My Artist Date

When I worked a full-time day job I had lots of time alone.

I spent sixty to ninety minutes a day alone in my car commuting to and from work. Time alone to listen to audio books and my own thoughts.

I had an office, not a cubicle and I spent most of my day working alone. Hours on end. It really was blissful.

Lunch times breaks were often visits to the bookstore.

On the way home in the evening if traffic was really heavy I would get off the highway and have a nice, quiet dinner alone, just me, a book and my journal.

Sometimes I’d stop at the bookstore or art store, just to wander around.

Now that I work from home, all of that free time and alone, at least most of it, is gone.

After four months I was beginning to feel like I was going crazy. Plus, I felt stale. My brain was feeling very dull and uncreative. I felt dull and uncreative. I was moody, depressed and just felt discombobulated.

This weekend I decided I just had to do something about it. For my own sanity and well-being I needed time alone.

I realized that if I am going to be successful working from home, that taking some time for myself is equally important as actually working. I have to learn to set boundaries and claim time for myself. I have to make scheduling some time alone daily and weekly a priority.

Then I remembered Julie Cameron’s artist dates.

“An Artist Date is a block of time, perhaps two hours weekly especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative conscious, your inner artist. In its primary form, the artist date is an excursion, a play date that you preplan and defend against all interlopers. You do not take anyone on this artist date but you and your inner artist, a.k.a. your creative child.”

Right then and there I decided I was taking Monday all for myself.

And, I outlined a list of priorities and made a plan:

Minimum of four hours of uninterrupted time alone.
Travel time – at least 30 minutes or more in the car.
Beverage availability and clean restroom facilities were a must.
No laptop, internet, email, phone calls or text messaging.
Lots of light and places to sit, read and write.
And, it had to be peaceful, quiet.

Here is what I did…

I have to say, my artist date was an absolutely delightful day. I feel rejuvenated, re-energized and relaxed.

How do you spend your artist dates?