Inspiring Myself

I’m taking my artist on a date tomorrow morning. One of the activities from the “Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron, is going on artist dates. Here’s what she 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.

Julia Cameron

She says doing these dates along with morning pages helps to keep the well full. When we aren’t out there experiencing the world in a way that bring us joy, we have less to write about.

It honestly feels like so much to ask. I feel bad asking for time to inspire myself while also having mom duties. But it’s important for me as an artist to have fun doing the things that make me feel adventurous and excited about life. I believe in the artist dates but at the same time I struggle with being consistent with my artist dates because it feels like a lot to ask.