Artist Date Ideas
An artist date, a concept introduced by Julia Cameron in The Artist's Way, is a powerful tool for nurturing creativity and helping reignite your creative purpose. These “artist dates” can be as simple as a walk in the park or as elaborate as a day spent exploring an art gallery, allow you to reconnect with your creative spirit and inspire new ideas. Whether you're an experienced artist or simply looking for a way to inject some creativity into your routine, artist dates provide the perfect opportunity to step away from daily distractions and allow your imagination to roam free. In this post, I will explore a variety of artist date ideas to help you nurture your creativity.
One of the first times I painted en plein air since college. I was so nervous!
My Approach to Artist Dates
The Artist Way specifies that artist dates should be done alone to avoid distraction or outside influence. And while I encourage other artists to be independent and give these dates their undivided attention—I also think it’s a great idea to include friends or other artists on artist dates. Why? It’s easier to build a new routine and overcome our initial anxieties if we have a kindred spirit to hold us accountable and share our experience.
For me personally, I had some initial anxieties with doing more public artist dates. Especially when it involved sketching or painting in a place where other people could see what I was working on. Having a friend not only kept me accountable for completing artist dates, but it also helped me not feel as awkward seeking out creativity and new experiences in a more public setting. Over time, I became more comfortable and started doing most of my artist days alone. Solo artist dates are now something I find incredibly soothing and inspiring.
If there’s a guideline or recommendation in The Artist Way that holds you back from trying, don’t be afraid to modify it or take small steps. There are artists out there that insist on following Julia’s guidelines verbatim. But if a rule or recommendation keeps you from getting started—that doesn’t serve or help you, does it? So be kind to your inner artist self and take whatever steps you need to get started.
Artist Date ideas: 1) Local book reading/signing event, 2) Took a pottery class and made new friends, 3) Walked through a botanical garden in Seattle while traveling for work
My Artist Dates Youtube Video
If you’re new here, I have a Youtube Channel where I share art tips and inspiration! I have multiple videos on The Artist Way, as well as other helpful resources to check out.
What makes it an artist date?
While any time spent exploring creativity is wonderful, Julia Cameron has a few guidelines for artist dates. According to The Artist’s Way these dates should:
Be playful & exploratory: This isn’t meant to be productive or goal-oriented. You’re doing it for the sake of doing it.
Involve going somewhere new: Explore new places and experiences to find more inspiration.
Be a weekly ritual: Artist dates should become part of your routine so you can consistently “nurture your creativity” and “fill your creative well.”
And finally, the concept of treating our inner artist like we would a child we want to spoil and nourish. This really helped me be more playful with artist dates and give myself permission to be silly and think outside of the box.
Finding Artist Date Ideas
Follow Local Community Events: There are probably a handful of events going on where you live that can help you get outside of your comfort zone and try something new. See if your town has an art shop or art community that sends out a newsletter or posts events on social media. Couldn’t get any easier than ideas sent right to your inbox, right?
Visit A Coffee Shop: Most coffee shops have some kind of bulletin board with local events. I’ve already been to a few events that I discovered from flyers at local coffee shops. Plus, you can always grab a cozy cup of tea or coffee and sketch while you’re there. Possibly two date ideas with one trip :)
Bookmark or Pin Ideas: I’m always saving new ideas on Instagram or Pinterest to an Artist Date board. If you don’t save it in the moment, chances are you’ll forget. Plus, by having a folder/board set up, you’re more likely to look at social media through the lens of, “Hmmm, could this be a fun artist date idea?”
Ask A Friend: By going on artist dates with friends, I’ve discovered new places and ideas I might not have found on my own. And the same goes for my artist friends too. Communities and friends are great way to find new ideas.
Tips for keeping a weekly artist date routine
I found keeping a weekly routine challenging at first. But then I came up with a few ways to help me be more consist with my artist dates. So here are some of the things I did that helped me:
Plan out your dates for the next month: Instead of waiting until the last minute, I set aside time to come up with new, fun ideas for the following month. That way half the work is already done! Plus, there are some community events, art shows, etc. that might require you to plan further in advance.
Have a variety of time commitments: Plan out artist dates that can be done in an hour, while also including artist dates that take all day. I like having a variety so I can pick and choose which date makes the most sense for each week. For example: if it’s an unexpectedly busy week, I like having a shorter artist date I can do instead.
Have A Backup Date: When life gets too busy (because let’s be honest, that happens), I like to have an easy artist date that still gives me time and space to focus on my creativity. Sometimes I only have time for a 30 minute Youtube tutorial where I try something new. This keeps me more consistent and I never feel bad for missing a week. I can almost always make time for a 30 minute Youtube tutorial at home.
Final Thoughts
The most important part of artist dates is making time to explore your creativity. Even if we only have a spare 15 minutes each week, if we’re intentional, that time can really help us find more joy in our day to day life. Just by being aware of artist dates and making them a priority, we’ll also start to be more observant of opportunities to connect and explore.
