The Magic of the Artist Date
In a pulsing 24-hour world of constant productivity, it’s not often that we afford ourselves time to do things for the sheer pleasure of doing.
This goes beyond self-care. Requires no money, no grand plan, no sense of reason. This is merely a block of time where you commit fully to building a real relationship with your real Self. It’s a concept from Julia Cameron’s classic bestseller “The Artist’s Way”, in which she encourages readers to set aside 2 hours weekly to nurture your inner artist. Before you panic purchase those paints, chill. This has nothing to do with art - not if you don’t want it to. An artist date is, at the core, a solo excursion. One in which you invite in a sense of play, tap into your creative consciousness, and nurture your inner child. This time should be viewed as sacred.
It matters less about what you end up doing with your bad Self and more about getting comfortable with being alone & present. Simply being, instead of trying to escape yourself with television, cleaning, texting, work. Pick a neighborhood you don’t usually get to & explore. Pop into an art gallery that calls to you. Bring a camera along and snap some cool photos that aren’t for the ‘gram. Go have a solo lunch. Picnic in the park. Check out that funky thrift store. Go check out your local farmer’s market. Make it yours. Use all your senses. Get curious.
Feeling resistant? Of course you are! We are taught in Western culture to spend time on career & partnership. Rarely are we encouraged to explore our real self. That avoidance, that’s fear of self-intimacy. Fear of who you truly are. Most of us furrow so deeply into the safety of a job or into the comfortability of a relationship that we end up neglecting the most important relationship we will have in this lifetime: the one with our Self. The more deeply you get to know him/her, the more badass you’ll become. Need for external validation starts to fizzle.
The world is your oyster, chéri! Go love yourself up. And when you return to the real world, share your experience on insta with the hashtag #liverichmag for a chance to be featured!