The Artist's Way: Workbook: A Companion to the International Bestseller

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It’s difficult to determine why I didn’t keep stumbling through – perhaps it was feeling daunted by the “homework” or the religious undertones that didn’t resonate. I logged my anxious thoughts for one day and it was helpful for staying focused on the task at hand – redoing my chapter outline for the book. She also invites her readers to take themselves on weekly “artist’s dates”, time set aside to nurture “creative consciousness” by engaging with art, going to a gallery, going for a walk or watching a film – whatever your “inner artist” may appreciate. It was reported that sales of the book doubled in the UK in the first half of the year, and Cameron even found herself being interviewed by Russell Brand on his Under the Skin podcast during that gloomy first April of the pandemic. With encouragement – from others and importantly ourselves – we can begin to reframe any loss, rejection of criticism.

The Artist’s Way - Онлайн-клуб любителей The Artist’s Way - Онлайн-клуб любителей

The book describes this as synchronicity and a sign of unblocking and the syncing between the chapters and my everyday life happened time and time again as I read the book. She recommended the exercises in The Artist’s Way as a method of gaining “confidence, security, enthusiasm and hopefully a little bit of frivolity.

When it’s lasting, it’s almost undetectable as your new self and your old self merge and stroll and stumble together.

The Artist’s Way Workbook (UK 2020) | Julia Cameron Live

In many of the hundreds of conversations I’ve had with creatives, I’ve asked or been asked the question, “Have you read The Artist’s Way? Often we wait for the perfect time, the perfect condition, the perfect state because we think it will lead to a guaranteed success or some sense of safety and security, but as the book explains, “safety is a very expensive illusion. It has sold over five million copies and has helped demystify the creative process and transform countless lives, from philosophers to illustrators and authors. It isn’t just that the book has sold so many copies since Cameron ignored her agent’s advice, it’s that it has generated significant results.When it's lasting, it's almost undetectable as your new self and your old self merge and stroll and stumble together. My high expectations and lofty plans often mean that I want to leap over the small, incremental steps and dive straight into the impossible tasks.

The Artist’s Way | Julia Cameron Live The Artist’s Way | Julia Cameron Live

The book is divided into 12 chapters, one of which is to be read each week for the duration of the 12-week course. Other freelancing ties seemed to be losing momentum – I felt like I had lost what I’d built over the last few years in one fell swoop. I think that’s the beauty in finally being open to incremental change, to know that letting go of old habits and ways of thinking takes time, and that things don’t pay off in a linear fashion, and there is often a plateau after any big internal shift. Instead of thinking about the big end goal or outcome, I needed to focus on the next small step and swap ‘what’s the use’ for ‘what is next’. There are weekly challenges and exercises designed to foster inspiration and overcome the doubts that block creative work.

We cannot obsess over how we will make something happen, we just need to say what we are doing, and take action. When we become unblocked, we will experience a withdrawal from our old life and what has kept us stuck – habits, workholism, relationships, addictions. Here are my week by week notes and learnings – from listening to yourself to reframing lost opportunities – from the book I encourage any individual feeling blocked to dip into. Unblocking also comes with big changes, and we see how our personal lives might contain traces of being stuck. I see with full clarity my addiction when I read Julia’s words: “Most blocked creatives have an active addiction to anxiety.