take yourself on a date
Want a sense of adventure?
In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron suggest taking yourself on a date to inspire, delight, and nurture your playful side.
Designed to spark your sense of adventure and creativity, this weekly exercise is one of my faves, especially while traveling, so I thought you’d want to know the trick. Since spring seems to be perfectly suited for new ideas, let’s indulge in this fun way to discover life renewed! There’s not much guidance. Anything constitutes a date with yourself.
However, the most obvious options include trips to flea markets or antique shops simply to peruse what you could repurpose into your own style of art or whether something inspires you to pick back up old creative projects you hid away. Bookstores, coffee shops, art supply stores, and artsy areas in cities with murals painted on walls also offer ideas to wake your brain up.
There’s no need to spend money since the concept is simply designed to spur imaginative thoughts to feed your creative soul. For example, a favorite activity of mine during Covid lockdown consisted of picking flowers from the side of the road during my daily walkabout. When I returned home, I would arrange them in an interesting shaped vase, usually a mason jar of sorts, and practice my photography skills. I placed the arrangements around the house, studying lighting, studying how different settings on my phone worked, enjoying the art I created.
Set of three flower arrangement photos from left to right: daisies and foxglove, bright yellow flowers, and a wild mess of flowers in various hues with the jar wrapped in twine.
Cheap dates
I consider spending any time playing with art a date. Learning and sparking creativity is the only requirement!
A few other ways I played with at that time were sharpening colored pencils and child crafting kits. Spreading glitter glue inside mason jars then inserting fairy lights brought joy twice fold while observing my fairy lanterns hanging above my desk during journal sessions each morning. Focusing on letting my creativity flow through small projects stimulated my mind and brightened my days. Maybe it will for you too!
Images from author’s crafting projects from left to right: mug filled with colored pencils sits on top of a book with fairy light propped next to it, mug with blue octopus that reads “Embrace the Day”, and wall art of a mountain silhouette next to an octopus hanger holding lit fairy light jars and photos.
Often, treats spark creativity since they are ingrained with nostalgia or bring warm fuzzy feelings leaving us safe to think in new and interesting ways.
These days I take myself outside on trails a whole lot more often than going in to town to peruse shops for creative activities. Yet, I still enjoy the ideas sparked within my mind when friends come to town and I show off some of the cute stores that provide adorable crafting kits or sell homemade soap or inspire and delight through their own stylish decorations. Overall, I hope Cameron’s little “take yourself on a date” concept encourages you to get out and enjoy well-deserved time to yourself in order to stoke your fire within.
What new areas of your city/town/community can you explore for artsy ideas? What projects are niggling at you to get started now that spring is pushing us forth? Any ways you spark creativity in your own life that you want to share?