All of us as creative beings need something to nurture our creative souls. Every human has the potential and capacity for creativity, even those who think they have lost it. As I’ve talked about before, being creative is like breathing. In order to breath out, you must breath in. In order to create something new, you must also take inspiration in. For me, one of my favorite ways to breath in inspiration is by spending time out in nature.
I’ve mentioned the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron in the past—a 12 week program to nurture your inner “artist child”. I keep bringing it up because it’s a program that has helped me through some of my artistic ruts and given new life to my creative spirit. One of the weekly assignments when doing The Artist’s Way is an “Artist’s Date”. It doesn’t really matter what you do on your artist’s date, but the criteria are as follows:
- You must go on your artist’s date alone
- Your artist’s date is something that you want to do for you
- Your artist’s date will help inspire your artist child
Some examples of dates I’ve taken myself on include:
- Going to the local botanic garden
- Going to an art museum
- Watching a new movie I’ve been wanting to see (by myself)
- Buying a cheap bubble set and blowing bubbles in my front yard
- Going for a long hike on a new trail I’ve never been to before
- Taking photos at a local park or garden
- Browsing the plants at a local garden center
Connecting With Nature
The possibilities for artist’s dates are endless. But, of all those possibilities, my favorite ones are the dates where I really get to connect with nature. Take the time to observe. Here are examples of things I’ve noticed while out in nature:
- Feeling my feet on the trail and how the pine needles give it a soft springiness.
- Stumbling upon a huge grove of ferns under a forest canopy.
- Discovering the variety of bees attracted to mountain mint flowers.
- Feeling the warmth of sunshine on my face when I close my eyes and breath in fresh air.
- Stopping to notice the number of species of oak trees in a particular area.
- Being surprised and charmed by wildlife scurrying by while sitting quietly on a boulder.
- Greeting a green frog in a pond while watching the red-winged black birds across the way.
Similar experiences can be had for yourself when embarking on a solo trip into nature. It doesn’t even have to be a long adventure. Is there a local trail nearby? Go explore it for half an hour. Is there a lake or pond within walking or driving distance? Go there, sit, and observe. Bring a sketchbook or notebook to jot down ideas that might come up. Bring a camera if you wish to capture something that way. But mostly, focus on the moment of being present with nature, however that happens for you.
The important piece of going on your nature date is finding some way to connect with nature, be it big or small. And the most important part is just doing it. Don’t let limitations and excuses get in your way. Even exploring your own back yard can be a date. Put out some bird seed or a hummingbird feeder and see what happens. What’s under the rock over there? What does the lichen growing over on that tree really look like up close? Be curious. Be open. Be willing to take in whatever comes to you. And most of all, let your artist child explore the wonders and joy of nature. Nurture your artist’s soul.
