Customer Reviews

Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance

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I received a copy of FINDING WATER as a gift almost two weeks ago, and already I can feel it working in my life. I've loved THE ARTIST'S WAY and have done it twice. A couple of years ago I did the sequel, WALKING IN THIS WORLD, which I actually thought was even better than the first book, and really helped me to bring my creativity into the world. Now, with the third book of the trilogy, I can say that it came into my life just when I needed it. It does use the same basic tools that the other two books use, but it deals specifically with finding the strength within to keep going forward, to keep finding inspiration, to keep growing artistically and spiritually. The writing is beautiful, the exercises are challenging (in a good way), and the result for me so far has been a sense of renewal, and of re-connecting to my creative life. I'm doing it with my original Artist's Way group -- we've traveled together for a long time now -- and all of us feel the same way about FINDING WATER: it's great.

I agree that Ms. Cameron's current book sounds more like a cry for help than words of advice. After a life-changing experience of "The Artist's Way" for me and others, the exercises provided in "Finding Water" seem more rote and mechanical than truly enlightening. While there is some artistic merit to the book, I found it to be more of a disappointment than a true creative inspirational piece. A group of friends who formed because of "The Artist's Way" have read the book as a group and have found it to be a big disappointment.

The third in Ms. Cameron's trilogy continues her writing legacy. I'll get my bias right out front -- I purchased dozens of "The Artist's Way" more than a decade ago, and continue to gift friends with "The Vein of Gold" and "Walking in the World." Hers are about the only books I buy in hardback because I know I'll return to them again and again. It's not just the guidance that makes her books so compelling. Her phrasing, syntax, ability to draw the reader into her environment and circumstances, makes me keep coming back for more. She is a great story teller, as well as generous with her insights.

That said, her third volume is a bit like watching a train wreck. Especially Chapter 5, as we enter the abyss with her, I began to feel some cracks in the foundation of daily pages and artist's dates. It appears that Ms. Cameron is struggling with her own advice -- "keep the drama on the page." And some of us may feel our own resolve begin to crumble. But as the book progresses, the theme of perseverance certainly proves its value.

Those of us who feel we know Ms. Cameron recognize instantly why she would be walking on mental eggshells. Not only is she not going back to Taos this summer, but she also has chosen to close out her artist's series with this third book. Readers will miss both, and in that knowledge share a small bit of the grief that Ms. Cameron must be experiencing.

This new book is GREAT, and it's a logical topic for artists in general and fans of the AW process in particular. (I don't know HOW the previous reviewer could glance at this book in a store and then patently put it down so quickly!) I'm only 66 pages into it, and it's full of wisdom, tips, quotes and exercises, all geared at helping you keep discouragement at bay. Making art is most often lonely and isolating, and its so easy to fall into negative mind-traps... This book is also interesting because it seems more personal and revelatory--it reads almost like her personal diary, so we learn that Julia herself still struggles with her "inner critic" on what seems like a daily basis; and this is after 40 years as an artist and creativity teacher! I find this pretty comforting as I enter my 5th year of practicing my artform and SO wanting to take it to the next level. I can't put this book down, and I plan on reading the 2nd book (Walking in this World) as soon as I'm done with this one. So I may be a little out of logical sequence, but it's all part of the Big Picture as far as I'm concerned. If you have trouble persevering when the going gets tough, I urge you to order this immediately--you really won't be sorry--I think this woman's greatest gift is her ability to nurture the creative spirit in others, with practical, real-world advice.

Finding Water is the third book in Julia Cameron's trilogy on the creative process which began with The Artist's Way and Walking in This World. I was stalled on a project and looked to Cameron to see what she had to say about sticking to a task once that initial flush of excitement has passed. I thought she would have the magical answers. After all, she has produced some 25 books and has multiple credits in theatre, film, and television.

Guess what. There is nothing magical. The answer is really quite ordinary. Whether you live in a New York high-rise (as Cameron does), or in the Pacific Northwest (as I do), you still have to show up at the empty page, alone, preferably every day. Cameron does the laundry, the dishes, takes the dogs for a walk and to the vet, just like the rest of us. Just because she has published many books doesn't mean she doesn't have to carry out the tasks of everyday life.

"Okay, God, you take care of the quality. I will take care of the quantity." That's the sign Cameron posts at her writing station. She offers the basic tools she has included in all of her books on writing: morning pages, artist dates and walking.

