The Artist’s Way is a writing method divided into 12 week workbook. Julia Cameron (the author) suggests you read one chapter (roughly 15 pages) each week, and perform a series of exercises along the way, all designed to bring out the most of your creative side.
The full podcast summary of the book is available both on YouTube and the On Books Podcast:
1. What is The Artist’s Way?
The Artist’s Way is a creative writing method divided into 12 week workbook
2. How does The Artist’s Way work?
Author Julia Cameron suggests that you read one chapter (roughly 15 pages) each week, and perform a series of exercises along the way.
3. How do you get started?
There are two exercises you can start with: The Morning Pages (each day) and The Artist’s Date (once a week). Here’s how it works:
The morning pages: write roughly 750 words each day. This isn’t anything you need to share with others, it’s just you writing in a stream of consciousness each day.
The artist’s date: go outside of your routine, and reward yourself each week. For example, you can take time to cook, go for a walk, paint, or listen to music. Something that allows you to experience and enjoy life.
4. What was my biggest takeaway?
The biggest takeaway from the Artist’s Way is seek quantity, not quality.
The book taught me that creativity comes from putting aside time, and creating. It’s best to create more, create everyday, and don’t get hung up on the thing you created yesterday. Create, let it go. Create and destroy.
5. How did I keep myself accountable throughout the 12 weeks?
There’s no silver bullet. For one, I taped a stickynote on my wall to reminded me to “Write!.” I also send myself a text reminder with this Aristotle quote, once a week:
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
I used IFTTT to send the weekly text. It’s a free service that works great for reminders!
Bibliography:
Title: The Artist’s Way
Author: Julia Cameron
Hardcover: 237 pages
Publisher: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam; 10 Anv edition (March 4, 2002)
