After spending a year in my late teens/early twenties rushing through the hectic streets of West Hollywood to my shitty job as a retail sales clerk in The Beverly Center and being frightened nearly to the point of urinating in my pants by the excessive exposure to horrendous plastic surgery jobs, I swore I would never live in Los Angeles again. I didn’t even want to visit. Slowly, however, I lost Bay Area friends to the allure of the big, scary city and was repeatedly asked to visit. My friends, during their time in sunny Southern California, have managed to become relatively successful artists, actors, filmmakers, photographers and literary geniuses. They all found creative ways to follow their passions and still pay the bills. I became amazed. I found myself visiting with excitement.
When I arrived in the big smoggy city for the second time this summer, I decided to take the advice of Julia Cameron in “The Artist’s Way: Creativity as a Spiritual Practice” and set myself up on what she refers to as an “Artist Date”. According to Cameron, a once a week solo venture into a creative venue is a must for fueling our creative fires. Whether it is a walk through a museum or book store, an outing to a dance performance or movie or going to listen to a favorite band, exposure to creative energy taps into and awakens our subconscious and sets the sparks into motion. Reflecting on this as I wandered the streets of Los Angeles alone gave me some great ideas. The MOCA in downtown LA just had their opening of Dennis Hopper’s photography and my friend had a free pass! But as the damn MOCA was closed during my visit, I decided to instead venture into Echo Park to the Echo Park Time Traveler Mart, a novelty store that fronts and supports a non-profit writing center for youth. A Partner of Dave Eggers 826 Valencia in San Francisco, the place blew my mind.
Zines made by the youth in the programs, books independently published by new and edgy voices in the literary community and time traveler supplies filled the shelves while junior high kids scurried around the tutorial center in the back during a break. The consumer in me went nuts. I stocked up on creative writing manuals, zines and newspapers and spent the afternoon growing more and more inspired by the amazing programs and written work that this group of people had created. It all kicked me back into gear and cleared my mind that had been occupied with worries and stress on the drive down. I spent the remainder of my trip inspired by music on my car stereo, handcrafted furniture in storefront windows and even by a West Hollywood plant nursery that I passed on my way back home.
Even though my visit to the Time Traveler Mart left a dent in my old tattered wallet, most Artist Dates won’t cost a penny. Something as simple as a morning walk on a public path with graffiti art, absorbing the colors, aromas and sounds at a local farmer’s market, gazing around your local yarn store at knitting patterns and textures of yarn or even riding a bike to a free summer concert in a local park can all awaken the senses and tap into that story that is just dying to be written.
Get off the computer. Get outside. Wake up to the creativity inside and see where the day takes you!
-Dani