Embarking on “The Artist’s Way”
I have a terrible habit I am ashamed to admit. It doesn’t align with my image. It makes me feel like I am someone who cannot be trusted, cannot be relied upon. Someone whose word is not worth its salt. I have let many down, I will inevitably let down more and I feel deeply sorry. I’m working on it, but this habit is hard to break.
I am a chronic book beginner, but rarely a book finisher.
Despicable, I know.
Look at my bookshelf or swipe through my kindle library and you will find a graveyard of half finished books, marked exactly where I left off ten, twelve months ago. Unfinished. Unsatisfied. Unread.
I fully intend to return to these books and give them the read they deserve. I’m just easily distracted. There are plenty of books I have finished but often it’s done in one of two ways. Maybe the book is short enough and my attention span long enough that I tear through the book in a week no problem. Returned to the library in no time at all. Or, and this is often the case, I begin a book, read it on and off for a couple weeks, then see that a book I’ve been waiting for is available to check out, or I find another book I was looking for in a secondhand shop, and the one I was reading is left to collect physical or virtual dust until I return to after a lengthy hiatus.
All this to say: I’ve started a new book. I believe I first saw it on a listicle of “essential books every artist should read” or maybe I saw it on booktok. I don’t remember, I just know I requested to check it out two months ago through the ebook library, and last week it was finally available for me. Needless to say, I dropped whatever else I was reading and began this book. It’s “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron. This year is its thirtieth anniversary so a special edition has been released. I’m not sure what’s different about the thirtieth anniversary edition but I can say the book itself feels special.
I’ve already begun doing some of the exercises described in the book, namely the two essential tools: The Morning Pages and The Artist Date.
The Morning Pages are a daily practice. Every morning I get up and fill three pages of a notebook with every thought that pops into my head. It’s writing in a stream of consciousness, unedited. You’re supposed to write non-stop, with minimal distraction until you have filled those three pages. And you don’t look back at the pages until much later down the line. The intention is to essentially empty your brain of all the clutter and center yourself. It’s a meditation, it’s a journal, and it’s a brain cleaning service all in one! I went out and bought a cheap composition book to start my pages. I am now on day five and I have really noticed a difference in my focus after I do the pages. I feel more motivated, less overwhelmed, and more open to creativity.
The other essential tool is The Artist Date, which is a weekly activity you take yourself on that is meant to spark creativity. It can be a visit to a museum or an art gallery. It can be a trip to the theater or the movies. It can also be a fun little craft you do for yourself. It is essential that you carve out the time to do an activity that tickles the little artistic parts of your brain. I went on my first Artist Date a few days ago and I will share more about it later. The Artist Date is already something I had sort of integrated into my life. Living in New York there’s art everywhere so date ideas are easy to find, but making the dates mandatory gives me even more of an excuse to spend my time exploring the surrounding art and culture.
Other than the two essential tools, there is a set of exercises you are tasked with completing each week to explore your artistic self in the course. These make up your lessons. I am in the process in completing my first lesson this week and I will come back with reports of my personal findings. I’m excited to work with this book and spend time meditating with my creativity. Check back later for updates!
All my love,
Madeline