5 Lessons From The Artist's Way

This book will set your creativity free.

The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron, was first published in 1992 and has gone on to sell over 4 million copies worldwide.

It’s my favorite book on creativity, and I’ve read quite a few. My copy is laughably dog-eared.

If you want to go deep into the emotions that can block creativity, then this is the book for you.

This book can set your creativity free.

Here are 5 lessons I learned reading this book:

KEEP IT LIGHT

“Serious art is born from serious play.”

(Please note: all of the quotes in this post are from The Artist’s Way.)

Over the decades in which I’ve been writing and arranging songs, I’ve become much faster, and that has made it so much easier to approach the process lightly. However, technical skill is not the only factor.

Years ago, if I needed a guitar part for a song, I would obsess over it, turning it over and over in my mind. I thought that I could bring the part into being through sheer force of will. I felt that great effort was required.

Now, if I need a guitar part for a song, but nothing’s coming, I’ll just get up and take a walk, work on another song, scramble some eggs . . . anything else. I’ve learned to leave the subconscious alone to do its work.

I’ve learned that I’m not in control. I’ve gained some humility. And that has made the creative process much more fun.

The Artist’s Way discusses this in terms of discipline - “As artists, grounding our self-image in military discipline is dangerous. In the short run, discipline may work, but it will work only for a while. By its very nature, discipline is rooted in self-admiration . . . being an artist requires enthusiasm more than discipline . . . Enthusiasm is grounded in play, not work.”

So, keep it light!

TRUST YOUR INTUITION

“Leap and the net will appear.”

As artists, we must accept that this is, ultimately, a magical and mysterious process. And we must learn to become more comfortable with the unknown.

“Creativity - like human life itself - begins in darkness.”

So, how do we navigate this darkness? I believe that all we have is our intuition. The Artist’s Way calls this our inner compass.

In my experience, intuition does not speak loudly; it whispers. To try and hear this voice more clearly, we can meditate, take a walk, clean the house - anything that takes us out of our minds.

I find that I can access my intuition most easily when it’s early in the morning and I’m half asleep. Walking is another favorite method.

Life seems to be, in great part, developing greater and greater trust in our intuition. Learning to trust it even when it tells us to go on very difficult, or very irrational-seeming, journeys.

Surrendering to our intuition is an act of humility and can lead to us making more fearless and inspiring art.

We can all think of examples of artists who are fearless in their art. These are people who, at least in their art, must have developed great trust in their intuition.

Great artists don’t chase trends. They are their own trend.

“Each of us has an inner dream that we can unfold if we will just have the courage to admit what it is.”

GO ON ARTIST DATES

“An artist date is a block of time . . . especially set aside and committed to nurturing your creative consciousness, your inner artist.”

Feeling stuck? Nothing’s happening? Maybe it’s time to fill up the well.

The Artist’s Way suggests taking your inner artist on a date once a week. Just you and your inner artist - no one else.

This could include watching a classic film, visiting an art museum, reading deep literature, or listening to a symphony, to name a few examples. Anything that involves taking in great art.

It’s an opportunity to spend some time in the deep end of the pool. And it’s an opportunity to have new experiences, especially when you venture outside of your chosen art form.

As a music maker, I find that movies and visual art are great for expanding my mind.

If you’re busy, your artist date could be as short as ten minutes. Read one chapter of a book, read about a genius artist online, watch a bit of a dance performance, or look at some fashion photos.

It’s about giving your inner artist time and attention. It’s about nurturing your inner artist.

CREATIVITY IS INHERENT

“Creativity is the natural order of life . . . The refusal to be creative is self-will and is counter to our true nature. It is safe to open ourselves up to greater and greater creativity.”

Anyone who has spent time around children can probably agree that creativity seems inherent in all of us.

I’ve made a lot of music with young family members over the years, and then I’ve watched as most of them have gradually become too self-conscious for such things.

But our inherent creativity never leaves us. And all of our day-to-day lives involve some degree of creativity.

Even something so seemingly mundane as planning dinner is an act of creativity. Every job involves some creativity. Every conversation is a work of art.

If you’re feeling like you’d like to make some kind of art, but you’re feeling apprehensive, just remember that you don’t need to show it to anyone. It can be just for you.

BE AWARE OF PERFECTIONISM

“Progress, not perfection, is what we should be asking ourselves.”

Oh man, do I struggle with this one. It is my main theme for this year. Instead of spending 6,000 hours recording and mixing a song, can I spend only . . . 20?

Of course, practicing more will help me become faster at the technical stuff and will increase my speed. But for me, at this point, the lost time is more about perfectionism.

So, what causes perfectionism?

The Artist’s Way talks about negative beliefs we can have, such as:

• “I don’t have enough good ideas”

• “I will do bad work and look like a fool”

• “It’s too late for me to start making art”

These negative beliefs might have been with us since childhood, and can be located deep in the subconscious. And so they can be difficult to see.

But it’s worth the effort to try to uncover them.

As you begin to isolate these negative beliefs, you will see that they are not true (yes, our minds lie to us constantly!). And you can start replacing them with positive affirmations, such as:

• “I have a lot of good ideas”

• “I don’t expect everyone to like my art”

• “It’s never too late to start making art”

In other words, the antidote is self-love, and we can reprogram ourselves.

“Art requires a safe hatchery.” We must create this safe hatchery for ourselves.