Allow Time for Fun
Many parents, especially mothers, tend to take care of the family and fail to allow much time for fun. Think back over the past week. When was the last time you took 24 hours to do something just for you, something you enjoy doing? Last week? Last month? Last year? Still trying to remember? If it's been so long you have to really think about it, it's been too long. We work, then we come home and work. When we're off work, we run errands, run the kids here and there, etc., etc. We carve out time in little chunks so that we can pursue our dreams. In my case, I work a full-time job and in the evenings and weekends, I sit on the couch with my laptop (or lock myself in my "office") and draft, write, edit, and polish, hoping that eventually my hard work and dedication will pay off. My only "me" time is the occasional (and far too infrequent) dinner with a good friend, and every month or two, I go to a crop on a Friday night. In the grand scheme of things, that isn't much time for fun. If you've worked through the Artist's Way, you know about the Artist Date. This is time for you to play - take your inner child out for a play date. I don't care what you do, as long as you think it's fun. Julia Cameron insisted that you be alone. Personally, I don't think being alone is as important as simply getting out of your usual routine and doing something fun.
I went to a 24-hour Crop Around the Clock at my favorite scrapbook store last weekend, and it was the most fun I have had in ages. I cropped from 6 Friday evening until 2:30 a.m., napped until 5 on a cot, then cropped until 6 Saturday evening. By the time it was over, I was exhausted, but it was a good exhausted. And I left the crop feeling artistically refreshed - I tried techniques that I hadn't used previously, I met new people, I listened to conversations, I learned new things, and I had time to think about things. It was a great Artist Day, for me.
I intend to have an Artist Date this weekend. I'm going to get acquainted with a sewing machine. Scary? Yup. But it's something I've always wanted to do. I made a couple pillows in high school, and attempted a jumper for my daughter a decade ago. It's time to see what I can create.
Now it's your turn. Get our your calendar and schedule an Artist Date for sometime in the next week. And plan a full day for something fun within the next month. Write and let me know what you did.
Have fun!
Elle
I went to a 24-hour Crop Around the Clock at my favorite scrapbook store last weekend, and it was the most fun I have had in ages. I cropped from 6 Friday evening until 2:30 a.m., napped until 5 on a cot, then cropped until 6 Saturday evening. By the time it was over, I was exhausted, but it was a good exhausted. And I left the crop feeling artistically refreshed - I tried techniques that I hadn't used previously, I met new people, I listened to conversations, I learned new things, and I had time to think about things. It was a great Artist Day, for me.
I intend to have an Artist Date this weekend. I'm going to get acquainted with a sewing machine. Scary? Yup. But it's something I've always wanted to do. I made a couple pillows in high school, and attempted a jumper for my daughter a decade ago. It's time to see what I can create.
Now it's your turn. Get our your calendar and schedule an Artist Date for sometime in the next week. And plan a full day for something fun within the next month. Write and let me know what you did.
Have fun!
Elle
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