2014 Artist Dates - Week 47

I had grand intentions at the beginning of 2014. I would undertake 52 artist dates with such devotion that I would record them in a dedicated journal.

My "Artist Dates 2014 Journal" cover

I was able to record an artist date each week until Week 33 only. There has been plenty of art making in weeks 33-47, but not exactly the "Artist Date" activity as prescribed by Julia Cameron in the "Artist's Way".

My "Artist Dates 2014 Journal" inside page

What Are Artist Dates?

In Julia Cameron's book "Artist's way" she describes the tool as follows:

"The Artist Date is a once-weekly, (minimum of 2 hours), 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."

Here are some samples from my Artist Date Journal for 2014

Artist Date Journal 2014 #1
E.B.White on CBC radio while driving to Montreal to visit
Musée des beaux-arts de Montréal and see Varekai

Artist Date Journal 2014 #2 and #3
Group of Seven Wall Calendar shopping and
Skate sharpening for skating on the Rideau Canal

Artist Date Journal 2014 #12
The Tenement Museum, New York City

Artist Date Journal 2014 #14
Versefest poetry reading by
Mary Ruefle and Michael Burkard

Artist Date Journal 2014 #15
Reading Nick Bantock Griffin and Sabine books
and then creating my own envelope/letter page

Artist Date Journal 2014 #27
Shenkman Centre Ballet Recital and
"En Pointe" linocut print that I created afterwards

Artist’s Date Ideas For The Future

There are six weeks left in 2014. This week is Week 47. I will schedule artist dates for the remainder of this year and resolve to do better in 2015. Here is an edited list of artist date ideas that appeal to me taken from comprehensive lists that can be found at: wherever the wind takes me and the artists way blog

• Look through old photos.
• Walk the historical part of your town and make architectural sketches. 
• Look for a Canadian woman artist you have never heard of and write a blog post about them.
• Mind map a decision that you’ve been thinking about.
• Choose a fantasy mentor. Take time to read their books, watch their videos, learn about their life as an artist. Let them inspire you.  
• Try some origami.
• Spend some time outdoors with your journal, sketchbook, craft supplies, etc. 
• Visit a sacred space.
• Draw a fun map representing your life’s journey.  Give the places along the way fun names, like ‘City of Joy’ or ‘Stream of self-esteem’.  Make sure you include your hoped for future.
• Go for a walk, and take your camera with you to document the experience. 
• Go to a movie matinee alone. 
• Visit an artist’s supply shop.
• Buy yourself flowers from a real florist.  Hand pick each bloom and let them make them up into a beautiful bouquet all for you.
• Watch an old favourite movie again.
• Look up the top rated ‘things to do’ in your town on a site like Trip Advisor.  Pick something that you fancy trying.
• Grab a stack of magazines, and clip whatever looks interesting or cool to create your own inspiration board. 
• Go to a free museum.  
• Find a cool DIY project on Pinterest and actually do it.
• Watch the sun rise/set.
• Take an hour and have tea. Use your nice dishes, including the creamer. 
• Put a key word like ‘inspire’ or ‘courage’ into TED  and watch 5 of the videos that come up.
• Find an interesting place to have a cooffee or a tea and just sit and people watch. 
• Go to a local festival, music event, art show, play, museum exhibit, etc. 
• Spend an hour going through your books. Pick ten to read or re-read and ten to donate to charity. 
• Spend time making an area of your home beautiful.
• Go to a thrift store. Give yourself 5$ to spend and find something really great that you can do something creative with. 
• Take a walk on a nature trail. Take your camera. 
• Give yourself a beauty treatment – a face mask, a foot soak, exfoliation, hot oil treat, etc. 
• Go sit somewhere close to water (any water - a river, a lake, a fountain etc) and play in your sketchbook. 
• Go on a guided walk or tour of your own town.
• Go to Home Depot with 10$ in your pocket. See what cool things you can find there to create and art project with that 10$ (only). Go crazy.
• Pick a special holiday or place (where you took a lot of photos) and make a photo book.
• Wine and dine yourself… go to dinner and a movie. 
• Paint something in or outside your home (a fence, a shed, or a chest of drawers).
• Go cloud watching. 
• Make an image board of where you would like to go on your next holiday – find a pile of old magazines, tear out any images you like, and stick them on a big piece of paper.
• Spend some time browsing around Etsy.com and create a Favorites list – a list of items there that speak to you on a creative level – to refer back to and be creatively inspired by. 
• As a follow-up, contact some of the artists that created items from your list. Tell them that you admire their work; inquire about their technique; start a conversation. There is nothing better than being in contact with and becoming friends with fellow creatives. 
• Try an all-day drawing marathon. Wherever you are, take your journal or sketchbook and start drawing. You could participate in a SketchCrawl event: http://www.sketchcrawl.com/ 
• Take yourself on a culinary artist date, and try a new cuisine, recipe, restaurant, fruit, vegetable, etc. 
• Create a self-portrait. 
• Try Tai Chi, Pilates, yoga, bellydancing, etc. 
• Write a poem. 
• Write a limerick.
• Write a haiku.
• Plan a road trip. 
• Write a letter to the person you plan to be in ten years. 
• Listen to the audiobook version of a novel you adore.
• Write a letter to your parents. Tell them what you are grateful to them for. Send it. 
• Take a creativity course at the local community college or community center. 
• Do a spa at home – have a bath with candles, a facemask, chocolate (or your treat of choice) and do your toenails with a more adventurous colour than normal!
• Go to an estate sale or a yard sale. 
• Watch a movie you’ve always thought you’d hate. 
• Make a list of one hundred things you love about yourself. 
• Make a list of one hundred things that make you happy. 
• ‘Declutter’ a room (or a drawer if a room is too big a start!).
• Have a complete day of silence. 
• Have a technology-free day. 
• Watch a movie with the subtitles on. 
• Cook from scratch. 
• Have a silent day. 
• Take a day and go to a neighboring town and poke around. 
• Go to a local market. 
• Go to a u-pick farm. 
• Go for a walk around the neighborhood. 
• Create an accomplishment board Create a vision board. 
• Make a “bucket list”. 
• Make a list of things you want to do before Christmas. 
• Make a list of thirty things you’d like to do before your next birthday. 
• Organize your closet. 
• Create a piece of artwork entirely with things from your recycle bin. 
• Go for a bike ride. 
• Read a children’s book. 
• Read poetry aloud… to yourself. 
• Give yourself five dollars to spend on items to use for an art project at a dollar store. See how far you can stretch it. 
• Take yourself on a picnic to the park. (Dogs can go too.) 
• Collect fall leaves and then take photos of them in whatever neat compositions you can. 
• Read an old journal. 
• Watch a documentary (or read a biography) on your favorite artist. 
• Finger paint. 
• Take a walk around your town looking for heart-shaped objects (or any shape). Take photos. 
• Buy a box of 64 crayons and a coloring book. Have fun! 
• Play tourist in your own town. Visit the local tourism office and see what you might not have known before. 
• Go to the hardware store. Create an art piece with items on bought there.