Artist's Way

Rating:
Summary: It inspired me to write this...
Review: Firstly, I like it when people want to get creative, get down with the parts of themselves that they haven't done that, paint, write, do the things they want to...
I wish this book would help.

To vent my spleen first...Ms. Cameron's work is like being forcefed a nasogastric tube of industrial grade saccharine. To be blunt, I liked The Artist's Way better when it was Creative Visualization .

Now that that feels better...

Ms. Cameron's few reasonable ideas get caught up in reams of exercises that don't seem to lead to much in the way of artistic development and had me thinking " Well, I could write a story in the time it would take me to do Morning Pages and have a date with my (wounded of course) inner artist child"...in this case, it seems that the only art being produced is cure-centric and it seems like Ms. Cameron has cornered the market on this particular malady. There are a few decent ideas--taking time for oneself is one, as is journaling--but the context, I think, saps them of any real usefulness.
Likewise, Ms. Cameron namedrops about the films she had produced, her plays and her former relationship with Scorsese--and let's say that her creative output, while it may be immensely satisfying to her, doesn't seem to add up to much. Plus, the suggestion of a week without reading or media struck me as really privileging one form of creative output over another; some artists thrive on the interplay of texts, the mixup between them and what happens when they collide and it rubbed me the wrong way. I also found her discussion of art and sexuality to be at the best, questionable (ie, her revelation that artists don't need to be promiscuous (or substance users )and that female artists don't need to be gay strikes me as tacky and yet another weird form of privilige that I am too exhausted to get into now.). This may help some people, but a lot of her approach really left me cold. For her insistence that there are many ways to be creative, there seems to be only one way--and that's hers.
(something about Ms. Cameron's book really screams"Take the class and buy the notebooks too!") I'm certain this book has helped some people, but it seems like it can leave a lot to be desired--the sexuality issue is a hot one for me, as is the unspoken praise of a particular kind of art. Still, journalling and meditating are good in whatever form you get them and I'm glad that this book has helped some people-- I just wish there wasn't all this weirdness to wade through to get there.

I'm guessing the audience for this book is more of a suburban one that does need a wakeup call for a happier and/or more creative life. Good for them for wanting a wakeup call; however, I think that the cure may be worse than the disease in Cameron's work.


Rating:
Summary: It will change your life if you let it
Review: A very dear friend bought this for me - Nakissa if you read this get in touch! - and the book changed my life. I am a journalist by profession, but thought that I didn't have the right to write my own stories, only other people's. Well this book transformed all that, made me see where I had been blocked and all the internal baggage about what 'being creative' meant, that I had been carrying around without realising! Once I got clear of all that I started taking my dream of being an author and my creative impulses seriously, thanked the Creator for blessing me with this gift and I am now working seriously on my first novel. It's been a long time coming but I WILL get there. Thanks Julia.

Rating:
Summary: This book changed my whole life
Review: 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?

Rating:
Summary: Cranky adults need this book!
Review: The process does work -- if you allow yourself to do it. I notice that some of the negative reviewers couldn't even get past a few chapters. It seems their inner censor so dominates their thinking they won't even try it! These cranky adults seem to have locked up their child and thrown away the key. Lighten up and have some fun! She's put together a good mix of material and I applaud her for it. You don't have to agree or evaluate -- just do it! I started playing guitar again the last time I was into this book -- after many years away from it. It's a helpful tool and I am glad she wrote it. After being away from it I realized it's exactly what I need to restore more balance in my life and get the creativity flowing again. I did do an artist's way group the first time and it was interesting to see people defend against the material by not doing the homework or talking about other topics. Just like some of the reviewers on this site.

Rating:
Summary: fluff and uninspiring
Review: I have reached the second week of this book and am utterly (and surprisingly) disappointed.

The title is deceptive because in no way can you compare this to Taoism. The author asks the reader to do a multitude of tasks & exercises, but does not offer any insightful philosophy to back it up. Rather she gives ridiculous code names to each idea. There is not enough time for being when you are doing so many tasks. It often reads as a textbook with homework rather than a fun process or journey.

The numerous quotes on each page of this ENTIRE book are a distraction. Our society is fast-paced and distracted already! No need to enhance that.

I was advised to read this by many friends. They thought I would enjoy this because of my spiritual practices and self-discovery programs I've been involved in, but this is just to the extreme! It is written in such a way that is babying the reader. I was actually offended at how hurt and traumatized the author assumes I am as an artist!

I've had plenty of ups and downs as an artist, but if you take care of how you eat and sleep. That is key too.

Save your money and do some yoga!

Rating:
Summary: Definitely those who are having trouble
Review: When I first read this book, I was looking forward to what special things the author would bring to the table. I liked the ideas of "morning pages" and have always tried to do these long before I ever read this book. But the more I read it, the more I felt I was being led into a 12 step program for wounded artists instead of something that I could actually use.

I am not a wounded artist, so much of her examples don't really fit into my life or my writing. I don't write to validate my need to recover from any loss, damage or trauma. I write because I can. But the exercises are sound, and good and so, I read the book again from a different perspective.

Taking it only from a student point of view, and removing pretty much all of the "injured artist" material to the back, I found this book to be quite helpful.

My advice is, if you have a hard time writing and think it may be emotional, read this book in it's entirety. If you are just an artist who has found themselves in a sticky place, read the exercises. The book is great on both levels!

Rating:
Summary: Artists Way as self psychoanalysis
Review: I read The Artist's Way in summer of 1997, and have been writing morning pages ever since. Recently, I had an insight as to the actual function of morning pages: self- psychoanalysis. The writer of the pages free associates, saying anything that comes to mind. Eight weeks later, the writer reviews the pages (having gained an objective distancing by waiting eight weeks). The writer looks for themes in the writings, just as a psychoanalyst looks for themes in the associations of the patient.

Rating:
Summary: Yes and no
Review: Funny, most of the reviews on this book are either ecstatic or disgusted. I see both sides. True, this woman DOES think she has reached it and knows absolutely everything; she tries to put the artistic process (for any artist, amateur or professional, in any medium) in a box; she tries to deny that being an artist has to involve any real work; she teaches you to be selfish; and she is awfully repetitive. THAT SAID, a few of her individual ideas are so epiphanic (is that a word?) that if you come to any one of them for the first time, you will have got more than your money's worth. Though the whole thing IS a bit wishy-washy and new-agey, and though some things she thinks are awfully vital just don't seem that huge to me, some of her points nevertheless can't be missed. It goes on an individual basis--some people really need some of this stuff, others have seen it before. Some of the exercises will show you something, some will seem silly. Give it a try, tailor it to your own needs. The people who will get the most out of this book are the many "silent poets" who have always wanted to try their hand at drawing or dancing or singing but who haven't because they've been afraid of failing or of looking silly. Those with a happy, fulfilling artistic life will roll their eyes over it-but they should realize it is written specifically for people who are dealing with a major block. It's only fair to consider it with that particular audience in mind.

Rating:
Summary: Hold it, my brain is open
Review: The Artist's Way opens up the brain. Cameron uses case studies, dailly exercises, and meditation to open us up to the artist within each of us. Art is the ladder to the soul says many and obviously Cameron thinks so too.

The fist few chapters and exercises were very hard for me to read and complete. But, once I sat down and disciplined myself and confronted many of my embedded "you can't" messages, my brain opened up allowing me to contact my inner artist.

Color, like my life, is more more vivid now. Read, preservere through the first few chapters, and find your inner Picasso.

Rating:
Summary: Profound and Effective
Review: After more than ten years of struggling as an artistic enabler of other people's dreams, I encountered Hal Karp. Hal had recently left his day job as a struggling (and somewhat miserable) waitperson to write as a staff writer for the Reader's Digest, a lifelong pursuit.

When I asked Hal what he had done to overcome the obstacles and achieve his goals, he looked me dead in the eye and said, "If you're serious about change, get The Artist's Way and do what it says. It changed my life."

I took Hal's advice, and formed a small group to work through the chapters of the book. I did most of the exercises, and wrote my Morning Pages. By the end of the book, I had truly swallowed some rather large chunks of truth about myself and the true spiritual nature of creativity.

And, in the process, almost without realizing it, I wrote my first full-length instrumental CD, "Rhythm/Pleasure". That CD has been in the Amazon Top 50 for both indie Jazz and Dance / DJ for several months as of the time of this writing, and is a shining tribute to the power of the message of Julia Cameron's work and spiritual philosophy. I could not have done it without her and I have chosen to credit her in the liner notes of that CD.

As it turns out, we are created in God's own image - not physically, but spiritually. We have creativity in common with God: a spiritual need to create something outside of ourselves which we love not for the pride of having created it, but simply for the beauty of the thing itself.

But don't take it from me. Read The Artist's Way, and discover it for yourself.