This year I’ve been getting back into weekly Artist Dates and I wanted to share what they are, why I do them and which ones I’ve tried so far.
If you’ve not heard of Artist Dates or you’re looking for more information about them please read on…
What is an Artist’s Date?
The idea of an Artist Date is from a book by Julia Cameron called The Artist’s Way. I worked through the book in early 2017 and really enjoyed the process. I blogged about the book here. I’m also a huge fan of Morning Pages which is another tool that Cameron recommends in The Artist’s Way.
Here’s what Julia Cameron has to say about Artist Dates:
“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.”
Why am I making weekly artist dates a priority?
I have set myself 3 intentions this year – they are Wellbeing, Creativity and Joy. When I was thinking about how I can bring more of each of those things into my life I realised that Artist Dates can often tick two of the boxes! (Creativity and Joy).
And combined with my word for 2021 which is Curiosity it feels like Artist Dates are the right thing to do.
I talk a lot about Joy and use my creativity here for Find the Good Everyday. I do that because I want to… but I also want to make sure that I’m making time for joy and creativity outside of any commitments I have. It’s important to refill the creative well and to have some fun in our lives!
How I’ve been getting back into weekly Artist Dates
It requires a commitment – I need to make sure I plan it into my week and actually do it! It’s so easy to cast it aside when urgent and important things come up. But I really want to give myself this time to play and discover and create on a weekly basis so I’ve set aside time to do so.
I’ve marked out time on Friday’s for Artist Dates. This is changeable but if I haven’t done an artist’s date by the time I get to Friday – I am committing to doing it then.
I want to get into the habit of thinking of a couple of options each week and then choosing the one that sounds most interesting or fits best with the time and resources I have available that week.
So far, for my weekly artist date, I’ve:
1 Taught myself cross-stitch with a teeny rainbow kit
2 Watched It’s a Sin
3 Had a brainstorm about Spring and creativity and all the things I wanted to do
4 Created a Spring-time journal
5 Had a rummage in Poundland (went in for some essentials but had a look at the arts and crafts aisle while I was there!)
6 Played with felt pens and cling film to create watercolour backgrounds (which I’m hoping to turn into bookmarks!)
7 Purchased and put up some rainbow watercolour dot decals in our hallway
8 Worked on my Spring Journal – capturing the things I love most about the season
I think it’s important to keep coming back to the Julia Cameron quote above to make sure it’s about fun, mischief and whimsy rather than a chore!
When I get stuck for ideas I’ll be referring back to the ideas I’ve already shared here on the blog. If you’re looking for some fun and creative ideas check out these posts:
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Had you heard of Artist Dates before? Is it something you’ve tried or you’re keen to try?
