The Artist's Way

 Besides gardening, writing, cooking, knitting and family (I am failing at the knitting but I'll get there) I have been doing the Julia Cameron book, The Artist's Way. I did it some years ago when I first decided I wanted to be a published writer, long, long before the advent of the indie publishing revolution. I'm up to week five now, and I am loving it. I even bought a special Morning Pages journal off Book Depository and I've ordered a coupe more to encourage me to continue on with the morning pages Yes, I could use a cheap notebook and I have plenty of them. I love paper and stationery. But there  is something about treating yourself to a brand new, custom-designed journal, and I don't mind if Julia Cameron gets the royalty because I think the work she has done for people who wrestle with being creative is life changing.

I've noticed a few things since I did the course many years ago.

I don't feel any guilt over writing the way I used to when writing seemed like a hobby and nothing more, unless you had the good luck to sell to a publisher. I see creativity now as being a spiritual act, tied in with all aspects of creation from the growth you witness in the garden, the changing seasons, to the beautiful music you listen to that someone no doubt struggled and wept over to compose, and then for someone to produce. 

I really look forward to the pages now, three pages of long hand which might be absolute rubbish but I'm discovering  I come up with good ideas. The main thing, is it keeps you going. You have to keep writing and not give up halfway through the page and call it a day.

I am really enjoying it and if you have never read Julia Cameron's work and would like to pursue creativity, then give it a go.

~ Maddie.

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