The Care and Feeding of Your Artist

So I’ve been working really hard the last few months at getting my “morning pages” done as recommended by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way.  I do really good Monday – Thursday, but then not so good over the weekend.  But I am staying more “open” and alert, watching for inspiration no matter where it comes from.

Earlier in the week while preparing for the funeral, we stopped by Payless Shoes to get new dress shoes for the monsters.  (Middle Monster is so hard on her shoes that her Easter ones are already scuffed up.)  They have the buy one, get one half price thing, and with three monsters…yeah.  I ended up looking.  I really needed black dress shoes, but I didn’t like any of them.

Then something caught my eye.  Black and red.  It was in the wrong area — in the casual shoes.  They were also a little big, but I pulled them out anyway and nearly squealed like a girl.  They were old-fashioned black “basketball shoes” with red ribbon laces.  I adore those ribbons!!  The shoes also had hearts and skulls on the sides.  *giggles*

Anyone who knows me is probably scratching their heads.  This is sooooo not my style.  But the artist in me was jumping up and down with a lollypop in her hand, demanding I get those shoes.  They’re perfect!  Black and red and hearts and skulls! 

Sometimes, we get in a rut.  We don’t want to look silly or immature.  But Julia says our inner artist is very much like a child.  It’s important to feed that child, to give her little presents just because.  I rarely ever do anything frivolous, especially for myself.  The shoes were cheap–hello, this was Payless!–but I still almost put them back.

I bought those silly shoes and I’ve worn them nonstop ever since.