Recovering Our Creativity: Book Review of The Artist’s Way

As part of my ongoing commitment to reading and reviewing inspiring and helpful books, I picked up one that is on a lot of personal growth reading lists, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julie Cameron. (#Ad)

Unlike other books I’ve reviewed this year that tend to focus on goal-setting, habits, or the psychology behind productivity, this book is dealing almost exclusive with the left-side of the brain-our creative side. It is also a very different format. Instead of just having chapters dealing with various aspects of creativity or artist’s block, the book is a mixture of self-help ideas, journaling prompts and exercises, and self-guided course.

Throughout the book, which has celebrated more than 25 years in circulation, the author, a Hollywood screenwriter, refers to the concept of “creative recovery” and writes about the process in spiritual terms. I was not surprised to learn that she was in recovery herself, having found sobriety from alcoholism.

In this post, you will find the main takeaways from The Artist’s Way along with highlights of what I found to be the most helpful features of this book. At the end, I’ll give you my take on what I enjoyed the most and the few criticisms I have- all from my own perspective, so get that grain of salt ready.

Main Takeaways from The Artist’s Way

As I noted previously, The Artist’s Way is more of a course that is intended to help people who are suffering from creative blocks. It could be that they are already accomplished artists (writers, painters, performers- all art forms are mentioned in the book) and are having trouble creating new works. However, the book is also meant for people who feel drawn to being creatives but have not taken the leap to do so.

The book is also meant to be a spiritual guide to creativity. That does not mean that this is a religious book. The author refers to God, but like AA and other 12 step programs, she encourages the reader to come to their own understanding of what their “god” is. It could be a Higher Power, Higher Self, or some other spiritual force. Basically, the author explains that the program is focused on connecting with the creative force in the universe, as “the creator” was the original artist who designed and engineered our entire world.

Also, like any 12 step program, the book is divided into 12 weeks of tasks and activities. So, it should take you 12 weeks to complete it, and at the end of the book, the author recommends spending a couple of hours a day on it, each day for the 12 weeks. I recommend reading through it cover to cover before starting on the course, just to make sure you know what to expect and can start it during a time of the year that you’re not too busy (if such a time even exists).

Finally, the author does not reserve this book for artists or would-be artists. She notes that everyone is an artist because we are all creatures. Basically, we come from the creator and have been endowed with creativity- whatever that may be for each of us. So, feel free to read this book no matter what your current profession or interests as it may spark creativity in whatever field you feel drawn to.

With that said, here are some of the basic concepts that will give you an idea of how the book is both about fostering creativity and promoting it using a recovery model:

• Two Main Tools. This is no spoiler- the book begins with an introduction to the 2 main tools of this creative recovery program. Morning Pages and Artist Dates. I’ll address them in turn as they remain a constant obligation throughout this course. The concept behind these is to drain out the negative thoughts, ideas, and beliefs in your mind and “fill your well” with joyful experiences. (Negativity out, positivity in).
  • Morning pages: This is a form of free-flow, brain dump journaling that you do every morning when you first get up, 7 days a week. The author recommends getting up an hour early to do these because you need to handwrite 3 sides of 8½ x 11” lined paper, which takes about 45 minutes to an hour. The purpose is to give you time to unburden your mind. You are exorcising your frustrations, resentments, anger, etc., which should make room for more creative ideas.
  • Artists dates: The author talks about taking “your artist” on a date. What she explains in the book is that everyone has an inner artist, and that creative being is like a young child. In fact, your morning pages are supposed to sound like a whiny kid venting their frustrations. To encourage this inner creativity to flourish, your artist needs to fill their well. That means doing things just for the pure joy of it. The weekly Artist Date is meant to be a time that you do something just for the fun of it. And, you do it on your own. She has lists of possible date ideas, but it should be something that just you enjoy- perhaps shopping at your favorite store, going ice skating, or walking through a scenic park.
• Synchronicity. This is another concept discussed throughout the book. It basically means that when you ultimately discover that project, job, or experience you truly desire, the universe will open doors to manifest it into being. It’s like that quote from Paul Coelho’s, The Alchemist, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.” The author includes lots of anecdotes of this happening to people who used her book and encourages the reader to look for times when there has been synchronicity as they work through the course.
• Acknowledging what is within. A main theme throughout the book is the notion that we are filled with both the potential for creativity and negative beliefs that keep us from realizing that potential. Cameron often refers to that creative side of us as the Artist Child, while the naysaying part of us that discourages us from pursuing artistic activities is often called The Censor. The Artist Child wants nothing more than to create and play while The Censor reminds it that art isn’t a real job, you can’t make money at it, and it is a frivolous way to spend one’s time.
• Decluttering. This is another theme I found throughout the book. Julia Cameron talks about the course leading us to clear our space of things that further block our creativity and makes it seem that our desire to do this will naturally come about as we work through the program. This also entails being intentional about how we order our home and space. However, she also encourages cutting people out of our lives who are negative or bring chaos to our lives. She describes several types of people with terms like “poisonous playmates” or “crazymakers.” Today, I think we would just refer to them generally as toxic people in our lives.
• Accepting our creative source. Again, this is a spiritual course, and much of it is devoted to getting in touch with the creative source, whatever you wish to name it, him, her, or them. By acknowledging that there is a source of creativity that lies outside of us, the reader can accept that creativity is boundless and one person’s ability to create does not mean that others have lost out. A constantly renewable source of creativity means that we can tap into it and find inspiration no matter how many paintings we painted or books we’ve written.
• Facing our demons and finding our strengths. Again, this book is very much based in principles that sound like a 12-step recovery program. The author notes that we need to root out the things about us that are negative – our vices or personal defects (it could be physical addiction, allowing yourself to be distracted by media, or just being a workaholic). However, she also encourages us to list out what is positive about us, our assets. In 12-step recovery terms, she is asking the reader to compile a personal inventory to help identify those things about ourselves we need to work on eliminating and those that we need to further cultivate.
• Goals. If you’ve read prior blog posts from this site, you’ll know that this one made me happy. While the book doesn’t spend a lot of time on goal-setting, the author does encourage the reader to set goals for each week, consider “creative goals” and do a “goal search,” where you essentially brainstorm goals.
• Being gentle with ourselves. Although the book sets out challenging tasks, it consistently reminds its readers to be gentle with themselves. This is accomplished through self-care, positive self-talk, and focusing on having faith in the process. The author also recommends that you choose tasks and journaling prompts that resonate with or challenge you, which means the reader doesn’t have to undertake the overwhelming process of doing every task and answering every question.

