Any blocked artist, be he or she a painter, writer, or actor, can benefit from the positive course of action suggested by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way. The Artist’s Way is the most powerful call for self-nurturing and creativity that I’ve ever read. I wish I’d found it years ago, because I feel it came into my life at the wrong time.

The Program

Julia Cameron’s premise in The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity is that creativity is a spiritual issue. By nurturing your inner spiritual needs, you are able to unleash the God-given creativity within you.  For me, it seemed Cameron’s “spirituality” was synonymous with “positive self-worth.” The Artist’s Way, then, was a much-needed reminder that I am an artist and that I do have creativity within me already.

Cameron’s definition of spirituality is not the same as mine; I consider myself “spiritual,” yet I wonder if her constant referral of “creativity” as a God-given spiritual power would be a “turn off” for those that don’t. If you are turned off by the “spiritual” reference in the subtitle, I’d say still give this book a try.

But The Artist’s Way is not just a book: it is a twelve-week program for recovery of creativity. We are to write our daily fears, worries, and joys down on pages every day; we recite affirmations to ourselves; we eliminate from our lives the destructive people who might hinder our creativity; and we rely on God to heal our broken creativity.

Each week, the program participant focuses on recovering creativity in the following categories:

  1. Safety
  2. Identity
  3. Power
  4. Integrity
  5. Possibility
  6. Abundance
  7. Connection
  8. Strength
  9. Compassion
  10. Self-Protection
  11. Autonomy
  12. Faith

What’s to Like

A main recovery for blocked artists is to write “morning pages.” The morning pages are to be written by any recovering artist (potter, architect, film-writer, etc.) and are stream-of-consciousness rambles and nonsense not intended to be read. This is to give voice to negativity of your life so you can focus on what really matters. I think this could work well: it’s a great idea.

The Artist’s Way also encourages artists to take risks and to let themselves have the luxury of being creative. As the reader progresses through the program over the course of the twelve weeks, the artist is continually challenged to do and be more. It takes work to be an artist, and the artist needs to make sure to take opportunities before they are lost. The Artist’s Way can help you see the opportunities around you.

Cameron seems to urge the reader to leave the jobs and people who discourage away from creativity, and move forward toward his or her dreams. It’s never too late!

Her words are definitely inspiring and helpful to artists afraid to take a step. It is a book to help artists re-find the self-esteem that teachers, parents, and others inadvertently discouraged away.

What I Didn’t Need

When I first started reading this, boxes were piled in every room from our international move, and the baby was still adjusting to a USA time zone (in other words, awaking at 5 a.m.). Now, my baby is just learning to walk, and we are perfecting a post-move new budget. The wonderful ideas Cameron suggests cannot possibly work for me right now. I wish I’d found this book lat year when I had more “abundance” in my life! Yet, her point is that we always have abundance if we allow ourselves.

Julia Cameron encourages artists to take the time to write in the morning pages each day, write for another hour every day, and take a break every week for an “artist’s date.” Get a sitter if you have children, stop serving other people, and serve yourself for once! If you don’t let yourself do these things, she suggests, you aren’t giving yourself the luxury you deserve.

After about 50 pages, I realized why I disagreed: My baby is my luxury. I waited a long time to be a mother. I have the further blessing of staying home with my baby, and to me, it is a blessing. Serving others, particularly my baby, is a great way that I feel spiritual; if I only served myself all the time, I’d feel very depressed. My life must be about service to others!

Cameron would suggest that I’m afraid to start being creative, so I’m using my baby as an excuse. Maybe. But she does ask the reader to ponder what gives us true joy (page 110), and we are encouraged to pursue that. I realized that I already am pursuing it: my baby gives me true joy.

By reading The Artist’s Way, I’ve been inspired to seek moments of creativity. I won’t write a novel this month, but I’ll start writing the morning pages.

Toni Morrison (quoted on page 97) says:

We are traditionally rather proud of ourselves for having slipped creative work in there between the domestic chores and obligations. I’m not sure we deserve such big A-pluses for that.

I completely agree. I try to slip in my creativity, but that’s not how it’s nurtured. If I’m serious about writing, I must be serious when I write. It should be my career.

But writing is not my career now, and I don’t resent that at all. I don’t want to give up the life I love.

Someday, I’ll revisit The Artist’s Way to properly rekindle all of the creativity within me.

Have you read The Artist’s Way? What did you think about Julia Cameron’s ideas for creativity and indulging your own creative spirit?

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