DATING YOUR INNER DELIGHT

Make Time For Creative Inspiration

Jul 23, 2024

My experience with a weekly artist date, what that means, and how it might inspire you
3 Quick Things Worth Sharing
Artist Date ideas for you

Hi, Friends!

Last Saturday, in the cool of the morning, I took a little creative excursion to find flowers for my backyard. I’m generally about a month behind my green-thumbed neighbor next door who plants at the first opportunity following Mother’s Day weekend. That’s the date that most people here in Northern Colorado agree it is safe to plant flowers without fear of some last-minute cold snap. I reframed a nagging errand into an opportunity for my weekly “solo artist date.” More on that in a moment.

In our Slow Summer Bookclub membership community, we are learning to listen to our lives in multiple ways using Cameron’s book, The Listening Path. Our mid-afternoon Sunday conversation hour on Zoom each week has been inspirational and affirming as we share our experience with her creativity tools and learn to deepen our listening to the environment, each other, our heroes, silence, our Higher Self, and more. In the book club, we check in weekly and help hold loving accountability for her three primary tools: Morning Pages, twice weekly Solo Walks, and a weekly Artist Date. In our conversation on Week Three, I noticed that many in the group were struggling with keeping an artist date. The name itself stops some before they even begin. Last week, I sent along some suggestions and examples for them and we started a thread to share ideas, plan their next artist date, and get in on their calendar.

If you are unfamiliar with the concept of an Artist Date, here’s Cameron’s quick explanation from the book.

Executed solo, the artist date is a special time during which your artist is the focus of your attention. ‘Oh, Friday I’m taking my artist to a meal out in Little Italy.’

The artist date pushes us into a state of heightened listening. During the date, we become acutely in touch with ourselves and with what we might call our ‘inner youngster.’

Alone with ourselves, doing something just for fun, we hear our innermost desires— and often inspiration, or what feels like the hand of a higher force.”

In essence, it’s a date you make with yourself to fill your creative cup and listen to yourself in the process. An artist date can be something as simple as visiting a pet store, drawing a sketch of your dog, going to a movie or a dance class, visiting a museum, or perusing an art supply or fabric store. Whatever it is that lights you up and leads to wonder and delight is an opportunity to fill your creative well. It’s not only an enjoyable excursion but it’s also inspiration from which you will later draw.

As you likely know, many of us have trouble with play or exploration when there is “so much work to be done.” Sure we’ll explore a new city on vacation and will feel inspired and enlivened by the experience, but something stops us from doing so at home or exploring a new part of our hometown. Something stops us from scheduling time just for ourselves to play, explore, and seek new experiences. That something is usually called creative resistance.

So, back to my Saturday morning flower shopping. How was it different for me to see it as an artist date seeking delight versus a nagging errand?

Running an Errand versus Enjoying an Artist Date:

Errand mentality: I need to get some flowers. Ugh. My backyard garden space looks dried and empty and I will feel better with some color and life back there. I remember that I love tending to growing things in the summer. But I also haven’t had time to think about what I want to buy and I don’t know much about landscaping, and it also feels kind of stressful. (Yes, I can get stressed about buying flowers. I know, I’m a work in progress. ) I decide to put it off for now.

Artist Date Mentality: I remember that I love colorful flowers and growing things. I decide to block out an hour on my Saturday morning to wander my local nursery in the cool of the morning to simply enjoy all the beautiful flowers and possibilities. No agenda. I don’t have to buy a thing. I will simply go where my eyes are drawn and appreciate how good it feels to gently wander amongst a wide variety flowers.

Of course, you know what’s next.

By giving myself the time and space to simply enjoy the experience of something I love with no agenda, I found myself creatively energized, happier, relaxed, and delighted. Even if I hadn’t ultimately bought any flowers. I have many artist dates and don’t spend any money at all. But on this day, I filled a cart with flowers I loved, easily and effortlessly. I brought them home and was equally delighted planting them.

This is an example of immediate benefits, but I will tell you that oftentimes, I feel the benefit of my artist date with myself that day and then also days, weeks, and months afterward. The creative well needs replenishing consistently or soon we discover a dry, empty well and spirit. For most of us, if we don’t schedule it, it doesn’t t happen. So I challenge you to find an hour in your week this week and do something simple and fun, something you might have loved to do as a kid, and report back. You may be surprised by the ripple effect of the impact of that one hour on your day and week ahead.

oxox Mary

A FEW ARTIST DATE IDEAS TO PRIME THE PUMP- FROM THE ARTIST’S DATE BOOK

3 QUICK THINGS WORTH SHARING:

Happy birthday month to me! The first draft of my manuscript was completed by the goal date of my birthday, July 2. This still feels miraculous. Now the crafting and shaping continues. Thank you for all your support as the journey continues.
From Hafiz. You already know how much I love this poet.

From Mother Maya

This month a portion of our paid subscriptions will be donated to:

Project Smile - Salud Family Health. Project Smile - Salud Family Health coordinates dental care and reimburses local dental providers for treatment they provide to families below double the federal poverty level for children attending or eligible to attend Poudre School District Schools or living within the Poudre School District Boundaries whose families are unable to cover the cost.

LOOKING AHEAD

Next Up:

Friday’s Discussion Thread and Creative Tools Check-In for paid membership
Sunday’s Bookclub Gathering at 3 pm CST
Membership Monthly Recommendations and More on July 31

In our paid subscriber membership:

Access to full community benefits including our Slow Summer Bookclub
Updates on the memoir-in-progress 📗
A creative-contemplative practice to engage 🌀
My monthly recommendations: what I am watching, reading, and listening to this month 📚🎶🎬
An audio recording of the post so you can listen on the go 🎧

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