My love-hate relationship with the Artist’s Way

I have a love-hate relationship with Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way. I know it’s considered one of the bibles for accessing your creativity - and I’ve struggled completing it for almost as long as it’s been published (*cough, 25+ years). THIS time, however, I’m working through it with a friend. It’s been a lot easier to work through it with someone, and at the same time it can be frustrating AF. This time, however, I think I’m figuring out how to embrace it - it involves listening to your own inner voice and not following this book like it’s the be all/end all to your creative enlightenment.

There are two tasks that she claims are essential for this work. One is doing daily Morning Pages, writing three free-form pages of whatever comes to mind when you first wake up in the morning. I’ve tried in the past to do this several times and was never able to stick with it. I truly disliked getting up first thing and doing this. It didn’t feel natural or organic and I would give up within a month. The second task is going on weekly Artist Dates, where you go on your own somewhere that interests you (it doesn’t have to be art/creative related) and observe and explore. In the past I usually would do one or two of these dates and like the Morning Pages, they would fall away.

After thinking about it, I began to understand why: it felt like work. It felt like an school assignment. And I’m not going to lie, some of how Julia Cameron writes in this book is a little shame-y (sorry Julia). I realized that a lot of my creativity was trapped in rule-following and people-pleasing and that the last thing that would help me was following this book exactly as subscribed. So, I’ve to started give myself a break.

My intention has been to write my Morning Pages Daily, but if I miss a day, I hold compassion and understanding for myself. If I don’t write all three prescribed pages, I allow myself compassion for writing what works for me on that day. I do the pages not right when I wake up, but when I’m ready to write. If I miss an Artist Date one week, I let myself off the hook and do one small thing that shows myself I matter. It doesn’t have to be something big.

Taking that pressure off myself to follow the rules has been a game-changer. It lets just enough air in so that I actually look forward to doing the Morning Pages and planning Artist Dates. I get through each chapter small steps at a time and only do the exercises that speak to me. I give myself choice and agency of what I want to do to feel safe and foster my own creativity.

I’ve also realized I can come back to this book again and again and don’t have to do it all at once. That each time it would settle in me a different way and send a different message. And that was ok. Being able to be self-compassionate with myself and learning how to approach my creativity with love versus rules and shame is what moves me forward and through the brilliancy of all Artist’s Way offers.

Creativity is so personal. It’s beautiful, scary, bold, lonely, full, and brave. When your creative voice starts feeling constricted by shame shame and rules, it’s so important to step back and show yourself the love and compassion you and your creativity deserves, just as you get to show compassion and love for all parts of you and your life. You get to embrace it YOUR artist’s way.

Onward….