Artist Dates
The first time I ever heard of an artist date was in 2005 when I was reading the Artist Way by Julia Cameron. She says…
“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 watch Julia talk about Artist Dates here.
My interpretation
Since reading The Artist Way, the idea of artist dates has stuck in my head. But loosely. For instance I don’t hold fast to the description above about going on artist dates weekly. Sometimes my artist dates are not solo dates. They are about following my curiosities, but they’re not always what I would call fun. More like interesting.
My go to artist dates…
I art journal and paint pretty regularly, so I like to choose activities that get me out of the studio. Activities that aren’t for finishing a piece, creating a body of work, or for teaching a class. Here are some of my more recent artist dates…
Museums & Cultural Centers
Museums and cultural centers are my favorite places to visit both in my own city and when traveling. These images are from a visit to the Tate Modern on my last trip to London.
Drawing:
I knew as soon as I put these supermarket flowers in this pitcher that I wanted to draw them. I don’t normally draw objects or people, but it’s a skill I would like to get better at. This is an example of an artist date that I would say was more concentrated work than fun. I did enjoy buying and arranging the flowers (an artist date in and of itself) and using charcoal on newsprint.
I took a life drawing workshop while in London. It was a one time event at a bar. It was a little intimidating because I’m an artist so the assumption is I can draw (or maybe that’s my assumption gathered through old views of what is art), and because I have only taken one or two life drawing classes in my entire life, and that was years ago. I’m glad I went and took myself out of my comfort zone.
Movies & TV
I recently watched “Becoming Frida Khalo” on PBS. It’s a three part documentary spanning her life. As many times as I’ve heard her story, I remain fascinated by her drive, her irreverence of societal norms, and her commitment to being her own person. Click here for more info on this series.
Books & Magazines
I have always enjoyed looking through interior design magazines. I think my first were Martha Stewart Living Magazines in the late 90s early 2000s.
Beyond Visual Art:
There are so many ways to nurture our creative selves. Listen to music, watch a dance tutorial, go to a free live music event at a local business or outdoor stage, take a drive, walk in nature... I encourage you to channel your third grade, eight year old self, and spend some time doing anything you find creative and enjoyable. Solo or otherwise.
What would you do on an artist date? Where would you go? I would love to hear about your artist dates in the comments below. xxx -T