Vickie Martin

“Men do not quit playing because they grow old, they grow old because they quit playing.”  Oliver Wendell Holmes

As you know – I am working through the book The Artist’s Way with over 60 women from around the world.  One thing we are to do on a regular basis is go on an artist date.  What is that?  Basically, it is a scheduled block of time where I will take my inner artist, or I like to think, my creative child,  out for a date.   By doing this, I feel I will be opening myself up for more inspiration.

Since I believe my inner artist to be a creative child, this child needs to be nurtured and listened to.  The time I spend with the child is the most important element.

Julia Cameron, the author of the book, refers to the artist date as assigned play.  You can hear her speak about it here.  We live in a society that worships productivity, so having a planned playdate is something I am really looking forward to.

“In every real man, a child is hidden that wants to play.”  Nietzche

One very important part of this date  – it is  between me and my creative child, Little Vickie. No one else can come along.  I’ve been asking myself “what sounds like fun to do around Atlanta?”  According to Julia, this feeds us “by replenishing our inner well of images and inspiration”.

What are some of the things I’ve come up to do over the years? Below is a list.

• Visit ethnic neighborhoods and restaurants
• Go to outdoor farmer’s markets, find fresh food and explore new recipes
• Go to art festivals (there is an overabundance of these in Atlanta)
• Take a walk with a camera
• Go to the library and explore
• Explore a new neighborhood
• Go to the museum,  including art museums, history museum and science museums
• Go on a bike ride
• Bake
• Go to an antique store
• Go to garage sales
• Go to estate sales
• Go to a bookstore
• Go to art stores
• Garden
• Sit on the deck and watch the clouds, photograph those that look like something else
• Go to a coffee shop with a journal and watch people
• Find some live music
• Go to a flea market
• Go to a toy store
• Go to a music store that sells instruments
• Go to the aquarium
• Go to the planetarium
• Go to the dollar store and spend $5 on toys
• Go to a type of store you usually don’t go to, like a bike store, a furniture store, etc
• Make up new words – like Lewis Carroll did in Alice in Wonderland

Do you have any ideas for artist’s dates?

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than you can in a year of conversation” Plate

So – go out an play!