A good bookstore is the most profitable meeting with the artist that exists: free, without reservations, with seats, with a bathroom, with coffee, with shop assistants who know. Spending an entire Saturday visiting three or four bookstores is one of the most underrated practices for creatives. Here are ten.
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01
History of Pau Claris. Cafe upstairs. The afternoon passes.
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02
In an old 18th century chapel. Vaulted ceiling. One of the most beautiful in Europe.
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03
New, gigantic, on Diagonal. Own coffee. Excellent presentation scheduling.
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04
Specialized in literature. In Sant Antoni. The writers' bookstore.
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05
Specialized in travel and geography. Four floors. Spend an afternoon traveling with your fingers.
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06
Historic Catalan bookstore on Gran Via. Lots of cultural programming.
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07
Neighborhood bookstore in Gràcia with almost daily presentation programming.
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08
Humanities, philosophy, essay. In the Born. Selective and demanding.
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09
Latin American bookstore in El Raval. The best to discover new authors from the continent.
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10
Second-hand books from the 19th and 20th centuries. In the Born. For those who love old paper.
How to build your appointment with the artist from this list
Julia Cameron's rule about the appointment with the artist It's simple: once a week, two hours, no phone, no goal. You don't have to visit all 10 sites on this list. You have to visit UNO, and dedicate two hours to it. The difference between tourism and an appointment with the artist is exactly that: slowness.
This week, choose one of the locations above. Block two hours on your calendar on a specific day. Bring a notebook and pen. Go. Stay. Look. Writes. You come home with creative material you didn't have before. That's the promise of Julia Cameron's method, and it works.
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12 weeks in Spanish to apply Julia Cameron's method — including two hours of weekly appointment with the artist.
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