Customer Reviews

The Artist's Way

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I read and began working my way through this book a few years ago. Before I go on, let me first say I am somewhat of a skeptic. I think we all are to some degree though or we wouldn't need things like brand names to reassure us in our everyday lives.

It was no coincidence that my creativity began to transform like a tidal wave at the time I was working through this book. In fact, I had been supressing it so much through daily distractions that it was too much for me to handle at the time. My creativity has since reached a nice medium and I finally feel ready to bring this book back into the process.

I decided to read the other reviews for fun. I am not at all suprised that their is a lot of cynicism. Everything has an equal opposite, that is a fundamental law of nature. People are entitled to their opinions and there is no specific thing in this world that appeals to everyone.

I just find it ironic that one of the biggest stabs at this book is "well I shouldn't have to do exercises to be creative, I should be spending my time being creative instead." That point has some validity to it, but if that was the case than why did they turn to a book about creativity in the first place. Even the greatest artists cannot be inspired all the time and lose their path through life from time to time. On top of that, if you compare the art and architecture of the Roman times and music of the past to today, you can see a pattern of things becoming more and more formulated. We need inspiration at this point in evolution.

The other thing is people say 'where are the authors creditials? What else has she done?' If you took piano lessons from a recommended teacher, would you base their teaching skills on whether they have taught anyone famous before? That is why we have teachers.

It all comes down to one thing. This book will bring out your inner self if used properly and if you are cynical and negative, you will probably return here to make a point of it. If you are open and creative you may very well begin to channel that energy the way you need to.

I was an unfulfilled woman before this book. My life had a constant sadness flowing though the everyday. Some one bought me this book as a present and it took me a year till I opened it. I don't mean to be extreme but this was like the Bible to my artistic true self. I have referred to it since over and over and have recommended it to so many people. My favorite quote from the book is "leap and the net will appear". Also, I love the one that talks about the woman who asks how old she will be when she can finally play the piano well and the answer was- "the same age you would be had you not ever learned".
That struck such a chord for me. I was in my late 20's at the time thinking that I had made all my choices all ready, and was stuck with them. As Oprah would say, that was my "Aha" moment.

As a result of the book I changed my group of friends because I realizes they were not there to help push me up and forward.
I bought singing lessons on CD- "Voice Lessons To GO", by Vaccarino (excellent) because I just always have wanted to be able to sing.
I did a Berlitz language course in Italian and spent a summer there after taking an art class.
I found an excellent husband with my newly-empowered self. We even bought "New Sex Now Video" and have explored the gamut- because I am worth it.
And in general, I have happiness now flowing through my days instead of sadness.
Morning pages have brought me clarity.
There is another quote I like from the real bible, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If not now, when?

I bought this book maybe 11 years ago. I'm drawn to books of this nature and I like journaling and introspection. But I don't think I've ever had the results I got from following this program.

In a nutshell, she asks that you write 3 pages longhand every morning, and take yourself out for something special once every week (artist dates). There are also weekly writing exercises and projects to do: "List 5 things you are not allowed to do. Now, do those things on paper: act it out, paint it, collage it, dance it", or, "If you had 5 other lives to lead, what would you do in each of them?", or, "List 5 favorite foods from your childhood. Buy yourself one of them this week".

It's a lot to keep track of, (especially the morning pages when you hate waking up in the mornings). But, it really did something. The combination of all these things made a difference in my life. At the time I did this program, I was completely lost. I had just moved to Bryce Canyon, Utah to get away from everybody I knew and to "find myself" (blech--hate that expression). I was all alone, working in the lodge, hiking, and reading. Then, I started playing piano again, which I hadn't tinkered with in years. There was a rec room in the employee dorms where I practiced. Then, someone heard me and asked if I wanted to play in the dining room, for tips. I did! When I got back to Vegas, I started taking lessons again. Then, I started teaching piano myself. I also began trying out for plays in community theater, something I hadn't done since elementary school. I ended up going back to school and getting a teaching license. I'm now a first grade teacher for the school district, and I love my job. I also perform sketch comedy and improv comedy, and I still play piano.

I can't attest that each and every one of these things is directly due to the Artist's Way program, but being in Utah following those steps sure felt like a turning point for me. I actually wrote Julia Cameron a thank-you letter. Now, there are newsgroups and bulleting boards on the internet where you can do the program with other people and talk to them about your progress. I'm a loner so that approach wouldn't work for me, but I think it's good for certain people.

Anyway, I highly recommend this book, if you think you can make the commitment to follow her suggestions.

I really enjoyed this book, I have it for years, and I keep going back to it. If there is a time when I am too distracted with my life, and I feel that I am no longer in touch with my inner self, I start to read this book again, and do some of the exercises, and it truly helps. I think when one becomes very overloaded with work and family affairs, it is natural that one can become less creative. Reading this book and doing the exercises recommended, I found that I felt more concentrated in my work, and better all round. It is definatly a book that I recommend to anyone that could use some help in living for themselves as well as for everyone else.

