Thoughts On The Artist’s Way

Image from http://juliacameronlive.com

The first time I picked up The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, I only got as far as the first chapter. Or, rather, the chapter that describes the first week. From that, I took away the idea of Morning Pages: three pages, hand-written, stream-of-conscious, meant to clear the mental clutter so you can get on with the creating.

I was skeptical at first, but it took me no time to see they worked as advertised. Even now, I’ll sometimes use them as a coping mechanism, should I need one.

Confession: I’ve never made it all the way through, though the last time I made it to week eleven!

For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, The Artist’s Way is a twelve-week course designed to boost/release/un-inhibit creativity. Some of my craziest, riskiest, and best ideas have come to me in conjunction with some of the methods used in the course.

Julia Cameron, by the way, is author of one of my favorite books on writing: The Right to Write. It’s right up there with Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones for me.

I definitely recommend giving it a try, no matter what stage you’re at in your own creative life. This is pretty fantastic if you’re blocked, or feeling generally frustrated, or are struggling with that inner critic.

My only caution is that, since the whole thing is such an intense and highly personal experience, you make it clear to those you’re living with — spouse/significant other, parents, siblings, friends, etc. — that this is important to you, so it is important that they respect that . I’ve been lucky enough that my husband is wholly supportive and understanding, but not everyone has that. Boundaries are key.

*This post instigated by Kate, who should totally give it a try.