Customer Reviews

The Artist's Way Creativity Kit

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Being a real sucker for merchandising, I loved the packaging for this creativity "kit," a red and black oriental-inspired treasure box. But after tearing off the cellophane with great anticipation, there isn't a lot of substance. The very slender booklet contains mostly blank lines for journaling, each page being adorned with an inspirational quote to get you going. I liked the incense and the little packages of creativity cards that give suggestions for doing things out out of the ordinary (e.g., "bake a special treat for your pet"). Since I have no pets, though, those suggestion cards will be deep-sixed. This kit is awfully expensive for the slim offerings. One would be better off just buying "The Artist's Way" and picking up a package of incense at the local psychic shop.

I'm a huge sucker for just about anything Julia Cameron does--I have "The Artist's Way," two of her books of prayers & declarations (& a third on the way), two tapes, "The Vein of Gold," etc., etc. & I love these tools. I eagerly snapped up this box but was very disappointed. The little journal could be sold separately--it's a nice volume & a neat idea. The other contents really aren't worth the money & just under half the box is air (there's a cardboard insert to fill up the space). I suspect this was someone's marketing idea & not something that should've been approved, because it's not up to the quality of all that Cameron has done (& her other stuff is very, very good).

This would make a good gift for any artist or anyone who enjoys writing down their thoughts. The inspirational quotes in the journal are also excellent for calligraphers & rubber stampers. It makes a great companion to the Artist's Way book as well. The kit comes enclosed in a box and includes a journal, 10 incense sticks & 3 stacks of paper disks. It is all done in Asian style graphics and colors.

The disks include reminders to take time to enjoy the little things in life with quotes like "Watch airplanes land" or "Take a garden tour." Quotes such as "Decorate your mailbox" or "Make a painting on an old window" inspire you to create things. Others, such as "Borrow a friends coat for a day" or Wear a disguise to the grocery store" were a little strange and even funny.

The journal has wonderful quotes and though provoking questions on each page. It encourages you to write down your thoughts about them in the journal to help be more creative & gain inner spirituality. Questions such as "Do you allow joy for the sake of joy?" or "What tiny change can you make for the better today?" help you focus on what's really important in life. Quotes like "A mind too active is no mind at all" and "Imagination is more important than knowledge" really force you to think about how you live your life. Though I received this as gift and did enjoy it, I do think it was a bit overpriced for the content.

This piece is very unlike Julia Cameron's other creations. The kit doesn't seem to have much substance - a far cry from the Artist's Way. I was very disappointed by this kit, and I would not recommend it to anyone who has already been through The Artist's Way.

I was fortunate to get a copy of this kit on sale for $5 at a metaphysical bookstore brand new. The Artist's Way Creativity Kit is very beautiful, complete with a small journal, incense, a circular cards with ideas on what to do for an artist date. That's pretty much the contents. It's simple and a great gift with the book. There really isn't a tool in the kit to help with promoting more creative output.