Keeping a date with an artist is an important part of my life.\u00a0 Not\u00a0the fantasy kind of date\u00a0of\u00a0extreme youth,\u00a0but a date to appreciate\u00a0the art that surrounds us, made\u00a0by \u00a0geniuses living or dead.\u00a0\u00a0With a little planning, I can\u00a0be at a museum or a play, a movie or a concert or\u00a0a festival, soaking in the output of\u00a0creative souls.<\/p>\n
I’m\u00a0 looking forward to visiting the\u00a0new Walt Disney Museum which opened this month at the Presidio in San Francisco.\u00a0I’ve made a date\u00a0to go and no matter\u00a0the size of the crowd when I get there,\u00a0 a date\u00a0with an artist is really time alone.\u00a0\u00a0 Just me and\u00a0the art.<\/p>\n
Going on an art adventure alone encourages a focus on what we’re there for. The idea is to take ourselves to see or hear something that we’re not exposed to every day.\u00a0\u00a0Appreciating while in the company of a friend is fun of another kind, involving the inevitable\u00a0“what did you think of that?” discussion, but alone\u00a0we\u00a0soak it in on our own schedule, every bit of it, even the parts we disagree with, and then we’re free to\u00a0form our own opinions about it.<\/p>\n
We don’t need an excuse to keep\u00a0dates like this, nor\u00a0do we have to wait ’til we’re desperate for an escape.\u00a0 I want this\u00a0to be a\u00a0regular\u00a0part of my life, going out of my way to\u00a0 see and hear the artistic output of other individuals.\u00a0\u00a0 There is another\u00a0advantage –\u00a0the\u00a0\u00a0freedom\u00a0to appreciate\u00a0something\u00a0that nobody else we know cares about.<\/p>\n