Book recommendation for healing your inner artist

[Sash]

https://www.amazon.com/Artists-Way-25th-Anniversary/dp/0143129252/ref=sr_1_1?crid=N7BVD44FJEBN&dchild=1&keywords=the+artists+way&qid=1625941121&sprefix=the+artist%2Caps%2C199&sr=8-1

I found this book while looking for a guide to releasing creative blocks. It's called The Artist's Way, written by an author and playwright named Julia Cameron. It was recognized as a bible for releasing creative blocks during the nineties, as Cameron would work as a coach to many budding artists, holding creativity workshops and such. Her philosophy offers a more nurturing approach to creativity. I can see it fitting very well with practices like introspection and meditation, which are mentioned in the book. I tend to be either very forceful or very inert with my creativity and it seems as though this book offers a more balanced approach. 

This book has practical advice; practical strategies for setting up daily encounters with your creative side, but there is also a lot of deep concepts, like common traps that artists face. Cameron says that we are all artists in one way or another, it's just a matter of addressing and healing the fears, distractions, and other illusions that blind us to our inner artist.

In it, you will find simple practices and exercises. The main one being the daily habit of waking up and flow writing, one that I've started implementing myself. It's like taking a cold shower for creativity, and works even if you don't write or enjoy writing at all. Besides, it's not about writing better, it's about learning to see how you are creative. I hope this will help you as it has helped me. Let me share some insightful quotes here.

"How do you know if you are creatively blocked? Jealousy is an excellent clue."

"Fledgling artists may be encouraged to be art teachers or to specialize in crafts with the handicapped. Young writers may be pushed toward lawyering, a talky, wordy profession, or into medical school because they’re so smart. And so the child who is himself a born story-teller may be converted into a gifted therapist who gets his stories secondhand."

"Morning pages will teach you that your mood doesn’t really matter. Some of the best creative work gets done on
the days when you feel that everything you’re doing is just plain junk. The morning pages will teach you to stop
judging and just let yourself write. So what if you’re tired, crabby, distracted, stressed? Your artist is a child and it
needs to be fed. Morning pages feed your artist child. So write your morning pages."

"As a rule of thumb, shadow artists judge themselves harshly, beating themselves for years over the fact that they
have not acted on their dreams. This cruelty only reinforces their status as shadow artists. Remember, it takes nurturing
to make an artist. Shadow artists did not receive sufficient nurturing. They blame themselves for not acting fearlessly
anyhow."

 

 

Edited July 10, 2021 by Sash

[melodydanielluna]

Yes!  I fucking LOVE this book!  It is an absolute GEM for creatives at all levels, from professional creatives to someone who doesn't feel creative at all.

[melodydanielluna]

As a writer, starting my morning off with some journaling, as she recommends, has been game-changing!

[tezk]

Perfect timing... I have been struggling lately on how to pull out my own creativity. I want to be creative but I just don't know how lol. Will give this a go