Customer Reviews

The Artist's Way

5 star:		(156)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

Funny, most of the reviews on this book are either ecstatic or disgusted. I see both sides. True, this woman DOES think she has reached it and knows absolutely everything; she tries to put the artistic process (for any artist, amateur or professional, in any medium) in a box; she tries to deny that being an artist has to involve any real work; she teaches you to be selfish; and she is awfully repetitive. THAT SAID, a few of her individual ideas are so epiphanic (is that a word?) that if you come to any one of them for the first time, you will have got more than your money's worth. Though the whole thing IS a bit wishy-washy and new-agey, and though some things she thinks are awfully vital just don't seem that huge to me, some of her points nevertheless can't be missed. It goes on an individual basis--some people really need some of this stuff, others have seen it before. Some of the exercises will show you something, some will seem silly. Give it a try, tailor it to your own needs. The people who will get the most out of this book are the many "silent poets" who have always wanted to try their hand at drawing or dancing or singing but who haven't because they've been afraid of failing or of looking silly. Those with a happy, fulfilling artistic life will roll their eyes over it-but they should realize it is written specifically for people who are dealing with a major block. It's only fair to consider it with that particular audience in mind.

This 229-page book is actually a course to free your creativity. The entire course is based upon the principle that the artist must have faith to be creative. It is the author's conviction that the Creator encourages creativity in all people.

The book is broken down into twelve weekly lessons. There are several miscellaneous sections. Each weekly lesson has tasks and exercises to be completed. Sidebars provide quotes and tidbits of information to uplift the soul. The divisions of the manual are as follow:

In the introduction, the author explains how she began teaching and eventually developed her seminars and lectures into a book.

Spiritual Electricity: The Basic Principles defines the ten spiritual principles, gives directions for using this course, and tells the reader what to expect from the course.

The Basic Tools introduces the two primary tools of the course: the morning pages and the artist date. The morning pages are three handwritten pages, penned in stream-of-consciousness, without looking back at the previous pages. The artist date is time set aside to be spent with your inner artist. There is even a creativity contract.

Week 1: Recovering a Sense of Safety deals with realizing what negative beliefs and hurts from the past are blocking or restricting your creativity and replacing them with positive affirmations.

Week 2: Recovering a Sense of Identity begins with a section called "Going Sane." It deals with the people you surround yourself with in life and how they exert negative influence over your creativity.

Week 3: Recovering a Sense of Power leaps right into anger management, shame, and dealing with criticism. It examines how most people are afraid that there is a God watching everything we do.

Week 4: Recovering a Sense of Integrity is about learning to distinguish between the mask you wear for the public and your real inner feelings. There are exercises in learning what you really want from life and in sensory deprivation.

Week 5: Recovering a Sense of Possibility begins with the following sentence: "One of the chief barriers to accepting God's generosity is our limited notion of what we are in fact able to accomplish." This lesson teaches us to break through those barriers.

Week 6: Recovering a Sense of Abundance will have you tossing out clothing and gathering rocks. It teaches us that there is abundance in our lives and that our creativity requires its own portion of luxury.

Week 7: Recovering a Sense of Connection covers jealousy, perfectionism, risk, and learning to listen to our inner artist.

Week 8: Recovering a Sense of Strength teaches us to turn loss into gain by metabolizing the pain into energy. There is an exercise to help the artist break out of the early patterning; to overcome the negativity of childhood.

Week 9: Recovering a Sense of Compassion deals with avoiding self-defeat and learning to logically deal with fears.

Week 10: Recovering a Sense of Self-Protection enlightens us about the spiritual demons we create to battle our creativity: workaholism, fame, competition, and drought.

Week 11: Recovering a Sense of Autonomy focuses on how to handle success, how to nurture the inner artist, and the connection between nurturing the inner artist and self-respect.

Week 12: Recovering a Sense of Faith reminds us of the pitfalls to our creativity and helps us learn to have faith.

The book ends with sections on questions and answers, creativity clusters, and forming a sacred circle.

Every artist should own a copy of this book and utilize it religiously! It is the kind of manual that can be used over and over again for continual growth. I highly recommend it and feel it is a vital tool for personal creative expansion.

Every time I pick up this book, I'm put off by the author's style -- it's so full of cutesy affectations, dumb little puns, and hokey metaphors repeated too many times -- the bad habits that good writing teachers steer their students away from. So it's hard for me to trust this person as a teacher of art-making, if writing is supposed to be her own art form and she does it so sloppily. Nevertheless, her course WORKS! Her style may rub you the wrong way, but the content is very effective. In the three years since I first read it and started doing the exercises, it's turned my creative life around, with astonishing results. So thank you, Julia Cameron, cutesy-wootsey prose and all.

I bought this book maybe 11 years ago. I'm drawn to books of this nature and I like journaling and introspection. But I don't think I've ever had the results I got from following this program.

In a nutshell, she asks that you write 3 pages longhand every morning, and take yourself out for something special once every week (artist dates). There are also weekly writing exercises and projects to do: "List 5 things you are not allowed to do. Now, do those things on paper: act it out, paint it, collage it, dance it", or, "If you had 5 other lives to lead, what would you do in each of them?", or, "List 5 favorite foods from your childhood. Buy yourself one of them this week".

It's a lot to keep track of, (especially the morning pages when you hate waking up in the mornings). But, it really did something. The combination of all these things made a difference in my life. At the time I did this program, I was completely lost. I had just moved to Bryce Canyon, Utah to get away from everybody I knew and to "find myself" (blech--hate that expression). I was all alone, working in the lodge, hiking, and reading. Then, I started playing piano again, which I hadn't tinkered with in years. There was a rec room in the employee dorms where I practiced. Then, someone heard me and asked if I wanted to play in the dining room, for tips. I did! When I got back to Vegas, I started taking lessons again. Then, I started teaching piano myself. I also began trying out for plays in community theater, something I hadn't done since elementary school. I ended up going back to school and getting a teaching license. I'm now a first grade teacher for the school district, and I love my job. I also perform sketch comedy and improv comedy, and I still play piano.

I can't attest that each and every one of these things is directly due to the Artist's Way program, but being in Utah following those steps sure felt like a turning point for me. I actually wrote Julia Cameron a thank-you letter. Now, there are newsgroups and bulleting boards on the internet where you can do the program with other people and talk to them about your progress. I'm a loner so that approach wouldn't work for me, but I think it's good for certain people.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book, if you think you can make the commitment to follow her suggestions.

I am a Julia Cameron fan; have several of her books and went through the Artist's Way with a group after seeing Ms. Cameron in person. However, as I read Ms. Cameron's books, hazy thoughts of another author/book tried to surface in my consciousness, and I recently found it! Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande is extraordinary. In this 1934-copyrighted book are the how-to's of "morning pages," the "artist's date" concept, and the importance of "walking"--the three hallmarks of Ms. Cameron's book (different vernacular, same plan). Off the top of my head I remember each book suggests going a long period of time without writing, so that when one finally writes again, the words flow. Several other shared ideas exist, but you get the idea.

Two points: First, if you love Artist's Way, you should get Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande--it distills many of Ms. Cameron's ideas into a shorter, beautifully written, not-God-centered (okay, one big difference) book. And two, in my humble opinion, Ms. Brande deserves more than a place in the Artist's Way bibliography.

After more than ten years of struggling as an artistic enabler of other people's dreams, I encountered Hal Karp. Hal had recently left his day job as a struggling (and somewhat miserable) waitperson to write as a staff writer for the Reader's Digest, a lifelong pursuit.

When I asked Hal what he had done to overcome the obstacles and achieve his goals, he looked me dead in the eye and said, "If you're serious about change, get The Artist's Way and do what it says. It changed my life."

