The Artist’s Way, published in the nineties is probably one of the most well-known books on the subject of creativity. One of the reasons why I believe it has been so popular is because the author, Julia Cameron, invites the readers to transform from within.
The book leads you one small step at a time to find your spiritual and creative centre. It is filled with plenty of exercises for personal reflection and encouraging words for creativity. If readers are willing to dive in and dig deep into this process as a new way of living, it will inevitably lead to a transformation from within.
All transformation is, in fact, a form of healing, whether it is physical or emotional, they are often inseparable. Now think about this, while I was preparing for this article, I discovered that the book was originally titled “Healing the Artist Within”.
In truth, we are all artists in life. Our life is like a canvas as we all have the ability to create and to amaze.
Creativity is A Gift
Being creative is not restricted by any means, it is our birthright and part of who we are as humans. We long to be creative, our brains love novelty and our body needs change.
In the book, Cameron wrote, “Creativity is God’s gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.”
The book has a strong focus on spirituality as it is based on the experience and lesson learned by Cameron who has recovered from her depression and addiction. A key part of it involves believing that creativity has a spiritual origin.
The reader is invited to make a commitment to read a chapter of the book each week, for 12 weeks, and to establish two key new habits in your life:
There are other exercises at the end of each chapter. But these two are key.
Daily Morning Pages
The idea is to write 3 pages every morning, without censoring yourself. You just keep writing, no matter what pops into your head. The writings aren’t meant to be re-read, and Cameron strictly forbids you to share them with anyone else. The point is to be completely honest and real.
The author describes the 'Pages' as a form of meditation, the sole purpose of which is to get all the noise in your head out onto the page and thus leaving you more clear-minded. Essentially this exercise asks you to write a splurge of words in the morning, which in turn creates the space you need to allow the spark of creativity to be re-ignited.
A Weekly “Artist Date”
This is about setting a block of time, perhaps a few hours weekly, especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artist. Cameron says this is equally as important to the Morning Pages as a way of opening yourself to inspiration.
I have no problem getting on with my "Artist Date', in fact, I think I have been doing that quite regularly without knowing it. For me, it is my “follow your bliss” time. It is often about reading or writing that sparks my interests, and now it is so built-in that it is a natural part of me.
Avoiding Trouble
Over the years, I have not been consistent with doing the Morning Pages, however, I must say, those mornings I did, I was definitely more clear-headed and somehow “relieved” with the “weight” on my mind.
I read an interview between Cameron and another writer who said he often goes back to the Morning Pages when he is in trouble, and Cameron simply replied: “Perhaps if you keep doing the Morning Pages, you may not be in trouble in the first place.” I thought that was rather clever and true. It is similar to looking after ourselves, not just when we have time, but as a daily habit.
Being creative is part of our needs. It creates a form of outlet and it forms a part of our healing. Just like most things in life, healing is a process, not a single event or on/off switch. To truly look after our well-being, we need to allow ourselves to be creative, not just every now and then, but regularly and fearlessly!
References
Daily Morning Pages | juliacameronlive.com
A Weekly “Artist’s Date” | juliacameronlive.com
Sze Wing Vault is a coach, author and creative entrepreneur specialising in personal development and spirituality. She believes coaching isn’t about therapy, but clarity. As a graduate from The London School of Economics and Political Science, Sze Wing offers both a practical and holistic approach to personal and business transformation.
Sze Wing presents at events both in Australia and internationally, hosts group workshops, is an indie author and offers coaching on an individual basis. Connect via her profile, if you want to know more or book an appointment.
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