After I finished work today, I thought I’d go on my artist’s date. In week 1, my artist’s date was a little bit boring. I went to the public library and perused a section I’d never been in before. I ended up looking at a book on “thrifting.” So, with that in mind, today I went to a thrift store. I was actually sort of thinking that I might kill two birds with one stone on this little outing.

One of the assignments for this week was to compare your current room to your childhood room. You’re supposed to name things that you like/liked about each one. Well, I was allowed to paint and decorate my childhood room all by myself, so I really went wild. When I was in grade 9 (I think…maybe 8) I dragged all of my furniture out of my room; lined the ceiling edges, baseboards, and door frames in green tape (this took forever); and covered the floor in newspaper. I then proceeded to paint my bedroom a beautiful fairytale green (I still remember what the paint was called because its’ name is part of the reason why I chose it). I wanted to feel like I was sleeping in a fairytale because that’s what I wanted my life to be like. Growing up I was absolutely fascinated with faeries. I loved them. I just couldn’t get enough them. That obsession has sort of dwindled as I’ve grown older. Anyway, after my room was painted I underwent a very long process of choosing some illustrations of butterflies I liked, and one large illustration of a (you guessed it) faerie – which I found in a Grimm’s Fairy tales book. My mom had those pictures transferred onto projector sheets, then she borrowed a projector from her school so that I could project those images onto my wall. Then I spent HOURS and HOURS tracing all the intricate detail of the faerie over my bed. I scattered the butterflies elsewhere around my room. After it was traced, I started to colour it in using oil paints I’d received one year for Christmas.

I’ll be honest. It took me a couple of years to completely finish this faerie. Life got in the way (as it always does). It was half painted for a really long time until one day I committed to finishing it.

My current bedroom is no wheres near as elaborate. White walls, a mattress and box-spring without a frame or headboard, and some random/necessary pieces of furniture arranged around the room. I haven’t yet put any effort into decorating it – mostly because I haven’t been able to find the time. Something I loved in my old room was that faerie, but there isn’t really anything in my current room which I love. Julia Cameron’s advice was to find something that reminded you of your childhood room to put in your current one. This is what I was thinking as I perused the shelves of the thrift store. Alas, there wasn’t really anything that sparked a memory. I saw some pretty boxes I could store stuff in, some coasters with neat designs on them, and some miniature statues. Although all of these things were pretty, nothing felt quite right. I spent about a 1/2 hour walking around the thrift store, but in the end I left empty handed. What I think I need is a faerie. A picture or a tiny statue or something. That’s right, I need a beautiful winged faerie in my room!

Even though I didn’t get anything, I think that my artist’s date was a success. I didn’t worry about wasting time, but devoted 30 minutes entirely to my senses. I picked things up, smelled them, and brought certain objects close to my face to examine the intricate details. I didn’t worry about what I had to do next. I just allowed myself to be in the present moment, and it was so much fun.

Tomorrow I’m going to go on a little hunt, and see if I can find myself a faerie…. OR, maybe I’ll pick myself up some pastels and paint one (that’s something I used to do in elementary school. I think it would be so much fun).

Try this exercise yourself.