How to Absolutely Switch Your Artist Date Routine and Pump Up Your Self-care Levels

My wife surprised me.

“I want to leave with my mom for the weekend once COVID clears.”

“Sounds good,” I said.

My teenage son connected Tinder and a carbon dating service in science class.

What a great Far Side cartoon project!

This weekend I had a light bulb type moment in my guitar lesson.

Last weekend, I cut my first ever music video.

But it’s Sunday, there’s no pro football on, and I’m excited.

Is my creative recovery working?

Four-week fluke?

Not likely.

I Linked-In for reinforcement.

Here’s how I pumped up self-care levels and switched my artist dates.

What is an Artist Date or Creative Time-Out?

Artist dates are weekly appointments to do something fun and solo. In these hour-long dates, the purpose of self-care hides behind some serious fun. Prep and cost for these time-outs or artist dates can be pricey and elaborate or cheap and minimal.

Activities can range from cleaning out the junk drawer to skydiving. The net has lots of resources to spur your creative zest.

But as far as a total rework of the Artist Date, there’s nothing on the net except these ideas for quarantine.

So, I set out to catch something.

On Your Mark, Get Set!

On my second line cast into the Universe’s pond, I caught a perfect stranger from the other side of the globe. Shout out to Fiona!

It was only then that the stunted growth of so many years shifted. Yet to find me, I had to play what felt like the part of a braggart. As Mark Bryan et al. said in their book, The Artist Way at Work, I had to admit I was a fraud to get myself into some serious, creative self-care.

I had to admit I felt foreign and fake, to break out of my comfort zone to thrive in an environment for growth. But this movement uncovered cracks in my creative foundation.

The Problems with Artist Dates

1.They Sound Girly

The internet lists many ideas, but they appeal to the traditional femininity of the artistic experience. I’m not making special trips to the lingerie shop for silk boxers. That’s not my style. Sorry, Ellen. 

Where are the tackle football games, mountains to climb, and jumps off skyscrapers? A barefoot trip through the fields to pick wild berries is far from my cup of steamy Celestial Seasonings.

I want to make large-scale drip paintings and illustrate graphic novels and comics. Forget snuggling up with a good book in a blanket fort.

2.You’re an Artist in Recovery

Think like a smuggler. That’s how your right brain has learned to act and think for years. It was the covert way to get anything creative past the safety zone police force. Your left-brained safety cop knows all your tricks.

He’s kept your creative soul locked up for a long time with his hands on his ears as you step onto the Karaoke stage. This cop stands by the electric outlet to pull the plug once it gets a little uncomfortable.

3. They’re too expensive

Your left-brained security guard scrutinizes your checkbook. He’s ready to complain about any money you’re spending on all this fun.

4. They’re a waste of time

If your artist dates don’t produce something valuable, watch out! Snooty Nigel, your inner critic, has enough firepower to send your delicate ego with a crash to the floor.

How to Create Successful Artist Dates/Creative Time-Outs?

1. Customize the Name

My advice as a marketer is to change the name. The artist dates label didn’t work for me. You? This brand doesn’t spark my imagination. 

The title time-out is problematic. When people hear someone say, time-out, they think of a punishment. Sports teams use time-outs to plan. I’m ready to skip the pregame myself. So, I label them weekly Creative Adventures. There’s a bit more pop to this name. 

2.Prompt-led Brainstorm

Choose a prompt below to trigger your subconscious interests.

• Secretly, I’d like to..
• If it weren’t so crazy, I’d…
• If I weren’t too young/old, I’d…
• I always wanted to….but I’m…

Jot down these stream of consciousness ideas as you write out the prompt each time and fill in the spaces.

• I always wanted to sail, but I’m without a teacher.
• I always wanted to do stand-up, but I’m afraid of hecklers.

Keep from the I, I, I, I, down-the-page temptation. It won’t help.

• Narrow this list to twelve ideas.
• The more elaborate ones you’ll work on a little at a time.

Still, don’t abandon these ideas.

Let yourself get excited about your visit to a Buddhist temple as you plan it out. You don’t want to get stuck to dinner and movies with your creative self and higher power. But if you have a plan to rearrange your junk drawer, this is a quick fix.

3.Form Calendar

• Reserve a day each week for your adventure.
• Plug in a suggested activity for this date.
• Set the dates and times on your phone’s calendar and send out electronic invites.

4.Creative Allowances

Creative adventures don’t have to cost you a penny, but if they ever do, Nigel is on you like a mosquito to hot flesh.

Settle Nigel down with set-aside money he knows of in a safe place. If you ever run into an expense on an artist date, this silences your inner critic. After all, you have money set aside for this reason.

5.Creative Partnerships

Twitter and Linked-In are excellent platforms for partnerships. On Twitter, I found a creative cluster partner. I answered her post. “Hey. Is there anyone here who wants to make a meaningful contact?” she asked.

