if not the same as, my inner artist.
I encourage you to try it. Pre-plan a date, block out that time and don't let anyone steer you away from it. Dedicating this time to your artist will feel luxurious and exciting and fun. And with a bit of luck, your creativity will come out to play.
Where would you go on your artist's date? Leave a comment below.
Until next time,
Erin
"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up". - Pablo Picasso
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