The Enchant Me Podcast was born from the concept of the ‘artist date’ which is one of the tools for increasing creative capacity and inspiration found in the well-known book “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. Basically, the idea is to take yourself each week on a one or two-hour ‘artist date’. The date can be any activity that interests you, or better yet, any activity that enchants you. In each episode we’ll talk about a different date, why we picked it, whether or not it enchanted, and what ideas or inspirations it might have sparked.
Artist dates don’t have to be something traditionally ‘artistic’ like visiting a museum or a gallery. It’s really all about feeding your curiosity, your imagination and your creative spirit. It can be something as simple as visiting a new park or outdoor space, having lunch in a restaurant you’ve always wanted to try but never get around to, or going through that box of old family photos. Artist dates are referred to as “assigned play” in the book and if you approach it from that angle, it makes it easier to come up with different idea each week.
Artist dates are traditionally a solo event. No pets, no friends or family. S-O-L-O. While an Artist Way purist may disapprove, the dates and activities we talk about here sometimes include others.
The book itself is designed to give you tools and techniques to restore and maintain creativity in your life regardless of how that creativity is expressed. It’s worth a read, and there’s a reason it’s maintained relevance since its initial publication more than two decades ago.
About the image: I’ve been lucky enough to have been able to travel to some great places, and Paris is by far my favorite. I feel like if I ever had to choose only one place on Earth to travel to, Paris would be it.
I took this photo of the Salvador Dali mural at the highly recognizable Stravinsky Fountain in the summer of 2016. You can find it at the Place Igor Stravinsky within the historic Beaubourg district of Paris. Situated right next to the Centre Pompidou, one of the city’s most famous museum destinations, it’s definitely worth a visit. Bring a book, a sketch pad, or just sit a people watch for a while. It’s a great place to spend an hour or two.
The fountain has been featured in a number of movies, including one of my favorites, Sabrina, starring Julia Ormond and Harrison Ford.
© 2022 Kim Selby, The Enchant Me Podcast, Enchant Me Productions & Storm Your Brain, LLC. All rights reserved. All photography © Kim Selby unless otherwise credited.
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Let's Get Enchanted!