For something that’s meant to be fun, Artist Dates can be surprisingly uncomfortable at first. Especially if you are neurodivergent, busy, or simply used to putting the needs of others before your own.

But that’s the beauty of it.

In this post, we’re diving deep into what Artist Dates are, why they matter (especially for those of us who struggle with self-trust, burnout, or perfectionism), and how to start doing them, even when it feels awkward.

I’ve included a list of 10 beginner-friendly Artist Date ideas, along with some common excuses that will creep in and how to gently push past them.

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you choose to make a purchase. I only recommend products I genuinely love or believe will add value to your journey.

What Are Artist Dates?

In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron describes the Morning Pages and Artist Dates as two essential tools acting as your creative radio receiver and transmitter.

Your Morning Pages send your dreams, worries, and hopes out into the “universe”.

Artist Dates, on the other hand, are your receiver, helping you tune in to the inspiration, insight, and guidance all around you.

Intentional Alone Time

You are strongly encouraged to do the Artist Date alone. It is a block of time entirely dedicated to spending intentional quality time with your inner artist.

A Reprieve From The Hustle Culture

The goal of the Artist Date is to feed your mind with images and space to explore. Multi tasking in the name of productivity cancels this out.

Consider when you’re in a public space where there’s a lot of people waiting. You’ll likely notice a lot of people turn to their phones for distraction, and in so doing, miss out on the world and people around them, all inspiration for creativity.

Similarly, when you try to multi-task and do something productive while you’re supposed to be spending dedicated time with yourself, you are simply distracting yourself from the activity that is meant to enrich you.

Play With Your Inner Child

Even if it feels weird or silly, have fun, play around, explore what pulls you in. Doing all of these things are how you reconnect with your inner child and reignite your instinctive creativity.

An Artist Date is not another to-do. It’s a reminder that you are worth showing up for.

Why Artist Dates Matter (especially if you’re neurodivergent)

Reconnect With Curiosity, Not Just Routines

Living with a neurodivergent brain means that we often lean towards routines for structure and stability as we navigate through life. Creativity, however, thrives in chaos. The Artist Date gives you a container where we can break out of our usual routines and allow our curiosity to take over.

Reignite Sensory And Emotional Joy

This is especially important for anyone who overthinks or feels disconnected from their inner child. Sensory experiences can be powerful in soothing and stimulating our nervous systems. The Artist Date is a perfect opportunity for exploring these senses on your terms. Explore vibrant colours, smells, textures, movements that feel good.

Learn to Trust Yourself Again

If you’re used to masking, people-pleasing, or second-guessing yourself, it can be hard to know what you even want. Artist Dates give you a powerful way of reframing this by allowing you to consistently show up for yourself. By doing the Artist Dates once a week, you are making a promise to yourself that you matter, and every time you show up for your Artist Dates, you are reinforcing this. You are someone who keeps promises to yourself. And you get to do this through play.

Break Old Patterns That no Longer Serve You

Everyone has patterns, usually learnt behaviours that we inherited through watching the adults around us growing up or learnt in order to survive difficult situations. Things like perfectionism, burnout, avoidance, or hyperfocus. Patterns that were once helpful but now no longer serve us. By trying something that is unfamiliar to us, like painting with our non-dominant hand or going somewhere you’ve never been to, we remind ourselves that we are allowed to grow, evolve, and rewrite our stories.

Ideas for Your Artist Dates

You can, of course, follow your heart and do things that draw you in, but if you’re unsure where to start, here is a list of a few beginner-friendly Artist Dates.

1 – Visiting a thrift store with no list

This is a fun, no pressure, Artist Date idea for if you’re wanting to get out of the house but still keep things simple. You’d be surprised by the amount of fun things you would find at a thrift store from decor to fashion.

2 – Building miniatures

Miniatures are a fun way to add character and personality to your space. There are all kinds of miniature kits on the market, this booknook is absolutely stunning and can add a touch of whimsy to any bookshelf.

3 – Browsing a bookstore and picking something unusual

This is in the same vein as the thrift store idea, it’s casual but can also be a lot of fun. Browse books and find something outside of your usual genres.

