The Artist’s Way of Creative Recovery
“But do you know how old I will be by the time I learn to really play the piano / act / paint / write a decent play?"
Yes . . . the same age you will be if you don't.”
– Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
One day, I was chatting with my daughter in her room when I spotted a bright yellow and red book tucked away on her bookshelf. As if beckoned by it, I found myself compelled to peruse its pages for the second time in my life.
I hadn’t lost my creativity, per se, but I was spending way too much time looking at others’ work and not enough time making my own.
In the book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, she says, ‘creativity is a spiritual issue.’ Any progress is made by leaps of faith, some small and some large. At first we may want faith to take the first dance class, the first step toward learning a new medium. Later we may want the faith and funds for further classes, seminars, a larger work space, a year’s sabbatical. Later still, we may conceive an idea for a book, an artist’s collective gallery space. As each idea comes to us, we must in good faith clear away our inner barriers to acting on it and then, on an outer level, take the concrete steps necessary to trigger our synchronous good.’
To live a purposeful life, rich with our unique expressions, we need to take leaps of faith every day.
Interestingly, much of our creativity is expressed through how we define ourselves: the profile picture we choose for social media, the colours we wear, the furniture we select for our homes. We are drawn to images, textures, brightness, or dullness, and the emotions they evoke.
Often, we learn to present ourselves based on cues from family, friends, social media, and movies we watch. I think deep down, we’re asking ourselves, Who am I? And hoping that our next choice will hold the answer.
But who are we when left alone in a room with a paint set and an empty canvas? What aspects of ourselves are we compelled to share when someone else’s ideas do not provoke us?
Completing the exercises in her book, such as the morning pages, artist’s dates, and affirmations, has been like kneading bread – pushing, folding, and stretching. Folding when words don’t flow on the page, pushing when habit is stronger than the desire to change, and stretching because our creative muscles need the resilience flexibility brings.
All of this work helps clear away the inner barriers that Cameron talks about – eventually giving our artistic child the space to dream and explore again.
Camerson says, “By holding lightly to an attitude of gentle exploration, we can begin to lean into creative expansion. By replacing “No way!” with “Maybe,” we open the door to mystery and to magic.”
Not much has changed on the surface in the three months since I started The Artist's Way, but internally, I've gained clarity on experiences I hadn't considered in a long time. I discovered a need for resolution that I hadn't realized was there. Now, the words come more easily, and I'm open to what's unfolding.
“Leap, and the net will appear.”
― Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
In appreciation for your being here,
Shana Lee
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron