☀️ take yourself on a playdate

I accidentally had the best day of my creative life (and almost got arrested.)

One of the fastest paths to creative momentum is play. Like, actual play. The kind with no productivity outcome. The kind that makes your inner kid go “Wheee!” and your adult brain go, “Shouldn’t we be…doing taxes or something?”

The two tools of the book The Artist’s Way, 12-week challenge, are the daily “morning pages”. (More on that later) and the weekly “artist's date”. You don’t have to take the word “art” too literally. Any kind of play is allowed. You are to do what feels soul-indulgent, and you are to do it alone.

So I did it. I took myself on my very first official “Artist’s Date”.

Here's how it went:

I had this idea that I was going to sketch the skyline with charcoals while sipping a mocktail from a rooftop lounge.

Plot twist:

The rooftop lounge. Closed.
The other rooftop lounge? Closed, too.
But the idea had me in a chokehold, so I improvised. I drove to the top of a parking garage, used the edge of the concrete as my easel, and started to draw, getting charcoal all over my hands (and later a mirror revealed...my face, too.)

My heart was racing from the height, and every time a car approached, my tummy did a little nervous "I'm probably not supposed to be up here" lil flip-flop.

At one point, I was thoroughly convinced downtown security would see me and promptly arrest me... for sketching? (Let me have this. I never rebelled in college. The point is that this all felt very dangerous and thrilling.)

I completed the drawing.

Now what?

I looked down from my perch and saw the sign for our local indie film theatre, The Moxie.

And just like that, Part 2 of my date revealed itself to me.

I walked in, having no idea what was playing, and saw the poster that read "Jane Austen Wrecked My Life".

Say no more. This movie was meant for me.

I splurged on a $3 can of Poppi and pretended it was a fancy cocktail.

The film starts.
IT’S IN FRENCH.

With subtitles.

très artistique

It's visually stunning.
It's witty.
It's inspiring.

And there I was, an extrovert, watching it alone.

"LOOK AT ME DOING THIS ALONE! I SHOULD CALL ALL OF MY FRIENDS TO JOIN ME AND SHOW THEM HOW GOOD I AM AT “ALONE”!" I thought.

I didn't.

I floated home on a cloud, burst into our bedroom, and tried to describe the magic to my husband at a rate of about 100 words per second to which he replied, “Wow. You came in HOT.” (Correct.)

Why This Matters:

Play fuels progress. It recharges the brain. It shakes you out of survival mode and reminds you that inspiration doesn’t have to be earned—just noticed.
Taking yourself on a solo date might sound silly or indulgent.
But I’m telling you—it’s rocket fuel for creativity.
And you’re allowed to make it up as you go. You literally can't do it wrong.

This Week’s Assignment:

Take yourself on a playdate.
No chores, no multitasking, no “being productive.”
Just play. Even if it’s 20 minutes in your backyard.
Then REPORT BACK. (Seriously, I want to hear your stories.)

—Katie Day

Hang out with me!

June 11-14: I'll be at the Kit Conference in Boise, Idaho. Let me know if you're coming and we'll connect! (...and karaoke)

Tuesday, June 17: Group Coaching on Zoom inside The Habit Lab

1:1 Coaching: Hit reply and we'll get started!

Current Read:

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. Just finished the book and just started the commitment! It is a 12-week reset for your creative self—whether you’re a painter, a writer, or just someone who feels like their spark’s gone missing under a pile of laundry. The two main tools are Morning Pages (three pages of brain-dump writing every morning) and Artist Dates (weekly solo adventures to refill your creative tank). It’s basically creative therapy disguised as a workbook, and yes, it’s weirdly magical.