A parasite on my artist date
A diary comic about failing to tap into my inner artist
A few weeks ago, I decided to take an artist date to the Minneapolis Institute of Art, a museum that has been a special place to me since I was a child. I was inspired to take an artist date by Julia Cameron’s iconic book The Artist’s Way, as well as cartoonist Kelcey Ervick’s recent Substack about her own artist date.
This is how Cameron describes an artist date:
“An artist date is a block of time, perhaps two hours weekly, especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, 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.” –Julia Cameron
While walking through the museum, I quickly realized I wasn’t present, but instead focused on taking photos of the art, thinking about how they’d look on Instagram. And even though I had my sketchbook, and sketched a few half-hearted things, I was not present with the art or myself. I’d brought an interloper along: my phone.
I have been thinking of my phone recently as a parasite—sucking away my attention and time. I’m not someone who generally wastes hours scrolling, so my loss of time is more subtle and in tiny increments. But I know those are times when the mind should be given space to roam since that’s when ideas tend to come.
The irony is that I didn’t even post those photos on Instagram in the end.
What about you—do you find your phone encroaching on your creative or play time? And I’d love to hear from you if you have successful artist dates!
Garden victory
I planted this pollinator garden a few weeks ago in a patch of my lawn where a lot of weeds and milkweed had previously thrived. I was worried that in tilling my new garden, it would end up suppressing the naturally growing milkweed which pollinators love. It felt a little hypocritical to get rid of the natural pollinator plants for my seedlings.
However, I needn’t have worried—the milkweed has popped up throughout my pollinator garden, and even mostly sticking within the confines of the fence. I’m so pleased to have it there and it looks healthier than in years past.
Leif love
Leif somehow managed to put this blanket on himself. We are very proud of him.
Take care and keep creating!
My ' friend Phillipe invented the camera phone and this, like going to a concert where the crowd all have their phones up over their heads sometimes enough to block views of others farther back, makes me wonder if he made more of a curse Or a blessing. I can tell you when he spends time with music or art, he does not snap pics with his phone. LOL,
I have recently started using the Freeform app on my phone to do sketches, instead of taking any photos. I'm drawing with my finger and thumb on the screen but weirdly I have really enjoyed it, maybe because it's less precious than paper, and it's made me sketch more than I have in a long time. Feels less perfectionistic for me and lower stakes, and has the option to undo. As for instagram, I made myself a small private account with only 5 friends who follow where I sometimes post my sketches, to get rid of that itch to post, without any public pressure.