The Sound of Paper [Hardcover]

Julia Cameron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2004

In this landmark book on the creative process, the bestselling author of The Artist's Way reveals the intricate soul work artists must undertake in order to find inspiration.

In The Sound of Paper, Julia Cameron delves deep into the heart of the personal struggles that all artists face. What can we do when we face our keyboard or canvas with nothing but a cold emptiness? How can we begin to carve out our creation when our vision and drive are clouded by life's uncertainties? In other words, how can we begin the difficult work of being an artist?

Drawing upon her many years of personal experience as both an artist and a teacher, Julia Cameron guides readers to a place where they can find the strength and courage to create. Demonstrating how this involves a process of constant renewal, of starting from the beginning, she writes, "When we are building a life from scratch, we must dig a little. We must be like that hen scratching the soil: 'What goodness is hidden here, just below the surface?' we must ask."

With exercises designed to develop the power to infuse one's art with a deeply informed knowledge of the soul, this book is an essential artist's companion from one of the foremost authorities on the creative process. Julia Cameron's most illuminating book to date, The Sound of Paper provides readers with a spiritual path for creating the best work of their lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Best known as the coauthor of The Artist's Way, creativity guru Cameron now offers a series of personal essays and exercises about working through creative droughts. She emphasizes the importance of acknowledging artist's blocks as a part of the creative process, but also "soldiering through" by continuing to show up "at the typewriter or the easel." In each essay, she invokes her own struggles to make time for creative work and avoid the traps set by the "inner censor." In "Getting at It," she writes that "[w]aiting for art to be easy, we make it hard. We take our emotional temperature and find ourselves below normal, lacking in resolve.... The truth is that getting at it makes it easier. Every day we write creates a habit of writing in us." In the exercise that follows, Cameron suggests that readers list five ways in which they have inched forward in a given day. Some pieces of advice are likely to resonate more with readers than others-and the author's straightforward message can seem one-note at times. But for novice artists looking for encouragement in an uninspired period, this volume could do the trick.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Since The Artist's Way (1992), Cameron has become a one-woman industry of aids to creativity, not unlike Martha Stewart guiding us to gracious living. Both adhere to the "do this each and every day" approach, both eagerly dispense prescriptions, and both are, to their respective constituencies, immensely popular. In her last book, Walking in This World (2002), Cameron provided techniques and exercises to help readers connect with the artiste naif within. Building on her precept that "there is room for art in any life we have," Cameron even brings the dark night of the soul--that philosophical/spiritual/religious/artistic crisis of faith that truth seekers and artists from St. John of the Cross to F. Scott Fitzgerald have grappled with for centuries--under her scrutiny. When potential artists face emptiness within, discouragement can all too readily verge on despair, keeping us from finding the strength and courage to create. Cameron's empowering exercises may lead to greater self-knowledge and, perhaps, if practiced regularly and with devotion, even to soul-deep consciousness. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher; First Edition edition (January 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585422886
• ISBN-13: 978-1585422883
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #536,738 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Julia Cameron has been an active artist for more than thirty years. She is the author of twenty-eight books, fiction and nonfiction, including her bestselling works on the creative process: The Artist's Way, Walking in This World, Finding Water, and The Writing Diet. A novelist, playwright, songwriter, and poet, she has multiple credits in theater, film, and television.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another winner from Cameron!, January 19, 2004

By 

Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sound of Paper (Hardcover)

I've been a fan of Julia Cameron since The Artist's Way, and this book makes a welcome addition to the series. Here Cameron focuses on getting past creative blocks: what to do when you feel empty inside. Or, as she writes, "the making of art when we feel we have no art in us."

After you've read Cameron, the narrative sections serve as gentle reminders. The bottom line is always the same: No matter how you feel, get to your workshop and start working! Don't worry about who will respond to your efforts -- just do the work.

Cameron is no gentle New Age dreamer. She tolerates no excuses. There's always something you can do, she says; you can find ten minutes to clean the kitchen each day.
And to get moving, she urges a commitment to continuity and structure. Structure might include the famous Morning Pages. They might include your own routine or ritual. But at the heart of creativity, she implies, is determination and discipline. Behind nearly all overnight successes you will find years of hard work and discouragement.

Cameron's exercises will keep anyone busy and productive. As she herself says, each reader makes unique choices when identifying the most helpful exercises. Some are fairly straightforward, even ordinary ("20 wishes") and some surprising and insightful ("write about yourself in the third person").

I must admit I sometimes find myself counter-arguing. Thinking of five situations that unexpectedly worked out well doesn't help me trust the present: I welcome luck but don't encourage anyone to count on it!

And I am confused by Cameron's example of exploring positive aspects of a negative situation. When someone criticizes your play, you can make some changes that lead to a better work. All too true -- but some negative situations don't "fix" that easily.

I read this book along with Judith Sills's new book, The Comfort Trap. These authors came from very different backgrounds but their guidance seems remarkably similar. Both urge a nearly identical program of discipline and commitment to structure and both authors write intelligently, from experience. Same message -- very different packaging!

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing, Invigorating: Julia Cameron Keeps Improving!, February 10, 2004

By 

Julie Jordan Scott "Writer, Life Coach - Owne... (Bakersfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sound of Paper (Hardcover)

I am a big fan of Julia Cameron's. My copy of "The Artist's Way" is tattered and written in so much I would probably do well to get another copy.

It has been life changing for me -- and yet her tone tends to annoy me in this earlier work of hers.

In comes "Walking in this World" -- much calmer writing with same approach -- a 12 week writing/life discovery course.

Many people I knew had challenges with staying the course over the entire 12 weeks which brings us to this new book which does not have a week-by-week approach, instead it reminds me more of a Natalie Goldberg approach: short, easy to digest chapters followed by an application step or a "try this" where the reader gets to DO SOMETHING from the lessons of the chapter.

I remember when I was younger I used to go to James Taylor concerts every summer. I always knew I would get a quality show and as I aged along with JT, it just got better.

Same thing is true here: Julia Cameron is more human, more true, more approachable and more - dare I say it - loveable? than she has been in the past.

It is difficult to express what a treasure this book is to me already, even in the week or so I have owned it.

I know I will go back to it repeatedly and it will become probably even more worn and jaded than The Artist's Way. I have already been recommending it to every Julia Cameron fan I know and I would like to run and hug and kiss my friend who recommended it to me!

What I love is that for people who could not see themselves committing to 12 weeks of work can easily commit to choosing a chapter (one of my friends just opens the book and reads wherever it opens!) and spending three minutes with the chapter itself and then, when inspired, do the additional work Cameron offers.

I can't say it enough. You'll just have to buy this book and see for yourself.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A less-biased review, May 7, 2005

By 

TheCafeWriter (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Sound of Paper (Hardcover)

I'm more of a moderate fan than other reviewers here. As one reviewer points out, much of it is already in "The Artist's Way," though I liked how she described the basic tools (morning pages, artist's date, walks) much more concisely.

The focus of the book is vague but taken together, many of the exercises are a hodge-podge of lifetime goal-setting, overcoming procrastination, self-analysis, and finding creative outlets.

Some exercises, though, appear aimless - more like "busy work" - and their purpose remained unexplained throughout the book. For example, why am I making "a collage of the present moment?" Moment meaning this day? This hour? This 'place' in my life? What will I do with it? What will I do with it tomorrow or should I make another one then? Another example: listing 25 things that represent success and sophistication to you. Why? Am I to analyze this list, realize it, or revise it?

This book is fine if you're seeking journaling material or ways to add a little fun in your life in general. But in that sense, it's just one of many (such as Charlotte Davis Kasl's "Finding Joy," or most anything by Sark) and doesn't really stand out.

As for procrastination or goal-setting, I'd recommend a more focused book than this - perhaps one by Barbara Sher, Marsha Sinetar, Eric Maisel, Jeff Davidson, or even one of the books by Ron Rubin and Stuart Avery Gold.