Morning pages, as you may have read in Cameron's earlier books, are three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing, done in the early morning for about half an hour. They're designed to get the kvetching out of your head and onto the page. Morning pages aren't necessarily all bad news, however. Sometimes you find in them the glimmer of a new idea. In this way, the pages become a "gentle mentor."

Artist dates can bring a sense of enchantment and connect you "to a larger and more fascinating world than our normal beaten path," Cameron says. On one artist date, she visits The American Museum of Natural History close to her Upper West Side apartment in Manhattan. You could visit an art gallery, a fabric store, a photo exhibit or see a movie in French with subtitles.

"Solvitur ambulando," St. Augustine is said to have remarked. "It is solved by walking." Cameron recommends walking to increase our creativity. That's when the "sorting process" begins. When we walk by ourselves, we "soon sense that the Divine is close at hand."

There you are: the tools. In each chapter, organized to cover twelve weeks of creative persevering, Cameron asks if you have done your morning pages, your artist date and your weekly walk. To carry the water theme throughout, in sections called Divining Rod, Cameron poses questions and prompts to help readers identify their Inner Censor (for instance) or exploring the art forms they could practice if they took the "easy does it" approach. "Remember, the Grand Canyon was carved a drop at a time." Cameron reminds us in her chapter, "Uncovering a Sense of Perspective." Having visited the Grand Canyon recently, I'd say that's a lot of drops!

Although Cameron's life may sound glamorous to those of us who don't live in New York City and who haven't published several books, it isn't. She struggles to earn a living just as we do, those of us trying to earn a living from our creativity. She has extra challenges, too: alcoholism, depression, and three breakdowns. I think she's a truly amazing woman and I applaud her for her courage and perseverance. She is a sober alcoholic who has learned to live each day very carefully, with writing, walking, praying, and contenting herself with "small amounts of progress." "All of the stratagems I have learned to apply to the artist's life come straight out of the toolkits I have acquired to maintain my sobriety," she says.

Besides using her own suggested tools, Cameron writes three pages a day on whatever project is at hand, whether it's a screenplay, a nonfiction book or a novel. After she reaches this quota, she is free to do something else, such as visit with friends or take in a movie. She wants to wear her identity as a writer as "a garment worn more loosely" and to approach writing as part of normal life. That approach she says, has "served me very well." Just as she doesn't let the laundry or the dishes pile up, she doesn't let the writing pile up either.

Cameron admits that she has found it necessary to repeat herself in this book. But what she repeats is important to our creative lives. The "small and gentle daily actions" lead to the large accomplishments. She waits at the keyboard to hear "what wants to come into being." I had to be reminded that there are really no magical answers. It is with a regular and committed practice that the magic can occur. I am grateful to have Finding Water as a companion and aim to commit to those three pages a day.

by Mary Ann Moore
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

As an avid reader of Julia's material and a writer who has been encouraged and spurred on by her words, I must say that Finding Water offers an even gentler voice than her earlier work. Yes, the advice is sound. Yes, her ideas and suggestions are a true ministry to those of us seeking encouragement and positive words as we strive to let our creative self free in a stifling world. Yet, for me, there is joy in reading her excellent prose - of relishing her descriptive scenes - of hearing her soothing voice emanate from the page. Julia not only shares her wisdom, she expresses it with a creative and loving flourish all her own. She is a beautiful writer - both concise and poetic. Finding Water reflects on some messages from her earlier work - but the way these truths are expressed is, in itself, worth the read. They cannot be repeated too often.

Ms. Cameron writes in a lyrical almost poetic prose that teaches the art of creativity without delving into a boring lecture. Over the forty years that she has been a writer she has written plays and movies, poetry and prayer books, books on spirituality and fiction, but mostly she has written books on creativity.

After a hard time with alcohol, drugs, failed marriage (to Martin Scorsese) she seems to have found a world that works for her. (For more on her life, read her memoir 'Floor Sample: A Creative Memoir'.) It seems to combine a spiritual view towards creativity 'The music ... was dictated to me by God. I was merely ... putting it on paper ....' - Puccini regarding Madama Butterfly; with the more practical approach that you have to actually sit down and work at it. Even Puccini had to take pen in hand and put the music on paper.

In this book, she talks of her life, thoughts, feelings, along with a hints and tips that have worked for her in maintaining her work as a writer. It's hard to say that this approach is going to work for you, it is easy to say that her books, her approach to creativity have appealed to a lot of people. As for spicing up my own creativity, I honestly haven't decided just yet. I do know that if I don't use a measure of discipline and perseverance by sitting here at the keyboard, nothing happens.

