What is an artist date you ask? It is one of the two non-negotiable parts of working through the book The Artist Way by Julia Cameron. This is a twelve week program that is designed to recover your creativity. I am working through the book with over 60 women across the globe online, and we are working through a chapter a month instead of a chapter a week. There are two ongoing activities throughout the book, the morning pages, and the artist date. It is:
- A commitment of time spent on yourself
- A date with your inner artist
This week I took me and my little inner artist to an art workshop on The Art of Zentangle. What is it? It is an easy to learn, meditative way to draw what appears to be intricate repetitve patterns called Tangles. Their tagline is “anything is possible, one stroke at a time.”
workshop Tangle
I find this very very meditative and deliberate. After the workshop I took myself to lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant and read the paper.
There was an article devoted to the new exhibit at the High Museum in Atlanta, Frida and Diego. This will definitely be an upcoming artist date for me! In fact, this is the ONLY American stop of this particular exhibit. I don’t think I have ever seen a painting by either of them in person!!!!
What would you do on an artist date?
I love to study all the patterns in zentangles but have never given it a try. Shame on me!
My mother first introduced me to artist dates. We would frequent the many art musuems and libraries in Miami. I fell in love with art galleries as a child… thanks to those dates! She continued the jaunts with our two children even though the only galleries in our small town were in the community college and the library.
I am enjoying Julie Cameron’s book The Right to Write!
Nice post Vickie. You always have the best “Artist Dates” from what you have shared. Atlanta has so much to offer, but you also find them (that is the secret). I love doing this Artist Way with the group online and at a slower pace. It gives us time to realize how this works, and it does.
As for your Zentagle great depth and movement! I find them very interesting, might have to consider taking a workshop myself. I’m going to check my local art store “Plaza Arts” I think they were offering one. Many hugs and have a great week!
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Oh, I just knew I loved you, Vickie 🙂 I love Julia Cameron’s work and Zentangles!!!! I had the pleasure of taking a workshop with Julia several years ago and I so enjoyed her art for tapping into the creative side of ourselves and her art of storytelling. The Artist’s Way is a must-have for everyone, in my humble opinion.