4 – Making a collage

This can be done virtually through free programs like Canva or Pinterest, or it can be done physically by printing photos or cutting them out of old newspapers and magazines. You can make yourself that vision board you keep putting off making or a collage of your favourite photos to use as a background for your devices.

5 – Colouring

Colouring is such a fun way to express yourself creatively or even just have fun. There’s even different types of colouring books you can choose from now. This Bob Ross Colour-by-Number colouring book is my favourite for beautiful landscapes without having to worry about colour combinations. It’s my favourite colouring book because it’s so easy, I get to watch as the landscapes come to life.

6 – Walking a new trail

Walking a new trail or area is a perfect way to see new things and have new experiences. This can even be as simple as taking a different route on your evening stroll.

7 – Trying out a new hobby

If you’ve been looking for a new hobby to keep your hands busy, crochet can be a fun place to start. This Crochet Bumblebee kit is an adorable and affordable way of giving it a try. Even if it turns out a little wonky, it’s still an adorable bee you made with your own hands. Not your style? There are tons of hobby kits on the market that can give you a chance to give your new hobby ideas a try before fully committing to fancier tools.

8 – Baking something whimsical

Whatever your favourite baked good might be, you can add a fun artistic twist to it by decorating or shaping it to your hearts desire.

9 – Playing with clay

Clay can be a fun way to express your creativity if you’re wanting to get your hands dirty. Here’s a kit with all of the tools you would need to get started.

10 – Listening to an album start to finish in a candle-lit room

How often do we actually sit down and listen to a whole album from start to finish? Most of us tend to use music as background noise while we do other things. And yet, some artists are intentional with the order in which they place their songs when they release an album so that when listened from start to finish, it tells its own narrative story.

Resistance & How to Show Up Anyway

Artist Dates sound simple, but that doesn’t mean they’re easy. Especially if we are managing executive dysfunction, sensory overwhelm, rejection sensitivity, or even just the weight of daily life, play can feel like a foreign concept.

The following is a list of common mental blocks, and the truths that can gently nudge you through them.

“I don’t have time.”

You do have time, you might just be spending it on things that numb rather than nourish. Scrolling, worrying, over-preparing. An Artist Date can be just one hour. That’s one episode of a TV show, one long scroll, one stress-cleaning session.

“I don’t know what to do.”

There is no “right” way to do an Artist Date. The point is to show up with curiosity. You don’t need the perfect idea, you just need to try new things and repetition is okay, so is randomness. Try creating a menu of ideas, you can start with adding some of the above mentioned Artist Date ideas and add whatever comes to mind.

“I’m too tired.”

Rest is sacred, but so is joy. Some types of tired are healed by rest, some by light stimulation. Think low-effort, high pleasure like getting cozied up to listen to music or having an at home spa night.

“It feels selfish.”

Your creative self is not a luxury. Showing up for your joy, for your healing, makes you more grounded, more yourself. This can actually make it easier to deepen and strengthen your relationships with those you feel closest to.

“It’s awkward to do something alone.”

Discomfort is not danger, it’s simply unfamiliar. The more you show up for these Artist Dates, the easier they become. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone when it comes to Artist Dates, you’re simply building trust with yourself.

“What if I do it wrong?”

You can’t. The thing about Artist Dates is that they are meant to delight you. You’re not being graded and if you try something new and it flops? That’s still a huge win, all because you showed up.

Key Takeaways

• Artist Dates are solo, intentional blocks of time designed to reconnect you with joy, curiosity, and creativity.
• There’s no wrong way to do one. Even awkward and imperfect dates count.
• Resistance is normal. But every time you show up, you prove to yourself that you matter.

Conclusion

Your Artist Date doesn’t have to be elaborate, expensive, or aesthetic. It just has to be yours. It’s a way of showing up for your inner artist and telling yourself, “I see you. I want to know you. I’m willing to spend time with you.”

So take the awkward first step.

Make a date with your inner artist, even if it feels silly or strange, especially if it feels silly or strange. You are the time it takes to reconnect with your creativity.

Want to join me? I’m working through all 12 weeks of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. You can grab a copy here and follow along through this 16-part series.