(An excerpt from my interview with Julia Cameron, see more on Amapedia)

Q:How does Finding Water complete the Trilogy set by The Artist's Way and Walking in this World?
A:You have to think of an artist's career in three stages: (1) The Artist's Way gets someone up on their feet and running with their creativity, (2) Walking in this World deals with the problems and situations of being an artist in the trenches, and (3) Finding Water is about the necessary discipline and spirit needed to keep one moving on in their career. The books are complementary with one another.

Q:Can an Artist go back and forth between the books?
A:A person with perseverance can rework The Artist's Way to jumpstart their creativity once again. Each set of tools in the different books reflects my own growth as an artist. For example, over the past seven years I have been working on a musical called Magellan. I needed to develop a "stick-to-it-ness" being such an active artist. This is a lesson I learned and now can turn around and teach.

Q:What are the 12 weeks of the Finding Water program designed to do for the artist? The Artist's Way, The Vein of Gold, and Walking in This World had this same 12 week format.
A:The book starts, as all the others do, with a basic set of tools that predate the weeks. They are common to all the books because in my 25 years of teaching, I discovered that if people just do these tools they experience a "see change". A "see change" is an awakening and a dramatic shift in their expression.

Q:Why does this see change happen?
A:The artist is essentially building a spiritual tool kit. The morning pages are a way of sending expression, the artists' dates are a means of receiving, and the walking is a form of integrating. The combination of all three is very powerful.

Q: In your 30 plus years of being a thriving professional artist why does the art of perseverance develop in some artists but not others?
A: This is a cultural problem. We live in a culture of instant hits and overnight successes. There are not many role models for going the distance. Americans are very different from Europeans. Artists have much longer careers in Europe. The people who persevere are people who have found their way to the same tools. These people also found an encouraging group of friends, were lucky with an agent and manager, and developed a cheering section and sense of community. This is pivotal in going the distance. Just like the 22 mile mark in a marathon, this support community of friends cheers you across the finish line. You need a lot of support for the process and the small steps but we have been culturally trained to think in giant steps. An artistic career is built on many tiny steps such as "I wrote three morning pages today".

Q:Explain the concept of the Diving Rod that you describe in Finding Water. How do people get such a vicious inner censor?
A:I think sometimes it is installed by a jealous teacher or an overly cautious parent. It is not always installed on purpose. In our culture we know a great deal about taking things apart. American schools criticize instead of build. Someone experiences a harsh teacher and they internalize it. A teacher may have only pointed out what was wrong and never said something was brilliant or wonderful. Maybe all the authority figures in a person's life were critical and now as an artist they bring this internalized message to bear on their works in its fledging stage. This is precisely when the inner censor needs to stand aside.

Q:How does the Diving Rod work in Finding Water?
A:Diving rods are a whole series of tools. Each essay in the book has a separate rod related to the exact passage a person has just finished reading, such as optimism or how to find the positive or beautiful in life. All the rod metaphors are carefully matched up with an essay.

Q:In the United States you see parents who push their kids to be stars and the public sees really young artists that make astronomical earnings and receive huge exposure. How does that impede on the collective psyche of Artists?
A:We definitely place an emphasis on product rather than process. When writing a book we wonder about the odds of being published and may just give up then. We are a culture that notices paychecks. If you read coverage of the arts they always talk of the artist's earning power or the actor's salaries. The regular civilian who is just beginning to practice an art form sees this and may think I am not really an artist unless I make millions. It is discouraging. The mythology is that real artists do art full time. Day jobs have long supported real artists. Virginia Woolfe ran a printing press, T.S. Eliot worked in a bank, Raymond Chandler sold insurance. We don't talk about these role models in this light.

Q:Some Artists I have met called themselves selfish ... what are your thoughts in the context of your comments on sobriety in Finding Water?
A:I think that if you work with creativity tools they make you more user-friendly. Working out of the fearful ego and self-centeredness grounds your work in comparison instead of how you are doing. I think that a lot of the ego and artists in the context of sobriety has to do with this being the first generation of sober artists. Sobriety is ego deflation and an awakening to higher forces. Those higher forces come into play when we are creative. Artists throughout the centuries have spoken of this. Brahms spoke straight away about a creative idea coming from God. Puccini also made reference to this. Artists have talked about divine inspiration. Nowadays we call this the muse. As you progress in your work and sobriety you do have an experience, even agnostic artists have had this, of being part of a larger something. The painting paints through you.

