by Lynn Blackburn @LynnHBlackburn 

I first heard about the idea of an “artist date” when I read Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. If you’re a creative, you should take a look at The Artist’s Way. It’s a classic for a reason.

So what is an artist date? 

An artist date is a time you intentionally dedicate to recharging your creative energy. It’s giving your adult self permission to play. Cameron recommends that you schedule an artist date every week in order to refill the creative well.

I love that idea. I do. But I get so busy, I forget how important it is. 

What usually happens in my life is that I get to the point where I’m about to lose my mind and my husband (who is a very wise man) will say, “Honey, maybe you should just get out of the house tonight.” 

As a task-oriented wife, mother, author, homeschooler, etc. when I get out of the house, my goal is almost always to get as much done as I possibly can during that time. This time away is a gift and I’m afraid to squander it. So, when I leave home I work on my manuscript. 

And sometimes that really is what I need—dedicated time to create. I’m able to churn out words. I come home happy because I got so much done.

But sometimes, I get to the point where I’m way past losing my mind. I get gloomy and even when something positive happens I act like it’s just a matter of time before disaster strikes. At this point my husband starts lovingly referring to me as “Eeyore.” You know Eeyore, the gloomy donkey from Winnie the Pooh? Yeah. It’s a pretty accurate description. 

When that happens, he will say, “Honey, maybe you should just read a book or watch a movie.”

We’ve been married 20+ years and along the way he’s learned—I think he understands it better than I do—that sometimes even if I haven’t met my word count and I haven’t gotten everything done, what I need more than anything else is to refill my creative well. 

Sometimes a movie is just the thing because I love movies, particularly science fiction and musicals. Sometimes what I need is to leave my laptop at home (gasp!) and wander through a bookstore or a craft store. Or I may need to go to a beautiful park and feast my eyes on the glories of nature—both the plant kind and the human kind. I might need dinner at a nice restaurant where I can relish an artfully prepared meal. 

Regardless of the specifics, I’ve found time and time again that when I intentionally give myself permission to relax, to play, to dream, to touch, to savor, to enjoy someone else’s amazing artistry, I come away bursting with new creative insights. 

This is not something that comes easily to me, but I’m trying to be more intentional about playing. More intentional about stepping away from my laptop and picking up some soft yarn or a coloring book. More intentional about recognizing that sometimes the very best thing I can do to get more done is go on a hike or take a book with me and settle in on the porch swing for an hour. 

If you’re burned out and need a break, find a way to spend some time playing. Take yourself on an artist date. Give yourself some grace, and then see what happens. 

Grace and peace,

Lynn H. Blackburn loves writing romantic suspense because her childhood fantasy was to become a spy, but her grown-up reality is that she’s a huge chicken and would have been caught on her first mission. She prefers to live vicariously through her characters and loves putting them into all kinds of terrifying situations while she’s sitting at home safe and sound in her pajamas!

Lynn’s titles have won the Carol Award, the Selah Award, and the Faith, Hope, and Love Reader’s Choice Award. Her newest series kicks off in March 2021 with Unknown Threat, Book 1 in the Defend and Protect series.

She is a frequent conference speaker and has taught Scrivener to writers all over the country. Lynn lives in South Carolina with her true love and their three children. You can follow her real life happily ever after at LynnHBlackburn.com and @LynnHBlackburn on Bookbub, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram