Over the last few weeks, I’ve been enjoying working through The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. The Artist’s Way is a 12-week course that encourages participants to nurture their creativity through a series of essays, journaling prompts, exercises, and practices.
From the very first week, one of the staple practices of The Artist’s Way is the “Artist Date.” Julia describes this as the following:
“Artist Dates are assigned play. The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you. The Artist Date need not be overtly “artistic” — think mischief more than mastery. Artist Dates fire up the imagination. They spark whimsy. They encourage play. Since art is about the play of ideas, they feed our creative work by replenishing our inner well of images and inspiration. When choosing an Artist Date, it is good to ask yourself, “what sounds fun?” — and then allow yourself to try it.”
You can here her talk about artist dates here:
Your mission this week, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, is to carve out time for your very own artist date.
Give yourself permission to play.
Create beautiful memories.
Nurture your inner artist—yes, even if you’re not convinced your inner artist actually exists.
Take a chance, and see how it feels.
Further reading: How to Get Out of a Creative Rut & The Powerful Magic (& Science) of Artist Dates