Q:Another myth of artists past and present who have achieved legendary status are those of people whose lives reflected the pattern of being emotionally tortured to create art that captured hearts everywhere. What do you make of this?
A:I think artists can learn to be happy. I think of the mythology of an angry young man making art. Watch the trajectory in filmmakers by looking at the careers of some Europeans. They produced lots of angry films and then create work with a sense of humor. When they were old men they made films that had this benevolent detachment. There is a progression of all the arts. The New York Times ran a week long piece on Judy Collins and how her work has a timeless trajectory.

Q:You have said that fame and competition is a spiritual drug ... is this why you have a practice of writing a humble letter to God in Finding Water?
A:I think fame is a spiritual drug, a test, and very very difficult. When you read the tabloids you learn how hard it is. People don't screw up on purpose, they don't enter into a marriage expecting to divorce, people implode under the stress of fame. Working with a spiritual toolkit (Buddhist, 12 step, etc) helps people stay grounded.

Q:Finding Water talks a lot about the power of friendship in art but unfortunately some artists don't have any positive reference point of a nurturing relationship. What can they do if they have no experiential template so they can be on their way?
A:I would urge them to forge Artist's Way groups or join Arts Anonymous. What they are looking for is "believing mirrors", who mirror back their strengths, positive attributes, and potentialities rather than doubts, discouragements, and pessimism. They want to have an open mind of where to find this kind of help. It could be someone in their 80's or their grandmother.

Q:What is the fastest remedy to a fear of success that you have come to know?
A:Morning pages are the answer to this. They are very grounding. One becomes conscious of delight in their current actual life and feels a sense of continuity. The divining rod is to do grounding actions. People who get famous should fold their own laundry, do their own mending, clean their own house because all these actions ground us. These are the very things often successful people delegate.

Q:Why are feelings not facts as you explore in week 6: uncovering a sense of resolve? Sometimes artists have feelings that are so intense they really can seem true.
A:People can have an enormous self-contempt and self-loathing and these things rear in their heads as they progress in art. It is a saboteur to success. Go on a walk or go on an artist's date because they are concrete self-nurturing activities. Do a contrary action. Doing something self-caring like getting good groceries or scrubbing the bathroom don't sound connected to creativity but they are.

Q:Do you see any redemption for some of the not so nice elements that create artists sabotage in American culture? Fame and Hollywood are American inventions. Can some of the elements of Europe that foster longer careers be adopted over the Atlantic?
A:Yes. Somewhere between 2 to 3 million people are currently working the Artist's Way in North America. What has happened is that people have also forged groups in cyberspace, Artist's Way blogs, meetups, and this is a sort of grassroots movement to dismantle the toxic culture. People have told me "I worked your tools and here is what I published". I feel that we made a definite dent. I am hoping that will continue to be progressive.

Q: The Artist's Way groups are independent and you don't receive royalties. Why did you choose this route?
A: I wanted it to follow the archetype of AA which is a free program but one is welcome to make a donation. This is exactly what I wanted to do so all people needed was a book and the desire. They just find a friend and a group. I was offered a franchise opportunity and it was a controversial decision that was met with personal criticism. It has made me work hard as an artist and I wouldn't change my decision. I wanted as many artists as possible to have access to the program. If I had licensed it, it would have taken me out of my own art work, I would have had to start administering over fees. I didn't want to become corporate and regulating. This would have pulled me away from my own career. I felt that I could be the most useful as a floor sample of my own tool kit.

Come on! I love Julia but she needs to mine a new field or a new subject. Her last several books have rehashed and rephrased and retaught the same tools over and over and o....

A writer needs to refocus the lens and she's been living off the laurels of AW for too long. WHERE'S THE CREATIVITY IN ALL THESE REHASHES? It starts to smack of commercialism when you dont ever plow new ground. She's just making more bucks off of the same material.

I have several of Julia's books any they have all proven to be great. The tools I have learned have become part of my daily routines. Morning pages are a must. Her new book "Finding Water" has helped me "keep on keeping on", when the going gets tough. Her experiences and tools motivate me constantly to continue growing spiritually and artistically. And what's best, I'm learning how to enjoy the creative process. Thank you Julia!!!