I took Hal's advice, and formed a small group to work through the chapters of the book. I did most of the exercises, and wrote my Morning Pages. By the end of the book, I had truly swallowed some rather large chunks of truth about myself and the true spiritual nature of creativity.

And, in the process, almost without realizing it, I wrote my first full-length instrumental CD, "Rhythm/Pleasure". That CD has been in the Amazon Top 50 for both indie Jazz and Dance / DJ for several months as of the time of this writing, and is a shining tribute to the power of the message of Julia Cameron's work and spiritual philosophy. I could not have done it without her and I have chosen to credit her in the liner notes of that CD.

As it turns out, we are created in God's own image - not physically, but spiritually. We have creativity in common with God: a spiritual need to create something outside of ourselves which we love not for the pride of having created it, but simply for the beauty of the thing itself.

But don't take it from me. Read The Artist's Way, and discover it for yourself.

The practical advice in this book could help a person through an initial stage of getting out of the rut of low self-esteem, and the exercises Cameron gives are strictly structured, but fun. While it's unlikely that the book will be able to help a person to become an artist, it can certainly help a person to become more enthusiastic about life and, possibly, to find more of a sense of purpose and zest in life. Yes, this book could help a person to 'jump start' their dead battery.

So why do I give this two stars and a 'caution'? Here it is: over and over again, the author suggests that, when we follow a 'true' creative path, 'helping hands' tend to suddenly appear to guide us and 'synchronicity' tends to arrive on the scene to bring us serendipitous opportunities we never dreamed of or didn't expect. Well ... sorry folks, but life isn't always like that. Good, focused artistic people with a sense of purpose and drive can get crushed by illness, accidents, or lack of funding or support. Brutal and mean people without any spark of positive creative energy about them can make enormous strides and step on anyone in their way. I expect we have all, sadly, observed this in our lives -- we've all seen it happen. Sometimes, we have great luck in our lives, and sometimes we do not ... Sure, it's great when we are lucky, but I don't think it's wise to promote an idea that following this author's programme will increase the likelihood of good luck coming our way so that our lives will suddenly take off out of nowhere in a flurry of unexpected success and happiness. This is pretty naive -- and it's dangerous. By all means, we should live with joy and courage, and trust our creative intuition, but this needs to be grounded in reality and an understanding and acceptance of life in all its harshness and gentleness - the complete package, for all it is worth.

Another disturbing point: this book puts forward a kind of 'you shall know them by their fruits' attitude -- in other words, if someone is poor and unsuccessful, it is because they are just not being honest with themselves, not believing in themselves, or not having the guts to follow their star. The book suggests that if these unsuccessful people were being truly creative and following their true path, they would be receiving (sometimes out of nowhere, unexpectedly and mysteriously) all the help they need to reach their goal. This is nonsense. Compassion begins when we realise just how random life can be, how precious, and how ephemeral. Maybe knowing this is the beginning of a true artist's way.

When I first read this book, I was looking forward to what special things the author would bring to the table. I liked the ideas of "morning pages" and have always tried to do these long before I ever read this book. But the more I read it, the more I felt I was being led into a 12 step program for wounded artists instead of something that I could actually use.

I am not a wounded artist, so much of her examples don't really fit into my life or my writing. I don't write to validate my need to recover from any loss, damage or trauma. I write because I can. But the exercises are sound, and good and so, I read the book again from a different perspective.

Taking it only from a student point of view, and removing pretty much all of the "injured artist" material to the back, I found this book to be quite helpful.

My advice is, if you have a hard time writing and think it may be emotional, read this book in it's entirety. If you are just an artist who has found themselves in a sticky place, read the exercises. The book is great on both levels!

This is purely my personal perspective on this book. What I ultimately found after working exercises, doing morning pages and the artist's dates suggested in the book was that I found myself in a state of preparation to become an artist.

