Flow State
trusting my gut and the gift of artist dates.
The polaroid developed—a pastel rainbow growing around my body, soft pinks and blues floating above my crown, yellows beside me, and a green glow shielding my heart. I sat in awe, holding the photo of my latest aura capture, smiling big, and feeling so seen. This version of me had been yearning to emerge for so long. And she was finally here. This aura shows me that I am in divine flow. I sat for a moment, taking in the photo, feeling blessings abound.
I’ve been paying attention to what fuels me lately, diving deep into what gusts the wind beneath my wings. And at 33, I am still understanding what makes me feel most aligned with my truest self.
A few years ago, I learned about the Artist Date, a signature homework assignment in Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way. The Artist Date is simply an opportunity to connect with one’s inner self, indulging in something that tickles the spirit. It can be a simple activity, like grabbing a coffee and a sweet treat from a local cafe, a photo walk, or maybe it’s choosing to fulfill your desire to paint at that one spot you drive by and never stop to admire for longer. The important part is that you do something that you normally don’t make time for—something that feeds your inner child. Julia suggests to do these dates weekly. One thing I know is that the more I tap into my inner child, the more I feel nourished. I am deeply inspired by what brings this little girl joy. I’ve always loved adventuring to new places and indulging in crafts like beading, knitting, and making friendship bracelets, and the artist date gives me an outlet for these things. I notice that the more I carve out the time for my hobbies, the more I nurture the part of me that loves discovery. I am giving myself the chance to feed my inner curiosities and delights.
We’re visiting Dan’s family on the Jersey Shore this week, and on our first day, I woke up feeling so…blah. The thought of opening my laptop to do any sort of work felt daunting and wildly misaligned, and I’ve been working very hard and long the past two weeks. So instead of forcing myself to do “what I should do”, I did some searching and created an adventure for myself—an artist date. I wanted to weave my way through coffee shops and healthy cafes. I’d stumble upon vintage shops and maybe pop my head into a boutique or two. I also wanted to be by the ocean. The ocean is incredibly healing for me and always makes me feel more centered. (Blame it on my double Pisces, rising Cancer.) I hopped in the car, rolled down the windows, blasted Jungle and S.G. Lewis and other songs that make me want to dance, and I let my hair grow its signature golden halo of summer frizz tossed by the wind. I cruised up the coast to my destination, getting glimpses of the sparkling shoreline along the way. I enjoyed a delicious açai bowl and had a foamy cappuccino to stay, daydreaming for a bit. I allowed my curiosity to fully lead the way. I smelled candles, looked at plants, tried on a few cute outfits, and found a holistic spa. I had my aura photo taken.
I spent the whole day following my gut, leading with what felt good and not with what necessarily made sense.
I am prioritizing these outings lately. Over the past few weeks, I’ve driven around farmland listening to the sound of rustling corn stalks and inhaling the sweet smell of calves’ noses. I thumbed through clothing made of beautiful fabrics, and journaled snacking on a melty chocolate chip cookie. There is something so nourishing about allowing myself to live life this way. My dates allow me to follow my heart and not my logic, and this is where inspiration roots and grows.
There will always be time to do work. It’s the time we choose to nourish our dreams that is harder to come by. So, I am prioritizing the latter, sowing the seeds of rich creativity that will soon be ripe for picking.
Shabbat Shalom.
What will you explore this week?
Two of my recent wanderings:
ASBURY PARK NJ
I parked in Ocean Grove and began with a treat from Odyssey Coffee. I settled here for a bit, beginning to work on this newsletter and doing a bit of reading to inspire my next writings for On Holiday and beyond. I took a stroll on Main Ave exploring the shops and eventually ended up at the shore.
After walking out to the pier and feeling the force of the full moon tide, I eventually made my way across a footbridge to Asbury Park. Asbury is funky and fresh and a little bit witchy if you know where to look, and I absolutely adored walking and browsing the shops and cafes on Cookman Ave. I stopped at Cafe Volan for a cappuccino, and perused the sale rack at Glide Surf Co finding a pair of beautifully constructed canvas pants. They also make custom-made surfboards and have a cute shop dog. Rebel Supply Co was surprisingly great, with fun consignment pieces and unique new clothing pieces as well. I went next door to Freedom Rocks, which is where I stumbled into having my aura photo taken. I passed by the window of Cardinal Provisions and it looked super cute, though I did not get to dine there. Marigold Jewelry was cute I saved a photo of an organically-shaped opal ring that I fell in love with. I walked a bit of the boardwalk, though a boardwalk is rarely my cup of tea. But there were some cool buildings that helped me finish my film roll in my analog camera.
WOODSTOCK NY
An hour’s drive from where the famous Woodstock festival actually took place (in Bethel Woods) is the town of Woodstock—the true crunchy granola mecca. This wasn’t an official artist date as Dan came with me, but sometimes my best exploration days are with him in tow. We walked the center of town, stumbling upon a drum circle where most of the town was gathered, beating their hearts out on all types of instruments, and kids and adults danced barefoot. We stopped into Woodstock Wine & Liquor, where I was delighted to come across my favorite U.S.-based wine—Bloomer Creek. This wine is produced in the Fingerlakes and you’d never know it. It’s funky, it’s biodynamic, it’s utterly tantalizing. After acquiring a bottle of their red, we wandered into Birchtree—a store that definitely caters to an older woman but spoke to my Eileen-Fisher-loving soul. Lots of comfy cotton and linen sets in every color imaginable. I am still dreaming of this one pair of pants that I didn’t allow myself to buy (and might go back for eventually). Candlestock is an experience, and is chock-full of beeswax candles and drip candlesticks that spoke to my inner teenager. Casa Ziki is a design and curator mecca—the store is perfectly filled with fresh artwork, lots of unique home decor, and bits and bobs of things that I wish I could decorate an upstate home with. (One day!) Three Turtle Doves was everything I wanted a small women’s boutique to be. Everyday Magic had a wonderful collection of crystals, herbal remedies, flower essences, and healing instruments. And finally, we ended our explorations with sourdough pizza and drinks at Early Terrible, a cool indoor/outdoor bar with crystal chandeliers hanging from vine-y plants finished off with a catchy playlist.