by Julia Cameron
An inspirational guide to rediscovering your
creativity
Reviewed by: Beth Williams
About Beth Williams
The Artist's Way is an inspirational journey in which
author Julia Cameron encourages readers to participate
in the discovery of their creativity through morning
pages, a weekly artist's date and other introspective
writing activities over twelve weeks. Inspirational
quotes are peppered through the pages to keep you
inspired and energized throughout the process.
Don't let the name fool you. You don't have to be an
artist or even a writer to benefit from the Artist's
Way. All you need is an open mind and enthusiasm.
Cameron opens by explaining the origins of the
Artist's Way, which has become so popular it is being
used in university classrooms, and there are even
Artist's Way seminars held by certified instructors.
Each chapter, which coincides with each week of the
program, deals with a different aspect of recovery:
from chapter one, "Recovering a Sense of Safety," to
chapter twelve, "Recovering a Sense of Faith."
One of the key elements of the Artist's Way is the
morning pages. Cameron encourages participants to set
their alarm clocks a half an hour early every morning,
wake up and write three pages before doing anything
else. Then, after spilling your thoughts onto paper,
put the morning pages away. You'll bring them out
again at the end of the twelve week journey to see the
changes. Morning pages are a way of emptying your mind
and freeing your creativity. And, it really works! I
was enjoying the writing so much that I started
afternoon and evening pages on really energized days.
I found that after awhile I got all the garbage and
everyday complaints out, allowing me to write
creatively without anything weighing me down.
Another key element is the weekly artist's date.
Again, don't let it fool you! An artist's date can be
anything you want: going to a movie, renting an old
movie, going to the museum, painting a picture or
baking a cake, as long as it nurtures you and your
creativity. A great benefit of the artist's date is it
teaches us to carve out time to take care of
ourselves.
Each chapter features a variety of exercises designed
for self-exploration and discovery. An example of an
exercise from chapter one is to write a list of five
other lives you would lead, if you had the chance.
Would you be a painter? A lawyer? An athlete? Don't be
surprised if, as you go through the weeks, you notice
a pattern start to emerge. Often you'll discover a
love, a passion or an interest you've neglected or
maybe didn't even realize was there.
A lot of people choose to do the Artist's Way with
friends because the group offers support and
encouragement to keep working. However, it is just as
possible and beneficial to embark on the Artist's Way
solo. It's all a matter of personal preference.
The Artist's Way is definitely a journey you want to
at least try. You'll be amazed at how much you learn
about yourself through the morning pages, artist's
dates and exercises. You may even discover a passion
that you've forgotten about or didn't even know you
had.
Click here to buy this book, or read more about it at Amazon.com: The Artist's Way
Copyright © by Beth Williams, 2002
Reviewed by Beth Williams:
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-- The Artist's Way - by Julia Cameron
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