The Artist Dates outline a simple formula: INPUT—>OUTPUT

I’m asking that you commit a certain amount of time each week- doing something to feed your creativity. And share it with us. THIS IS ASSIGNED PLAYTIME. 

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Constant Output can wear you down. You put gas in your car to make it run, right? You feed yourself when you get hungry, right? Do you make an effort to feed your creativity, to keep it running smoothly? YOU WILL NOW!

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The idea of making time for yourself, once a week, on your own, to do something awesome / amazing / enchanting / nourishing.  The Artist Date need not be overtly “artistic” — think mischief more than mastery, curiosity more than commonality. Artist Dates fire up the imagination. They spark whimsy. They encourage play. Since “art” is about the play of ideas, they feed our creative work by replenishing our inner well of images and inspiration. Input for Output. When choosing an Artist Date, it is good to ask yourself, “what sounds fun?” — and then allow yourself to try it. Now, before you dismiss this as hippy nonsense- there are strong psychological foundations for the importance of play in adults, and here’s a TED talk from psychiatrist and researcher Dr Stuart Brown whose research supports this – as well as gorgeous pics of polar bears and other animals – on how play is energizing, ensures healthy human development and increased intelligence.

Please catalog your Artist Dates with a photo that you will upload to our class drive. This is required for your grade/participation in the course. You are welcome to post on social media or via upload form, but please provide a screen shot/image/video.

In the past, we monitored these and turned them into a game using the hashtag- #DMD3030. Over 10 years, some class members are still playing! TWEET/GRAM/SHOUTOUT USING THE HASHTAG #DMD3030 TO PUSH YOUR ARTIST DATE NARRATIVE AND/OR IMAGE TO SOCIAL MEDIA if you are comfortable with sharing on social media. You may also catalog your artist dates by uploading to the following form.

Consider posting and sharing with other places/ makers / artists you are inspired by in the larger social media landscape. There is no telling what type of results this could have once you’re practicing independently and what type of connections it will help you make. That is huge, especially when you’re looking for work later on. Sometimes you hear crickets, but sometimes you get direct feedback from the makers (I’ve had students create albums and share to sound cloud, make films and submit to festivals and connect online, Margaret Attwood once started a tweet thread with a DMD3030 student after using her short stories in a film project!)

note: if you are uncomfortable with all social media- you are not obligated to post, or you can always delete these once the semester is over. If you have a strong reason to stay offline, you can receive credit by posting in the google drive form/folder)

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LEAVE YOUR DESK!

LEAVE THE BUILDING! 

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Beethoven did. 

He went for a vigorous walk after lunch, and he always carried a pencil and a couple of sheets of paper in his pocket, to record chance musical thoughts.

FOR A FULL LIST GO HERE!