In her wonderful book, The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron introduces the concept of the “Artist’s Date” — a weekly adventure in which you replenish your creative well by doing something fun and inventive. This is a solo excursion — it’s a “date” that you make with your muse as a way of keeping yourself motivated and excited about your work.
Your Artist’s Date might just be a couple of hours you take to go to a film you’ve wanted to see or to a museum or to a crafts store that just opened up in your neighborhood. Or it could mean visiting a couple of antique stores or a vintage clothing shop and feasting your eyes and mind on beautiful things. Just about anything qualifies as long as it’s fun and stretches your artistic horizons a bit.
Today, this concept popped into my head when I hopped a train for a quick trip to Manhattan. My mission? Wendy, a friend from my playwrighting class, had called and invited me to a reading of a friend’s musical. It’s been in development for a few years, Wendy said, and all her friend’s work really showed. The cast was terrific, the reading was very powerful, and the music, book, and lyrics were incredibly polished. What an accomplishment!
At intermission, Wendy managed to find the artistic director of the theatre hosting the reading and told him that I had an idea for a musical. Well, right then and there, I had to give a brief pitch about my concept. I don’t know if it was all that persuasive, but the director was kind enough to give me his card and ask me to send him some sample lyrics.
I have no idea where this will go, but it’s very exciting to have the chance to connect with a wonderful theatre that develops musicals. What an opportunity! I’m so grateful to Wendy for giving me a call. She thought some of the actresses in the reading cast might be great for my Sojourner Truth play — and she’s right. As an added treat, our friend Lil also came to the reading and we had a little reunion. So, all in all, I had a great Artist’s Date. Why not try one yourself? You never know where it might lead. Write on!
