An Artist’s Week in Paris

My daughter Julie introduced me to Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way.   I think she took a course from Cameron at The Open Center in NYC around 1992 when the book first came out.  I’ve been a fan of The Artist’s Way and Cameron’s recommended steps since then.  While I love living in Costa Rica, sometimes I miss the regular, ongoing stimulation that I experienced when I lived in New York City and in Santa Fe, NM.  About two months ago, as I was waiting for a passenger to arrive at the San Jose, Costa Rica airport, I was looking at where different flights originated and saw that there was a direct flight from Paris. I had never been to Paris. Later that evening I began researching and thinking of how to make the trip possible.

Now that I have returned from a wonderful week in Paris, I realize that the gift I gave myself was Julia Cameron’s recommended “Artist Date,” in an extended version.  In case you are not familiar:

Hailed by the New York Times as “The Queen of Change,” Julia Cameron is credited with starting a movement in 1992 that has brought creativity into the mainstream conversation—in the arts, in business and in everyday life. She is the best-selling author of more than forty books, fiction and nonfiction; a poet, songwriter, filmmaker and playwright. Commonly referred to as “The Godmother” or “High Priestess” of creativity, her tools are based in practice, not theory and she considers herself “the floor sample of her own toolkit.” The Artist’s Way has been translated into forty languages and sold over five million copies to date.  https://www.opencenter.org/julia-cameron/

In The Artist’s Way, the two main practices are (1) Morning Pages, daily three pages of free-form writing, and (2) Artist Dates, weekly fun and inspirational solo outings.  In Julia Cameron’s own words, “The Artist Date is a once-weekly, festive, solo expedition to explore something that interests you.” https://juliacameronlive.com/tag/artist-date/

For me, the key element is that the Artist Date is “a dedicated block to nurture your inner artist.”  A quick google of the phrase “artist dates” comes up with lots of suggestions.  Here’s a page that lists  101 artist date ideas.

When I returned from Paris I realized how stimulated and inspired my creative voice was.  Now it will be important for me to continue to give myself Artist Dates on a regular basis.  Of course, they will be simpler, local, and much less expensive.  The elements remain the same.

It is something you do alone. That is the underlying factor of why the Paris trip was indeed an Artist Date.  From the beginning I knew it was something I wanted to do alone.  I have loved trips I took in the past with my husband Murray. They were extremely memorable and lots of fun.  Since Murray passed in October of 2020, I had not thought of doing a trip on my own until this spring when I knew it was time.  I asked lots of questions particularly of my daughters and grandchildren who had been to Paris.  They were super helpful and encouraging. I researched and found the key places that were extremely important to me and figured out the best way to visit them.  Paris has tons to offer but six things stood out as essential for me:

             A visit to Monet’s Garden

             Drawing at the Louvre Museum

            A dance event

            A boat ride on the Seine

            A stay in a neighborhood where I could enjoy walking the streets

            Meals at some plant-based restaurants

I knew that taking a tour where I had to keep up with a group would not work for me.  I am a slow walker, only recently getting used to walking two miles a day, and I did not want to be rushed at all.

For Monet’s Garden I found lots of options and settled for one that provided: transportation from Paris to the Garden and back; admission paid for the garden and the impressionist museum in Giverny; a self-guiding app for your phone; and a full day’s visit. The day exceeded my expectations.  The garden was wonderful, and even though it was crowded, people respected each other by not blocking each other’s pictures.  The gardens are beautifully cared for and it doesn’t take much imagination to see Claude Monet painting in different places.  While the famous water lilies were not yet in bloom, there were plenty of other flowers, and what struck me most was the huge variety and blend of wildflowers and cultivated flowers.  The irises were spectacular.

The website for the Louvre provides a place to buy tickets in advance and gives information for artists/art students on their policy of drawing while visiting.  They are specific about the maximum size of a sketch pad, only allow work to be done in pencil, and provide lightweight portable stools upon request.  I decided to go on a Friday because the museum stays open late until 9:45 P.M. I bought a 9:30 A.M. ticket.  It is important to buy a ticket in advance.  The line was several hours long for those who did not.  By 10 A.M. I had my stool and had found my way into one of numerous sculpture rooms.  I found a corner out of the way and got busy sketching. Occasionally someone would pass by or stop to look, and usually we just exchanged smiles. Sometimes I was aware that people took pictures of me sketching.  I didn’t care; I just stayed focused on drawing.  Twice during the day people asked if they could take my picture, and then I asked if they could use my phone and take a picture of me sketching.  In both cases they happily agreed.  In all I did 4 different drawings, taking breaks for food when I was hungry.  Each drawing took about 2 hours.  I saw several other artists drawing, and we smiled and nodded at each other.

The boat ride, walking around my neighborhood, and finding some great vegan restaurants were all positive experiences but not as extraordinary as my day at the Louvre and Giverny.  Both of those days were target Artist Dates.  Now, back in Costa Rica, I am figuring out Artist Dates to do here.

Dear readers… stay tuned!  The dance event was amazing, and I will be writing about it in the next two blogs.

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