Artist’s Way - First Date - Anima

So I did it! Yay! Go me. I went on the first artist date.

Now, tiny aside here. There's this.. contract with the self, that the Book wants you to sign. I signed it a long time ago, and I really want to make and sign a new one, I just haven't... gotten that far, yet.

Also, for sake of drama and the fact this got really long, I’m going to split the date into multiple parts.

Anima, for the emotional, irrational side of the experience; the foreplay, buildup, and inner dialogue.

Animus, for the rational, physical experience of the place and the corporeal.

But anyway. I was scheduled to visit this incredible condo on Tuesday, after the LUX Meeting. It's a few blocks away from where I was half-living when I had first started dating my husband, Clayton. Near/in the Historic Baker Neighbourhood right adjacent to downtown Denver. Such a swanky area.

I was just browsing the market, looking at listings in areas that I'm really drawn to. Baker being one of them. Ideally, I relocate just a bit and start working in those areas that I'm interested in. And, if I want to make good on that, I should know what's going on there, yeah? So it's getting late and I'm kinda idly scrolling yes, I doomscroll Zillow, whataboutit and chatting with a friend, because she too sorta wants to live downtown but also further south work etc it's complicated. It always is. And it's fun to send her listings, sometimes we get a nice eyebrow raise on some of the wildass shit you see in Denver, and sometimes it's an 'oh fuck, that's just what I think we're looking for...'

So I see this quirky looking place, and I'd scrolled by it a few times, truthfully. I was book-cover browsing for sure, seeing what's pretty, what's weird, whatever. And the tiny preview thumbnail was a shit crop of a just-okay photo that, actually does successfully convey the majesty of the space. But that picture totally didn't grip me the first couple passes. After like the third or so time seeing it I'm like fuckit, what is this tiny 1b/1b that I'm seeing in an area that looks vaguely familiar.

Well anyway, I'm going through these pictures and it's quaint and cute, old but not old and.. woah, wait, what the fuck is thIS?~! A hot pink wall? Those arched windows? Wait that wall in the foyer is curved... that’s a chalkboard wall, isn’t it? oh, it has a loft. Fuck.

It's MAGICAL. Enchanting. Sometimes pictures can capture the spirit, the energy of a place, the time. It's rare. But these ones caught just a glimpse.

You see, I was back and forth about this date.

"I'm kinda busy!"

'No, you're not'

"Well, we're doing some stuff this week!"

'Yeah, we are, but nothing actually important besides a couple meetings.'

"But driving downtown is such a pain in the aaaaaaasssssss....."

'then do it after the meeting, idiot'

"But we'll be hanging out with Jake, and I miss him!"

'It's on the way back to his place, why are you being this way. You *know* we need to go out and see more things, take some time for *just us*. The book. the date. self care. we're trying to... grow and be the best version of us.'

"Yeah but... I miiiiiiisssssssss him! it's cold out!"

'fuck off this is getting scheduled, we're going on the Artist Date and you can sit the fuck down and have fun when we go to it. we're going Tuesday after the meeting AND we'll bring the camera too'

… and I log into ShowingTime and schedule this for (what I think) is a good time after the LUX meeting.

What I mean with this internal dialogue, (and yes, I am the embodiment of me / myself / and I) is that I was letting some trivial, fluffy feel-good in the moment emotions get in the way of the grownupass adult shit I need to do for myself and for my business. Because it's easy. It's comfy. It's so delightful to just disappear from reality and hang out at my boyfriend's house for a day or two on his days off. It's comfortable. And you know what that means? We gotta do not that if we want to succeed in growing. Can't let the mind get too comfortable in it's stagnate ways, or I’ll be stuck here, anxious, stressed, and broke, forever.

Anyway. LUX meeting was fantastic. Lots of neat things in our future there, from services/back end platforms to just. Being supported by incredible people that want to bring kindness and goodness to everyone. Unfortunately, it went long. reeeeeally long, I didn't expect it'd take that long. So I have to go re-schedule my showing (and I think the owner still lives there, and I'm.. doing this for leisure, there is no buyer i feel guilty about this)... but when? Well, to be polite, tomorrow, make it 3pm. It'll help us leave Jake's at a reasonable hour, we can dodge traffic a bit, aaaand get home fairly early! And!! Finish the rest of the date (oil change on the car) at home. Sounds great to me. Showing's confirmed, cool, we're doing that tomorrow.