I recently finished The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and found it to be an intriguing and practical guide to embracing creativity and starting a regular creative practice. I started doing the morning pages and quickly found it taxing to write 2 pages of text consistently. I am troubleshooting ways to do this again. *thinking.
I found this book very practical as it broke down steps to enhacing and embracing your creativity over the course of 12 weeks. I also appreciate that Julia doesn’t want this to become a “guru” thing with someone “showing people the way”, but instead this should be a giving practice meant to help each other grow in creative pursuits. I also appreciate the idea that we shouldn’t criticize each other’s works which can cause some people’s inner artist to be shattered from the harsh criticism.
The ideas I appreciated from this book the most were the focus on writing daily, artist dates, and overcoming limiting beliefs. I like the idea of the morning pages, but I will need to change it somewhat to fit my daily life. I also plan to include some artist dates once a month. I love the idea of setting time aside for creative exploration and to do something you enjoy. Having more experiences and time to yourself can definitely help with the creative process and I am excited to start some of this for myself.
I loved the spirituality this book explored through the focus on internal dialogue we have which is typically due to external forces and/or comments. It also discussed ways to combat the limiting beliefs that we have accrued over time. Many times, when we decide that we can’t do something artistic for a living, it is due to hearing remarks from our loved ones, society, or harsh critiques from others. I feel more ready to dive into my creative pursuits as I have been given the freedom to do so from The Artist’s Way.
In the epilogue, Julia mentioned taking it one step at a time. Cue Jordin Sparks. I literally stopped reading to play “One Step at a Time.” “One step at a time, there’s no need to rush. It’s like learning to fly, or falling in love.” The beginning of that song with the footsteps, genius. Julia and Jordin both gave us quite a bit to think about. I appreciated The Artist’s Way for being a guide and green light to delve into regular creative practice. I’m sure I will be revisiting this book for years to come.
If you have participated in an artist’s circle, tell me about your experiences. And if you’re an artist, share your work. I would love to see what you all are creating.
UPDATE 1/14/2025
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Doechii had read The Artist’s Way and implemented it which led to her being received by a wider audience and getting her vision out with such truth. You love to see it!
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