Coming Back to The Artist’s Way
A little less than a year ago, I got a copy of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron as a graduation present to myself. The book has a prolific reputation of being life changing for creatives and I was feeling incredibly burnt out. I think it took me at least a month to actually sit down and start the course.
The first three weeks of the process, I was shockingly disciplined. Then - around week six - I became tired and disgruntled with it all. Predictably, this is exactly what Cameron predicts will happen at this stage.
In the months since putting the book back on the shelf, I have undergone a personal transformation. I am very different person than the one who bought the book last summer, or the one that abandoned it. At least, I feel like I am. I’m at a point where I feel that I am ready to try again, and I don’t want to feel as alone in it all as I did the first time. Therefore, I am making the process very public.
This post will go up on April 28th. I am writing a few days prior, and will start week one on Sunday April 27th. I have just finished revisiting the introductory chapters. I was a big fan of the morning pages and artist date the first time around. In fact, I kept doing the morning pages for weeks after I stopped following the formal course. They did make me feel much more open and unburdened by my negative thoughts, but over time I grew annoyed by own repetitive whining. However, that is literally the point of the morning pages. I had forgotten or maybe even just disregarded that Cameron introduces the practice by telling us it is normal (even good) for the pages to be negative and whiny. That’s exactly where those thoughts are supposed to be let out.
I need to keep that in mind this time. I also intend to be less strict with myself when it comes to the pages. I have learned that I don’t need to wake up and immediately do the pages. My mornings change depending on the day, and I can’t always shape my morning around the writing. It is still an effective tool for me as long as I get them done before the bulk of my day has started. Even if it isn’t the very first thing I do. As long as they are done before I really get really for the day, I’m all good.
I am also reminded that the point of the artist date is to “fill the well.” I often felt that my outings needed to push me more or were too similar to one another. I don’t think those are valid issues anymore. That was the critical voice in my head. As long as the date is filling my well, it is worth of my time.
Lastly, this is a spiritual process. The book has never claimed to be anything different. While some of the language is rooted Christianity, it tries to make a clear distinction from that belief system. It is a much more abstract idea about being open to magic of the world around you. I didn't that last time. I was actually very turned off by certain aspects of spirituality. Now, I am in much more open phase of life. I have become a strong believer in manifestation and the power of the universe as an entity.
I think the book finds you when you need it most. You will know when you’re ready to move through it. I did not start last year because I was ready. I started because I was desperate to fix things in my life and this felt like a good bandaid. That isn’t the way this works. Like this process, most things in life are the most fulfilling and effective when done through inspiration, not desperation.
