The wonderful Sophie Williams sent me a book - The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Whilst I have been working my way through the twelve-week course imperfectly - more on that when we have it - one of the principles I have gone hard for is the Artists’ Date.
The Artists’ Date is something that you do two hours a week just for you. Through the colder months of this year, I decided to dedicate my dates to all the films I had never found the time to watch.
When I spoke to Sophie a few weeks in and explained my dates, she described it as getting lost in other people’s art.
It has been a rousing and surprising experience. I have spent more than two hours a week invested in submersing myself in the cinematic grandeur of the past. From Hello Dolly, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Meet Me in St Louis, Roman Holiday, What’s Up Doc, Cleopatra, to Funny Lady - I have absorbed so much.
Being completely objective - not all have been to my taste - but then when you visit an art gallery, do you like all you see?
Cleopatra at just under four hours long, was certainly three hours longer than it should have been. Meet Me in St Louis’ Trolly Song is a highlight in a poor plot. Breakfast at Tiffany’s Cat Actor Orangey put in a better performance than the rest of the cast. However, it has provided me with perspective and inspiration for my own creative practice.
Finding an outlet that requires less brain energy, that via osmosis has provided creative sustenance has been a great way to work with my creativity this year. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to reinvigorate and maintain their creativity.
