Creator Dates
Just like any other relationship, your inner creative child needs attention.
“The [creator] date is an excursion, a play date that you preplan and defend against all interlopers. You do not take anyone on this [creator] date but you and your inner artist, a.k.a. your creative child.” — Julia Cameron
Remember play dates as a child?
We still need them as adults...
With our inner creative child.
Morning Pages declare the deepest thoughts, hopes and dreams from your inner universe. Creator Dates then open you up to inspiration and guidance from the outer universe. One breathes out. The other breathes in. Creativity circulates.
A creator date is a block of time dedicated to you and your inner creative child. It is a time to explore your diverse interests. A time where that inner child comes out to play in a place where it will not be repressed or judged.
Consuming the content of others is to be encouraged. But it is not enough. You must reserve time at least once a week to commune with your inner voice. Listen to what it says. Bond with it from one adventure to the next. Here lie the answers you seek.
Where morning pages surface things you need to address, creator dates uncover solutions to those things.
Initial resistance to creator dates will be swift and harsh:
This is ridiculous!
My inner creative child? Ha!
What will people think of me being “creative?”
Spending time alone with my thoughts is kind of scary!
Your creativity is much like a child or spouse. The love you share requires tending. Stop ignoring it. Stop neglecting it. Give it the attention it deserves. And it will respond in kind. The well of creativity will fill. All areas of life will benefit.
Intimacy, especially with your own creativity, can be frightening at first. But it’s okay to explore your creative interests. Frustration, anger, fear and regret will melt away with each adventure you share with your own creativity.
🤔 Food for Thought:
Are you letting you inner creative child out to play?
Are you listening to what it has to say?
⚙️ One Small Step:
Make a list of your interests... from small to large. Just get it all out on paper. And keep adding to it. Want to make fresh pasta, paint with watercolors, build a model train or fly a kite? You can! Invest at least an hour or two each week doing just that.
When on your artist dates, listen closely to your inner voice. It speaks in ideas, insights and images. It will ask things of you. Take these things seriously. The voice will then grow stronger. And you will begin to understand.