It has been over a year now since I began Julia Cameron’s Artist Way training. I’ve often mentioned the two most important things she suggests to ignite and foster creativity. One was morning pages. That I have down pat. Today was number 415. The other suggestion was artist dates. This involved taking days alone, at least once a week, and going on an artist date. An artist date is a day spent walking, shopping, observing, eating alone, going to a movie alone, etc. This point of this exercise was to connect to the inner artist child that lives inside of us. I have gone on a lot of artist dates and wrote about many of them. They were fun. Freeing in the sort of way they were meant to be, only I never really felt the connection with that inner artist child. I felt it was sort of embarrassing to behave like a child and participate in childlike wonder. I never felt that part of the date.
Then, today, I was getting ready to leave to drive to NY. I was planning to cut up fresh fruit and chicken for nice healthy snack. Then all of a sudden I remembered the small bag of Lay’s baked chips I bought on my last trip. I actually got excited. I said to myself, “I’m going to get those chips on my ride today.” I had to laugh out loud at how giddy I was over a bag of chips. I pictured myself, in my chucks and jeans, happily skipping out of the rest stop store holding my chips.
Then it dawned on me. I saw her. I met my inner artist child. That’s how it feels to reconnect with your past self. That was fun. That was freeing and uplifting. My ride today will be an artist date, and this time it will be with the inner artist child I’ve been searching for.
Sometimes we really do take our adult selves too seriously. So busy trying to make a go of our jobs, and families, and responsibilities. We only allow “fun” in in an adult way – dinner and movies, concerts, ball games, wine by fire, etc. What about the simple joy of an anticipated bag of chips? What about skipping down the curb when you’ve finally got them? Maybe this mindfulness stuff is taking hold after all.
And so, as another day goes by, this day contains chips, and …I have written.
(I didn’t quite skip back to the car, but I definitely had a spring in my step! Lol!)
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