You bet I responded to this post. Sign me up! She’s the best pen-pal ever.

On Linked-In, I found my accountability partner for my last four successful Creative Adventures.

Let me show you it works.

• You pick a day for only accountability check-ins. (I chose Monday.)
• Use part of this day to report to my partner.
• Report adventure specifics to your partner.

We didn’t plan to give each other proof of our adventures, but I would suggest it. Mention specifics to back-up your adventure in case your partner wants to research it.

• What guitar lesson?
• Where was the electronic networking event held?

They don’t need these details, but you do.

Plus, as you exchange artist date proof, you realize you both give each other creative morsels. Why not try their adventure out for yourself?

6.Stock-up on Supplies

• Go back to your list of fun activity suggestions.
• Focus on a spontaneous presentation of this information.

Draw lots, make a tree, or push-pin suggestions backward on a corkboard. That tree design sounds like a disguised creative adventure. No?

You can even make randomized suggestions with smartphone data entry into an online algorithm service.

• Whatever you do, pick a suggestion.
• Read aloud the adventure, and get the cupboard stocked a week ahead of time.

Run into issues or severe weather? Prepare for quick, plug-and-play-type adventures.

If not, Nigel will postpone your fun until next week. At lightning speed, he can convince your creative self to abandon their adventures. So, convenience is key.

This way, you’ll have a filler artist date in case of cancellations. For instance, a musical instrument kept in view leads to a spontaneous creative adventure. 

Stock art supply shelves for impromptu creative adventures. For example, I have drawers full of the following: 

• 20 gel pens
• 12 crayons
• 24 Prisma-color pencils
• 10 Prisma-color markers
• Acrylic paint
• Watercolor paint
• Paintbrushes (assorted sizes)
• Paint brayer
• Speedball ink and print-making di-cuts
• Sketchbook
• Watercolor paper
• Crayola Markers
• Airbrush
• Glass pallet
• Cardstock

Don’t forget electronic tools.

• Snip and Sketch
• PowerPoint
• KDP book-maker
• Royalty-free, free use image sites
• Canva.com
• Downloaded creative apps like Adobe Creative Suite
• Downloaded CDs to the hard drive
• Google docs
• Dropbox
  
  

7. Tie your artistic task to the potential of earned money

I broke through the stronghold block of perfectionism that delayed my return to edit my novel by contacting agents. After I reread each chapter, I felt overcome by intense emotions. I realized this was a story other people needed to hear. But I couldn’t produce it alone.

Pitch to publications that pay, and you’ll discover your motivation to write soar. Your creative adventure could be a pitch to one that pays hundreds of dollars for a post/article.

8. Listen for a common cord

Review your adventures and look for career paths. Try it below.

Here are the last three weeks of creative adventures:

• Airbrushed greeting card
• Electronic collage on a theme
• Kiowa Courting Flute Music video
• Online guitar lesson with Guitar Breakthroughs

What do you think?

These varied adventures share a common cord of media. So, I will note this as I move forward. Often these adventures lead to new career opportunities. As the quality of these outings increases, so will interest levels.

9.Shift in a Musical Shuffle

I remember a college roommate who loved my six-CD changer. He said when you put in six CDs and press shuffle, a Higher Power took control of the music you heard. Look for this same synchronicity behind the music song libraries created by technology.

Let the Universe speak to you as it builds your artistically helpful soundtrack.

Preload free musical apps like Spotify, Prime, or Google Music today.

As the artist Julia Cameron says in her book the Vein of Gold, create a personal sound kingdom with selections within these three genres.

Expansion music

I work best when I create as I listen to music that produces seven to thirteen alpha wave cycles per second. As a result, instrumental soundtracks have become my standby. I have also crossed over this same bridge from image to the creation process (flow zone) with the use of a metronome. (One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four….as fast as you can.) (Cameron, 183)

Safety music

My playlist reflects the music I grew up with over three decades. It’s a mix of hard, soft rock, alternative, and some pop of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. Also, any lullabies fit or other music that gives you a sense of safety.

Wash-out music

These are the tunes you play to drown out extreme feelings like anger or sadness. Doses of heavy metal do it for me. What’s your musical preference to erase a terrible day? What musical prescription do you take to relieve stress?

Wrap Up

Follow these suggestions to heal your creative self through a routine of scheduled play:

1.Customize the Name

2.Prompt-led Brainstorm

3.Form Calendar

4.Creative Adventure Allowances

5.Creative Partnerships

6.Stock Up on Supplies

7.Tie Adventure to Earned Money

8.Reflect on Cords

9.Musical Shuffle

The consistency of artist dates is essential to your health as a productive creative. Feel free to share this post and comment on the tips you’d like to try. Tell me what you think about these tips, or leave some tips of your own below. Until next time, keep your sights set on becoming your Top-Shelf You.

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