When we walk, the two halves of our brains converse.
Julia Cameron
I read Julia Cameron’s book The Artist Way a few years ago… Now it is time to read her again.
Have you Have you read the sequel (it’s called Walking in this World) to the famous first book yet? If not maybe you want to join Kristin of Journaling Saves and in the reading of the book in a kind of read along! I enjoyed the book The Artist’s Way and though it’s not on top of my list I do recommend everyone to give it a try. I shifted my diary writing habit from late evenings to mornings about then, as is suggested in the book. I think the best parts of the book is the suggestions to get into the habit of writing a journal, taking time for yourself (the artist date) and taking at least one walk each week.
Oh, if you don’t know what I’m talking about you have to get a copy of the first book The Artist’s Way right now and start reading.
One of the most important tools according to Julia is the Morning Pages. It sounds like it would be something mysterious but all it is is three long-hand written pages about anything that is in your brain when you wake up in the morning. I write mine with the first cup of coffee when there is time and I feel I’ve got something to say. Writing can help clear your head, see subconscious longings, set priorities and maybe work out issues so that you feel rejuvenated and able to create new ideas!
Cameron’s book is perfect for this kind of event because it’s already written as a personal class, and you can take it many time and learn something new because of the morning pages. They are a lot about digging within… Each chapter is a one week long theme with exercises, suggestions and tasks!
I noticed I’ve got this Julia Cameron book Walking in this World (The Practical Art of Creativity) in Swedish in my book shelf and this week I’ve read the first chapter. The read-along starts this week so I’m sure you can catch up and join if you want too.
I am already doing my best to write morning pages a few days a week, so I it’s not a big deal to join in for me. Not that reading a book and commiting to writing could ever be too hard. Writing is a passion. Julia Cameron writes;
We should write because writing brings clarity and passion to the act of living. Writing is sensual, experiential, grounding. We should write because writing is good for the soul. We should write because writing yields us a body of work, a felt path through the world we live in.
If only I can clear some space on my desk, then I will be ready to create! Smilla… could you help out here? No?
Oh well. Maybe I’ll do some art journaling and post it tomorrow! In the meantime I’m watching videos from Jennifer Lee’s Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit, an online launch party with her as a talk-hostess for her new book The Right-Brain Business Plan (A Creative, Visual Map for Success). It’s on my wish list for sure.
Also enjoying posts by Traci Bunker on a new 30 day journey, this time into 30 days of art journaling and the free online class by the company Strathmore, new class started this week with Linda Blinn and it’s called Start Where You Are. Lots to listen to, look at, watch and read out there. Now me and Smilla is logging of to go to bed here in Sweden.
Take care!
By sheer coincidence I’ve finished “The artist way” some days ago :)
Now it’s in front of me on my bookshelf, I can see it! :)
I really enjoyed the book.
Thank you for suggesting “walking in this world”. Can I hope for your review about it?
bye!
I think it’s awesome that your joining in too. I love your blog and I think it’s great that I can read your experiences and compare it with mine at the same time!
Looking forward to it :)
xx
Hi Hanna. It has been about a decade since I read The Artist’s Way, but I am familiar with it and things such as the morning pages.
I noticed that the Amazon description says, “At first and for a long way into the book, we encounter the wheel-greasing exercises that worked magic for millions … Cameron re-introduces the basic tools the daily morning exercise of hand-writing three free-flowing pages and the weekly solitary “artist’s date,”… ”
It sounds like I’m probably safe to dive into the second book? I think that I’m going to go ahead and order it. I feel bursting lately, with creativity and motivation and an urge to do a diverse number of things, but I need to harness all that energy or I ultimately don’t accomplish much at all.
Hi, Smilla! :)
wow, after all those wonderful reading and writing and workshop suggestions I think I better go take myself out for that walk…!
Thanks for the post. I’m going to check out some of those books; I’ve been thinking I would like to get some more books to inspire my creativity.
On another note-your cat is adorable. I have an orange tabby myself (http://abirdinthehandart.blogspot.com/2011/02/kindle.html) and I’m also a sucker for the orange and white kitty :)
I am soooo not a morning person. I feel like I do my best work in the evening. That being said…I run my own company and also have a 3 year old daughter. By the time I get her in bed at 7:30, all I can about is going to bed myself. Maybe I should switch and try this out! Thanks for the post!
Julia Cameron has a third in the series called Finding Water, which follows the same format. I’ve been writing morning pages for 6 years now, and last summer I went nearly 2 weeks without writing anything. Normally I write at least 4 days a week. It’s gotten so that I feel out of sorts if I don’t have enough time at the notebook. Good luck with Walking in this World
Silvia, did you do the morning pages and exercises? It’s the kind of book that you can’t just read through to get something out of (to me), you need to do the exercises weekly! I’m going to read the second book for a few weeks so if I do a review it will be a while until then. :-)
Wendy, I’m not a morning person either, but the morning writing is not about creating something of quality; it’s just about the doing; the process, to get you started. Sometimes my brain does not cooperate at all and I can’t do them or I don’t have time, but when I do I usually feel good about it.
Kerrie, thanks for pointing out the third book. Julia has written a lot of books. I want to read her book on writing too!
OK – I’m walking! Take a look!
I plan to artify this later!