The whole concept of creative recovery seems like a really lovely way to approach a creative block. And, the takeaways I’ve listed are just a short summary of all the book holds.

The Artist’s Way Exercises

Because this book is really a course, it is not just something you read, it is something you do. Each of the 12 weeks provides readers with certain activities meant to help them explore their inner creativity and start to shed the beliefs and clutter that is holding them back.

General list of exercises

Daily tasks. Those would include doing morning pages and reading the “Basic Principles of Creativity,” listed near the beginning of the book.

Weekly tasks. Each week, the reader must complete the reading from the book and tackle some items in the “tasks” (most of which are journaling prompts) and “check in” (which have you track how many days of morning pages you’ve complete and whether you’ve gone on an artist date) for that week.

Other exercise you will find in the course

Making a creativity contract with yourself. The author provides one that you can fill in with your personal information.

Answering mini-questionnaires (these are sometimes in the main text of the chapter or can be listed as a task for the week). The questions are aimed at getting to know yourself, explore your past, and uncover ideas and beliefs that may be holding you back creatively.

Making a life pie. This helps create a visual of 6 areas in your life to gauge how you are doing in terms of your spirituality, exercise (or fitness), play, work, friends, and relationships. You check in regularly during the course to see if your pie has changed.

Praying an Artist’s Prayer. The author provides one in the book.

Repeating positive affirmations. Throughout the book, the author has multiple examples of affirmations she encourages the reader to repeat.

Quizzes. Unlike the questionnaires that have open-ended questions, the “quizzes” are in a fill-in-the-blank format.

Writing out a wish list. This one is pretty simple, but it requires the reader to write out wishes as quickly as possible and allow themselves to include frivolous wishes.

Spend-tracking. This one might seem out of place for a book on art and creativity, but if the main block to pursing a creative endeavor is money, the author encourages the reader to figure out their finances to see how to remove money as the block.

Personal Opinions on The Artist’s Way

I personally liked this book and would like to work it as a personal course, just to see what it might uncover. The author swears by the course, exercises, and routine tasks. She notes that after completing the course, daily morning pages and weekly artist dates will keep the reader on track and unblocked.

That said, no book is perfect. So, below are my personal likes and dislikes of this book.

What I loved

Holistic approach. I truly appreciated the holist approach the author takes to “creative recovery.” The book covers nourishing the mind, body, and spirit while rooting out the people, things, and habits that get in the way of our reaching that state of high creativity.

Individual or group. I also love that you can do this course on your own or start a group (the author refers to this as having a “sacred circle”). The end of the book includes ideas for working this in a group setting and it discourages having one person as a group leader. The book even includes “Sacred Circle Rules” which can help a group from getting off track or becoming an unsafe space for its members.

Recovery-themed. Given the amount of work I do during my day job with people who are in recovery from substance abuse addiction, this work really speaks to me. The whole notion of recovery implies that there is something we may have lost but can get back- it is a hopeful term. And, I feel like we are all recovering from one thing or another in this crazy world. That the course uses themes like gentleness, acceptance, and taking an inventory make it seem like that recovery is more attainable since it’s rooted in proven recovery concepts.

What I didn’t love

Assumptions about time and lifestyles. The author makes it seem as though everyone has the time and lifestyle to incorporate a 12-week course and daily creative activities. That simply is not the case for everyone. If you are a new mom with a nursing baby, caring for a sick relative, or are batting a serious illness or addiction (note the author developed this after she won her battle with alcohol), this book may not be the right one for your season in life.

Assumptions about resources and opportunity. Another assumption is that everyone has the same access to resources and opportunities. Like many self-help books, this one also discounts the role of systemic racism and poverty that often act as true barriers to living the kind of life this author envisions.

Aside from those few criticisms, I can see why this book is so popular and has benefited so many people. Once I have more time in my own life, I would definitely like to give it a go.

Have you completed the 12-week course from The Artist’s Way? How has it shaped your life and do you have any advice for those thinking of trying it? Leave a comment below!

* As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you click a link and make any purchase on Amazon, I may receive a small commission at no charge to you which will help me maintain this website. 

** Graphics created with Canva; remaining images found on Pixabay.

© Plan On The Sunrise, Vidalia Patterson, 2021. No part (including, but not limited to articles, photographs, and graphics) of this site, PlanOnTheSunrise.com, may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any manner without the express permission of the copyright owner. Please see the Privacy Policy page for contact information.