I take my camera out on a date at least once a month.
I call it my “Artist Date.” I first heard the idea from Julia Cameron, but over time it’s become something a little more personal.
It’s not really about the photos.
It’s about getting creative again.
About filling my cup back up in a way nothing else really does.
There’s usually a point where I can feel it—when things start to feel a little dry. Not gone, just… quieter than I’m used to. Like I’m still creating, but not from that same place that once felt so full.
That’s when I know it’s time.
Sometimes I plan it. Most times, I don’t.
I just grab my camera and go.
The
Artist's Date
She rides next to me like a passenger princess, coming along for whatever the day turns into.
No real plan.
No pressure to make something “good.”
No expectation that anything I take will ever be seen.
And somewhere in the middle of that… it starts to come back.
Not all at once.
Just little pieces at first.
I notice what I’m drawn to again.
What feels interesting.
What makes me pause.
Sometimes it’s light hitting something just right.
Sometimes it’s something simple I would’ve passed before.
Sometimes it’s just the feeling of wanting to pick the camera up again.
And that’s when I know my cup is filling back up.
I used to think creativity was something you either had or didn’t.
But I’m starting to see it more like something you return to.
Something that’s still there… it just needs space.
I’ve been making more room for that lately.
