One of the assignments in The Artist’s Way book is to take yourself on a weekly Artist Date. It could be a walk in the park, a visit to a museum, or anything that engages your senses.

Today I took myself to downtown Olympia. The pavement was wet and the rain was falling on my umbrella. I went to several little gift shops and took time to appreciate the scents and sights. There were some beautiful candles in an array of floral scents. One shop had handmade scented lotions. I took time to smell and sample and engage with the items. I looked at the displays of handmade greeting cards in one store. Each card was a little work of art. I bought one to send to my friend in prison.

After smelling and viewing the gift shops, I took myself out to lunch. It’s a date, right? 🙂 I had delicious homemade mac-and-cheese (comfort food) while sitting at a corner table with a view of the rain, the traffic, and the people trying to avoid the rain and the traffic. I didn’t come home with any great artistic ideas, but I think the point of the Artist Dates is to keep the creative well filled with a variety of sights and sounds and smells and textures.