I know how to do that already, that was part of the problem. I found myself getting bogged down creatively, to be honest; doing the exercises, thinking and talking to friends about this wonderful process that was going to change my life radically, rather than spending my time drawing, etc.

What I have come to believe is that art is in the doing, and not in the preparation to do. If I want to be a visual artist, I should draw and study art. If I want to write, I should write a lot and read many books. If I want to be a good musician, I should practice my instrument and listen to good music.

And if I don't want to, then I don't have to either. It just turns out that I am not a happy person if I am not creatively engaged in some pursuit.

And understand that the real reason to do that is for the love of the doing of it. I really don't think I have that many creative enemies that are out to keep me from reaching my true creative potiential. If I did, I feel confident that I could still sneak away from them and do my own creative work on my own time, in spite of them if I want to. This is the gift of having free will.

This all having been said, it this book may still be helpful for some people. I may come back to it someday, and give it another try, but for now I am using that time to play my guitar.

The Artist's Way is the quintessential program since 1992 for artistic recovery. Pioneered by Julia Cameron, this book has spawned study groups around the world for artists who finally claimed their art. There is no better informal personal mentor than Julia Cameron for the writer or poet who seeks a wise guide to help them through the process of writing their art alive.

The Artist's Way is designed as a 12-week program in recovery of the soul of an artist. In an overly left-brain logical world many people turn away from their artistic calling by creating very powerful blocks to their expression. Writers become workaholics, poets turn into volunteer junkies, painters indulge in codependent relationships, singers shadow other artists in fear of their own work being "not good enough", and songwriters live a trauma-drama lifestyle rather than create lyrics about it. The difference between a floundering and thriving artist is the freeing up and satisfaction of creative energy. When a naturally creative person represses their muse it becomes like a spoiled inner child that lashes out against the world by manifesting in creative blocks, addictive behavior, and many other forms of intense distractions. To thrive as an artist it demands the cultivation of a lifestyle and people in one's life who support the artistic life. The Artist's Way builds the writers life from the inside while encouraging the elimination of poisonous playmates, shadow artist activity, crazymakers, and perfectionism among other things. If you are a writer who doesn't know where to start ... start with the Artist's Way because the practical tools are what you need to begin the journey to reclaiming your voice.

Cameron introduces the practice disciplines of Morning Pages, Artist's dates, and other tools to recover from a blocked life. Each week follows a particular theme similar to the program in Cameron's Vein of Gold. The 12 weeks described in the Artist's Way are: safety, identity, power, integrity, possibility, abundance, connection, strength, compassion, self-protection, autonomy, and faith. The intention of the program is to create in a person a commitment to their own art. For the writer, Cameron coaxes out the rut that many a wordsmith falls into. She tells you to give yourself permission to write badly, to make grammatical mistakes, to go with the flow of a stream of consciousness, and to just write three pages no matter how imperfect the words may be. The cure for the writer is to write. Cameron addresses not only the practical aspects of writers' block but some of the subconscious issues such as negative thinking that plagues many who yearn for the artistic life. This is a nurturing tool for those who are confronted by the very notion that they must be MORE of who they are rather than try to fit into a template of what they believe they should be.

Give the gift of a creative heart alive once more to yourself ... and you will be surprised in your dreams! I had heard of the Artist's Way in college and read a copy from time to time but when I really applied the practice in 2004 ... Cameron's informal mentoring did the trick to unblock my creative expression. My artistic dreams were focused on literary pursuits but a sudden interest in singing caught a life of its own when I joined a formal Artist's Way group composed of 7 people. Before I knew it the practice lead to a solo performance at a cancer benefit gala show in September 2006 where I sung "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack and was told I sounded alot like her. Nonetheless, if Cameron herself had told me in 2003 that I would be a singer ... even I would have laughed! The point is ... if you want your heart to lead the way ... allow the artist to thrive and express itself without intellectual editing ... and see your creative experiences soar!