Julia Cameron in her book, The Artist’s Way, discusses what she calls artist’s dates with the goal to fill the creative well. She suggests many ways and points out that artists (writers) can’t keep pouring out creativity from their brain, mind, heart, soul or wherever it comes from, without doing something to fill the well.
I thought I’d share my favorite ways. In no particular order:
Travel. A trip to Paris surrounded by the spirits of famous writers, the sights of old buildings, beautiful flowers along the Seine, the pink light, bistro tables outdoors for coffee, the cacophony of foreign languages…. I could go on and on but while Paris is a great place to fill the well, it is not a place I can just pick up and venture off to at a moment’s notice. There are other destinations. But it is not only the destination that fills my creative well, it’s the process of getting from Point A to Point B, to C, to D and—There is something about being confined to small, moving conveyance, unable to go do anything that focuses my thoughts inward to deeper places within me where stories and ideas lurk.
Research. It can be just an excuse for more travel but not necessarily. Reading research books (currently I’m doing research on the history of Banff), poking through museums and galleries, talking to curators, exploring different places and gleaning information fills my head with all sorts of possibilities. And it’s fun.
Flooding the senses. There is nothing like being surrounded by a glut of color, sound, or delicious scents to give the old muse a lift. Some of my favorite a-musing places quilt shops. I don’t quilt. I don’t have time. But to walk through the racks of variegated-color batts of fabric, to view the beautiful quilts others have made is to flood my senses with color. A favorite sound flood is sitting under a tree in the summer and listening to the various birds. A favorite scent place is flowers. Just to close my eyes and revel in the scent.
Nap. Yup a nap is a good way to refill the well. It closes down the busy conscious thoughts and gives the subconscious a chance to send information to the surface. In her book, No More Rejections, Alice Orr speaks of keeping paper and pen by the bedside and writing for 10 minutes immediately upon wakening. She says it’s her most productive time. Which proves that the muse likes to work in solitude while we sleep. At least I think it proves that.
Go to a coffee shop. This probably incorporates several other methods but because it’s so effective and so specific, I consider it a method worthy of it’s own recognition. Not all coffee shops work. It has to be a meditative type place or at least a place where no one stares if you plunk down and start to scribble in a notebook. If you find such a place your muse will thank you with lots of generous handouts.
Talking to other writers. Put a bunch of writers together and there will be instant conversation on things such a plot, character, how to solve writing problems, how each has done with writing projects and a hundred other writerly things. It’s enough to send my muse into overdrive. A face-to-face meeting is the best. Combined with a coffee shop as in #5 and it’s past wonderful. Monthly meetings with local writing organizations are great. A telephone conversation is good. Email is good. My muse is greedy for other writers to talk to.
Walk. Alone. Walking in town admiring the flowers and landscaping is good. Walking in the country with just me, my thoughts and nature is even better.
People watching. This a wonderful way to refresh the muse. There’s just something about people, watching them and wondering what they’re up to. One of the best places to people watch is in a busy airport where people seem completely unselfconscious. But one particular scene from Tim Horton’s stands out in my mind. There was a young family of 4—mother, father, two school age children. The father and children came in first. Little was said. The father stood by the table, hesitant, anxious. Then the mother came in. She spoke not a word but from two tables away, I could feel the tension. I knew there had been a disagreement. And I wondered. And mused.
Do something mindless. Iron (as if), weed the garden, shell peas, mop the floor, dust. Any mindless activity that seems to keep my hands busy but my mind free to roam works. I’ve had some of my best ideas while picking peas or folding laundry.
Watch TV. Another mindless activity. But watching movies or hour-long dramas often triggers something in my brain. If I tried to explain how something on TV made me think of something in my story that is totally unrelated you would shake your head in disbelief. Perhaps ideas short circuit.
These are a few of my favorite things for feeding my muse. I’d love to hear what others do. I might pick up a few new activities.
