Initial Review of The Artist’s Way

 So today I got on an airplane to visit my friend Jen in San Francisco. While on the plane, I started reading the Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, which is my book of the week. I first heard about this book three or four years ago in a graduate class taught by Marilyn DeLong, which was about untended consequences in design. So I knew the concepts that this book proposed before I sat down and read it…and I have even tried some of these concepts based on my knowledge. Unfortunately, none of them stuck. Now, having read the first 33 pages of the book, I know why. Julia Cameron lays out two things that you have to do to help unleash your inner creativity…morning pages and the artist date. I have tried both without much success….here is why: I was uncommitted. I did them because I knew about them, had them explained to me, but I was praying for a miracle. That these two concepts would simply fix my creativity. Now that I am actually reading the book, I am realizing that the only way to do these, is to read the book and be committed. 

Some of the concepts she has thrown out, definitely hit home. I think that you will find that it does too if you read it. So I am proposing the following: I am going to finish reading the book and try the experiment of doing morning pages and the artist date and report of what happens with me on the blog! How does that sound? I hope being the guinea pig will convince me (and you) that there are new avenues of creativity to be found. 

So what are morning pages and the artist date? I am a little hesitant to tell you because I’m afraid you’ll do what I did…do them and not really be committed. But here they are so I can talk about some of the things she says in the book. Morning pages are three pages of stream-of-conscious writing when you first wake up in the morning. This is NOT a journal. It is a forum for getting all the “gunk” out of your head to leave you open for the rest of the day. Julia Cameron has a number of other caveats about how to do the morning pages, but for the purpose of my review, I think this definition works (again, you should read the book to get everything Julia Cameron says). The second tool she proposes are artist dates. You are suppose to dedicate a block of time (1 or 2 hours) to take your self on a date and do something that you really want to do or that would nurture you. Now, I don’t know about you, but this is VERY hard for me. Sure, 1 or 2 hours should be easy to come by during the week…but somehow those hours are never there.  When there are kids, jobs, and cleaning to do, when is there time to ever take time for yourself? The sad part is, we with everything going crazy in our lives, probably need to take ourselves on a date the most. Agreed? Julia Cameron makes the argument that if you where in a relationship that you wanted to save, you would go to therapy, find a mediator, and try to save it. Why wouldn’t you do the same for yourself (and your creativity)?

So, I will start morning pages (I’ll find a beautifully designed book to make it more motivating) and I’ll set a time next week to do the artist date. Julia Cameron suggests 12 weeks of this. She says she’s been doing it for a decade. It helped her be more creative, perhaps I just need to give it a go if I want the same result? Man, I am so commit-a-phobic! I’ll report on the rest of the book ASAP and let you know what happens. If anyone wants to do this with me (always more motivating), please feel free to comment on this post and I’ll keep updates on this project going so you can post as well.

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4 thoughts on “Initial Review of The Artist’s Way

  1. Hey, I tried the Artist’s Way before also and I thought it was very good, but around the 6th week other things got in the way and blah, blah, blah! Excuses! So, maybe if I follow along with you I’ll stay motivated this time, good luck!

  2. I’m enrolled in Jessica Sprague’s The Art of Digital Design class. And it’s so funny that I was looking over your blog and saw this category. Just recently I was visiting Old Town Alexandria, Virginia and I went to an art studio and got talking with one of the artist’s there. This was right after I had started The Art of Digital Design, and I was so bummed that I was missing it during our little “mini vacation”. This artist and I chatted for a while and then said that this book “The Artist’s Way” was something she recommended to me with what I was telling her. I actually started it and put it aside during The Art of Digital Design. I was going to recommend this book in the Forum but haven’t. I am now even more excited to start this book. So, I guess you like it? Have you finished it? I would love to learn more about your experience with it. Maybe you could email me privately? Anyway, I find this is so interesting that you are involved in it. Thanks so much for sharing.

  3. By the way, when class is over, I will be happy to commit this with you. It excites me so much, because I too believe that you have to have the passion and it has to be in your soul.

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