Believe it or not, there is an artist in every person. Not necessarily to become a best seller or an Oscar winner. To discover the artist embedded in each of us, this book is a more must. I am not paid to write this piece. In this confusing world, there is the need to anchor ourselves to what we really want and need. The book has a way of bringing to the fore issues that we prefer to sweep under the carpet of poltical correctness, thereby enslaving our lives, and releasing us from our self induced incarceration.
It volunteers a holistic approach to charting a new course in life. It is never too late to make amends.

I was an unfulfilled woman before this book. My life had a constant sadness flowing though the everyday. Some one bought me this book as a present and it took me a year till I opened it. I don't mean to be extreme but this was like the Bible to my artistic true self. I have referred to it since over and over and have recommended it to so many people. My favorite quote from the book is "leap and the net will appear". Also, I love the one that talks about the woman who asks how old she will be when she can finally play the piano well and the answer was- "the same age you would be had you not ever learned".
That struck such a chord for me. I was in my late 20's at the time thinking that I had made all my choices all ready, and was stuck with them. As Oprah would say, that was my "Aha" moment.

As a result of the book I changed my group of friends because I realizes they were not there to help push me up and forward.
I bought singing lessons on CD- "Voice Lessons To GO", by Vaccarino (excellent) because I just always have wanted to be able to sing.
I did a Berlitz language course in Italian and spent a summer there after taking an art class.
I found an excellent husband with my newly-empowered self. We even bought "New Sex Now Video" and have explored the gamut- because I am worth it.
And in general, I have happiness now flowing through my days instead of sadness.
Morning pages have brought me clarity.
There is another quote I like from the real bible, "If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If not now, when?

This book came highly recommended by an old friend. I still haven't forgiven him.

In brief: The Artist's Way promotes itself as a "spiritual path to higher creativity." The reality is far more mundane, as it mires down in tepid cliches, pointless affirmations and barely relevant inspirational quotes from obscure Asian mystics. The book follows a 12-week program designed to help writers, actors, artists and musicians get past their creative blocks and become productive creators.

Once the cover is opened, however, I found a list of mind-numbing activities such as writing nasty letters to my third-grade art teacher who told me that I wasn't going to be the next Gauguin. And I felt like Richard Nixon when asked to prepare a list of all of the people who had wronged me as a child.

Julia Cemeron believes that by acknowledging and confronting one's "creative enemies" one can become a successful and fulfilled artist, and the dominant theme of her book is spiritual "recovery." But the author is consumed by her own traumas and latent alcoholism, and seems to have written the book as a form of personal therapy. Good for her, but I'm not sure why The Artist's Way has become the EST of the new century.

My suspicion is that it's a lot easier to make excuses than to create good art. Most of us have dozens of reasons why we can't be the next Picasso, Polanski or Pagannini, but in the end it all boils down to talent and hard work. The Artist's Way, although it purports to be a pathway to "recovering your creative self," is little more than a bundle of new-age aphorisms cloaked in the formality of an Alcoholics Anonymous program.

This book is typical of the self-help genre. It's long on feel-good pop psychology and very short on real advice. The author's main advice is to write the "morning pages" which is nothing more than two full pages of random thoughts every morning. I see that she now sells a blank "workbook" to help you do that in case you aren't creative enough to buy a notebook. The morning pages might be an okay idea but she doesn't really go beyond that.

As for the author, she claims she can help you get unblocked if you're a writer but she only lists one real writing credit, a screenplay for a movie that no one has heard of...

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron is a classic. The author describes its essence when she says: "In 1978 I began teaching artists how to "unblock" and "get back on their feet" after a creative injury. I shared with them the tools I had learned through my own creative practice. I kept it all as easy and gentle as I could." I love the way she describes being inspired to begin teaching the Artist's Way because I believe it describes how each of us receives the gift of "inspiration". She says: "Like all artists - like all of us if we listen - I experience inspiration. I was "called" to teach and I answered that call somewhat grudgingly."

My favourite exercises from this book are the Morning Pages and the weekly Artist's Date. However, I love the entire 12 week program. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is at a time in their life where they are looking to reenergize themselves from a creative or any other perspective.

The book is full of fabulous quotes. Some of my favourites include:

"The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention." Julia Cameron

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." Anais Nin

"If I allow myself to be bullied and cowed by other people's urges for me to be more normal or more nice, I sell myself out. They may like me better, feel more comfortable with my more conventional appearance or behaviour, but I will hate myself." Julia Camerson

"Follow your bliss and doors will open where there were no doors before." Joseph Campbell

"You're either losing your mind - or gaining your soul. Life is meant to be an artist date. That's why we were created." Julia Cameron

Enjoy it!!

This book is about getting over blocks in one's creative output, but it's more than that. It's helpful to have someone to debrief with as you go through it, but in any case it can't help but have a beneficial effect on one's life if you make an effort to do most of the exercises. Opening your horizons is a given. Highly recommended.