Customer Reviews

The Sound of Paper

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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!

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.

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.

Although I have been irritated by some of the references to JC's wonderful life in previous books - even as I found her advice invaluable, there is not a trace of ego here. Rather there is a gentle and compassionate approach to helping writers - and creators of all stripes - with being "blocked." Although Cameron has written at length about this subject elsewhere, I was impressed with her ability to find new ways of exploring this problem that probably not a single writer hasn't encountered.

As someone with a strong self-critical and perfectionistic streak, I appreciated Cameron's approach to addressing writer's block and other obstacles that can appear in the path of a creator and stop him/her dead. I highly recommend this book, especially for those tangled in depression, doubt and negativity around the subject of their art.

If you have read _The Artist's Way_, you will recognize many of the exercises in this book. That's not necessarily a bad thing; it may inspire you to try them again in a new context, but if you are expecting all-new material from Julia Cameron, you won't get it. That said, her essays written over the course of a year take you on the path of creativity with her. Because it is a journey, if you sit down and read this book in a week, you'll have a good picture of the author's journey, but if you want to gain as an artist, that's not the way to use this book. Read a little, try some of the suggested exercises, take what you can use at this time in your life.

If you've never read any of Julia Cameron's work before, I don't recommend this as an introduction; read _The Artist's Way_ first. In this book, she does not explore in depth some of the concepts that she assumes the reader will take for granted (such as a belief in God -- in _Artist's Way_, she better explains how she views the concept of "God" in a way that even an atheist might buy into).

I enjoyed reading the author's thoughts, but never having lived in NYC or ever wanting to, sometimes I had trouble relating to her perspective in the way she illustrated those thoughts. Still, the exercises allow you to relate the ideas she brings up to your own experience, and that makes the book an interesting tool in one's own creative journey.

This book of essays follows the familiar path of Cameron's non-fiction writing, teaching writers how to deal with themselves and their work. Roughly following the cycle of a year, first living in New York and then retiring to her summer retreat in Taos, New Mexico, Cameron covers the ins and outs of a writer's life.

Unlike The Artist's Way and others, this is not a workbook, divided into a series of weekly exercises. While each essay has a quick "Try this" section, they are gentle proddings to think further about the essay you have just read. This is not a book to be swallowed whole in one sitting. I found myself reading 1 or 2 essays and then spending a bit of time absorbing what I just read. It was a fine companion for 3-4 weeks as I dipped into it again and again.

I have enjoyed Cameron's other books, so I was pre-disposed to read her latest. There is a highly spiritual element to these essay if not specifically religious. Here idea of "The Great Creator" might put off some readers, but if they supply their own verison of the "creator" that they relate to, this helps to put the essays into perspective.

Cameron takes a gentle hand with writers, not giving them full rein to be obnoxious parodies of how they think writers should act, but giving them and understanding on how they are different from those around them. Understanding, even from a distant writer of books, can be a well-spring of relief to an isolated writer wondering if they are crazy.

Maybe you aren't an artist in the usual sense. Maybe your canvas is simply your day....how you feel about it, how you live in it, how you experience it. BUY THIS BOOK! It is comforting. It is inspiring. It is exciting. It is fun. It is challenging. I simply cannot say enough about how much I am enjoying it. If you are a fan of examining your inner life and your creativity, this is one for you! Thank you Julia.

Cameron is one of the most intimate informal writing mentors for people at any stage of artistic recovery and reclaiming. The Sound of Paper brings the journey to a level of essence - if your essence is to write then Cameron shares her experiences of the highs and lows. An addition to any tool kit in the creativity box of artistic living. Another great find is The Artist's Way Kit... jammed with ideas of how to date yourself, conceive, and give birth to your stories.

This book came at a great time for me, hitting me where I live and reminding me why I so appreciate (and am grateful to) Julia Cameron. The short essays in this book make for easy inspirational reading whenever you need it -- you can pick it up and start almost anywhere, which is handy. But don't let the short length of the essays diminish the great things this book as a whole is capable of conveying to writers who are suffering creative blocks. There's also a great deal of wisdom here for professional writers who are feeling uprooted and/or unappreciated after months of bleeding on their pages. A must for writers who've been on the path a while and are thirsty for companionship and understanding.

Julia Caeron writes as if she read my mind and then answered questions I didn't quite know how to formulate. This newest book seems to have arrived just when I needed to hear the words. Other reviewers have also said so much that is true & what I want to say and I'm trying not to be redundant. I appreciate her honesty, her willingness to put herself smack in the middle of her writing, her fearlessness ... her voice is clear & true. And no matter what your 'art' is, her words inspire you to take yourself seriously & have faith in yourself. Can't imagine taking this trip without her. Thank you Julia!