Artist Dates
or, justifying three hours at the Lifeline Book Fest
The biggest takeaway from The Artist’s Way is often the importance of doing Morning Pages. At least, when I did The Artist’s Way at the end of 2023, and talked about it with other people who were doing it or had done it, and in every “review” of it that I read, Morning Pages were The Big Deal. Spoiler, I did not get on with Morning Pages. I already write too many of my thoughts down in my journal, or on Whatsapp to my most long-suffering friends.
But the other non-negotiable to the twelve weeks of The Artist’s Way are Artist Dates, and they were - I think - my favourite part of the whole thing. I went on solo mid-week movie dates, I went to every exhibition I could find, I went to museums while I was on holiday. I went on a little trip to Eastbourne to see the Turner Prize, and I made zines and little TikTok videos of all my solo exploits.
I’ve been feeling… un-Creative, honestly.
So maybe I should bring them back.
This past week was the Lifeline Book Fest, which is held in the Brisbane Convention Centre twice a year, and honestly boasts a staggering amount of books, of every single genre you can think of. I was exceptionally well-behaved, I think, and I came home with a very carefully considered selection.
A battered, pulpy copy of Angela Carter’s WISE CHILDREN, which I definitely have had at least two physical copies of. I don’t know where they go; Claudia Rankine’s CITIZEN, which was recommended to me too long ago and I still haven’t read it; two novels by Michelle de Kretser; a Gail Jones novel I’m halfway through already; and a slim hardback copy of Helen Garner’s STORIES, mostly because I think I’ll fail my citizenship I I confess to having never read any (I got halfway through MONKEY GRIP a few years ago and forgot I was reading it… we’ll see if short stories fare better).