The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

by Julia Cameron

Book Overview

"With its gentle affirmations, inspirational quotes, fill-in-the-blank lists and tasks -- write yourself a thank-you letter, describe yourself at 80, for example -- The Artist's Way proposes an... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0874776945
• ISBN13: 9780874776942
• Release Date: July 1992
• Publisher: Tarcher
• Length: 222 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.4" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

It’s a bit repetitive

This book basically tells the reader about the importance of keeping a journal. Honestly is a big theme and “the artist” should have the space to express themselves as freely as they can in order for new thoughts, ideas and feelings to arrive. A candid journal is best kept secret. Didn’t need 273 pages to know that, it gets pretty repetitive.

Already full with with writing

I was mortified to receive this journal already full. It has a pretty famous person private writings.

Was very excited to read

When the book arrived I quickly opened it and began to scan what I was about to delve into. The book is intriguing and I am still going to read at some point. However, the book that I received was water damaged which alone is fine but the book had mold all through it which is a health hazard. Had to toss. Unfortunately, very disappointing...

Somehow I ended up with the journal

I thought i was ordering the book, but somehow I ended up with the journal. Pretty disappointed

So this isn't a review as I have not read the whole book yet. ( I know it'll be great) This is a question for others who have bought this book, did anyone else receive a crow feather within the first few pages? I opened the book and it just fell out!

The Artist's Way Morning Pages Journal

When I purchased the journal, I didn't know exactly the impact the journal would have. As I followed Ms. Cameron's instructions, I became amazed as to what was happening with creativity in my life. I recommend the book and the journal to anyone who is willing to be challenged by the concept of creativity.

This book changed my life

I purchased this book about 3 years ago. I have read it continously the past 3 years. I have given it as gifts to numerous friends and family. I am not a professional artist by any means...I sell electronic components/widgets. For years I knew I wanted to get in touch with my "creative" side, but couldn't find the how to's or make the "time"..sorry excuses. Well, this book came into my life and I started following Ms. Cameron's exercises...A whole new world opened up for me. I started noticing simple things, like birds! Flowers blooming, sunlight reflecting on the pond down the street from where I live. And I followed her MUST DO instructions of keeping a Morning Journal. One must write LONG HAND 3 pages of stream of consciousness ramblings. You can write anything..it isn't an exercise in creative writing. It is a ritual of clearing your self out so you can allow NEW stuff to enter into your creative soul. I recommend this book very highly to EVERYONE!Artist, salesperson, auto mechanic, mother, teenager..everyone can benefit from this easy and enjoyable book to read.

It is not perfect, but it is a very good book

Having read previous reviews on this book and having dabbled with creativity on and off most of my life, finally, I decided to take the plunge and see if this book could change my life.WELL? DOES IT WORK, DOES IT CHANGE YOUR LIFE?Has it? Well Yes and no.I'm not putting out massive works of art or prose, nor am I comfortable with even the pencil sketches I do. However, I am doing them again. I've had fits and starts of drawing, but this book does help you put that into perspective. You are a beginner and it is okay for your work to look like a beginners. Simple concept. Hard to internalize.INTERESTING OUTCOME.What I did find and others who use this program can probably confirm is that it helps get situations out in the open. Family stuff. When you do the morning pages, you ramble. You put down all that trash you are thinking and then you find you work to clean it up. You know all the stuff your kids, your spouse, your co-workers do, that really tick you off. You find you start to address that. Kind of a neat by-product.MORNING PAGES ARE NOT SO BAD:My first take on this, is dedicate a half an hour of my precious and sparse sleeping time.....? What are you nuts? Then I tried it. You have a clarity (and a drowsiness) in the AM, that is unmatchable any other time. Also, if you are like me get a whole lot less interruptions. I did the morning pages from 5:15 till 6:00 AM weekdays and after I got up on weekends. Weekends, sometimes I didn't get to them until afternoon. But, each day (except for 1 day in 12 weeks) they were religiously done.Guess what? I'm hooked. I'm continuing and you might too. Consider this as a book (a life), you are writing, you are directing. What a concept!MORNING PAGES LENGTH:With the Artist's way book, I bought the journal. These 3 pages were the size of 8-1/2 X 11 pages. 3 pages do not take you 1/2 hour but more like 45 minutes to an hour. Get ready for that. It seems like a lot some days and not enough on others. You don't need a special book to do this in either. I bought a spiral notebook to pick up where the journal left off, when it was full. The journal is nice though as it has passages from the book on each page.ARTISTS DATES:I found that some of the timing of the artist dates were bad. I'm sure most others will run into this as well. I did this book through the Thanksgiving, Christmas holiday. Artist's dates were often dropped and sometimes one did double-duty. However, these can be very simple. You have to make them what is important to you and that is the point of the book. It makes you feel special. I think all of us wait for others to make us feel special. Most of us could wait a very long time. Little do we realize, we have to set the standard. Make ourselves feel special. Because we are. We have to appeal to the artist within us. It can be simple or extravagant. One thing I like is pens with a 1.0mm tip. They use ink like crazy, but what a wonderful broad stroke th

The potential to change your life

Reading "The Artist's Way" & actually doing some of the key things can change your life. Morning pages are one of the key things (others include a weekly artist date & the use of affirmations) & this is a great volume to start in. I'm a slow learner so I actually went through four of these before I bought my own blank-paged journals. Things I like about this volume include that it forced me to fill a certain amount of space: there are three pages for each day & that's what Cameron wants you to do & this volume gives a very good guide of how much writing is desirable. I also like the quotations, the summaries of the goals for the coming week & even the potentially cheesy contract with myself to commit to the process. Time IS an issue & Cameron's 30 minutes is at least at the beginning optimistic, though that's what I now generally use. At first it might take longer, even significantly longer, but it's well worth it. I started writing morning pages in November 1998. Three years later, I am still writing them. They are a wonderful tool toward a clear head & the working through of issues & about the only thing I believe someone can do wrong in using them is to be afraid of letting whatever comes out come out. Coincidentally (I don't THINK so) I started serious work on my first, non-fiction book at the same time I started morning pages & three years later I'm very close to finishing it, so I know the program works. It also goes very well with 12 Step programs, for people in those. If you buy this journal, also buy "The Artist's Way," the book that lays it all out ... & consider some of Cameron's little books of affirmations, which are outstanding. This is a wonderful tool and deserves five stars.