Take Your Kid or Teen on an Artist Date

Have you ever heard of an artist date? I encourage you to take your kid or teen on an artist date to help get their creative juices flowing.

Have you ever heard of an Artist Date? Julia Cameron coined this term in her book, The Artist’s Way. She describes this “date” as one you actually go on by yourself. It’s simply a block of time that you schedule each week (preferably at least two hours) in which you nurture your creative consciousness, or your “inner artist.”

The purpose of an Artist Date is to help get those creative juices flowing, bringing insight, inspiration and guidance.

Now I know this will probably horrify some die-hard Cameron fans when I say this, in fact, it may seem like artist sacrilege, but I think an Artist Date is a great thing to do with your artsy kid or teen from time to time. And this is especially true if you have aspiring young artists who could use some fresh inspiration and encouragement. Heck, you could even call it a “field trip” if you want, but “artist date” has a nicer ring to it. 😉

So what sort of things would you do with your kids or teens?

Ideas for an Artist Date

Well, the first place to start for artistic inspiration would be an art museum where centuries-old masterpieces as well as modern art are housed. But beyond that, what will help nurture your young artist’s creative consciousness?

strolling down a country lane where they can quietly observe the flowers and fields
walking deep into the forest so they can listen to the birds chirping and critters scurrying all around
an afternoon lying on a quilt watching the cloud formations blow by
a walk along the beach in the early morning or just as the sun is setting
skipping stones in a local pond
sitting on the front porch during a summer afternoon downpour
sitting on the back porch listening to the crickets and tree frogs croak along with the evening chorus
lying on a blanket at night staring at the constellations or watching for shooting stars
an afternoon in a second-hand book shop
a morning in a junk store filled with all sorts of inspirational trinkets, trifles and whatnots
a coffee-date in a bustling big city
a night at the local university to take in a symphony

The possibilities are truly limitless!

The idea is simply to be intentional with giving them (and yourself) quality time to just “be.” To commune with the beauty of God’s creation or to be face-to-face with humanity. To give them (and yourself) the opportunity to receive inspiration and illumination in the area of art and creativity. But to be honest, these artist dates will be good for your entire soul as well.

Try it and see if it gets your creativity flowing like river!