Artist Date: Nursery

Ever since I read The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron several years ago, I try to remember to take myself on an artist date now and then, as she recommends. This time it was a high quality garden nursery here in town: Moana Nursery. I just wandered through their outdoor garden center, greenhouse, and indoor shop, looking for unusual views. I found a few. In addition to the flowers and plants, there are working fountains, gazebos, arbors, scenic little vignettes of tables and chairs or benches, metal sculptures. If you’re taking photos, just try not to get the price tags and plastic pots (or your own foot) in the pictures.

The canopies fascinated me, because I have been considering building an arbor over our deck, but wouldn’t these be cool instead?

When you try to be creative, sometimes it works and sometimes it just isn’t there. If you can feel the magic, all of a sudden, everything seems so clear. At these times, I feel myself opening up to anything that crosses my path. If I have a camera with me, so much the better. If I don’t have a camera, I try to write all the ideas down as fast as possible. By giving yourself time to go out and really search for beauty and joy, you at least double the possibility that they will find their way to you.