Six things I've learned from The Artists Way

(At the eight week mark)

I decided to write something a little bit different now that I’m 8 weeks into The Artists Way.

You’ve probably heard of the ‘Artists Way,’ a book written in the early 90’s by Hollywood screenwriter Julia Cameron. I’ve known about it for at least a decade, but didn’t read it until now.

I didn’t read it a decade ago for several reasons. First, back then I didn’t feel like I had the money, time, or creative vision to make art. Second, I thought it was solely about the morning pages: a renowned practice that Julia coined and has been used by artists like

Elizabeth Gilbert

who attributes the birth of Eat Pray Love to it. Basically, every morning, you write three pages of stream of consciousness. The way those three pages are supposed to work in your life is entirely personal, unscripted and mysterious.

Eight weeks ago I had a hunch to finally read it and see what it was truly about. Partly because I felt substantially blocked writing on this platform and was looking for some sort of fix. My first impression was that I wish I’d read it sooner. I actually felt a little bit of grief around the fact I hadn’t read the book until now, at 31 years old. I think maybe because I wondered whether the direction of my life would’ve been different if I had. Maybe I would’ve started a creative practice and kept it sacred and seperate from economic necessity.

I discover that The Artists Way is more than just the morning pages. It’s a 12 week guided process of tasks and journal prompts intended to reform your creativity, along with the daily mornings pages and weekly artists dates. So far, I’ve been following it diligently. I’ve reflected on every prompt and studiously attended my ‘artists dates,’ from baking a cake, to attending a book club and doing a painting and wine night in with some friends. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.

1. We’re all artistic

   Our Paleolithic ancestors painted cave walls some 40,000 years ago. The creative instinct is part of our humanity.

2. Practicing art has a restorative quality and should be prioritised

   Dance, poetry, doodles, weaving, singing are all healthy outlets of expression. They foster the positive psychological state of ‘flow’ coined by psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, which help us to emotionally regulate. Things like dancing and singing increase vagal tone — helping settle the nervous system, which in turn leads to more creativity.

3. Having an art practice facilitates growth

   I am now living by this quote by American writer Kurt Vonnegut, who said “Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what's inside you, to make your soul grow.” He continues: “Seriously! I mean starting right now, do art and do it for the rest of your lives. Draw a funny or nice picture of Ms. Lockwood, and give it to her. Dance home after school, and sing in the shower and on and on. Make a face in your mashed potatoes. Pretend you're Count Dracula.” Nothing is too frivolous. This last part of the quote is important, because it speaks to the fact it doesn’t have to be fine art, or ever recognised, as long as it’s a daily part of life. These playful things are what add sweetness to our existence and add colour and depth to our day-to-day.

4. Art is all about the practice, not the outcome

   As above, all the best reasons to create have nothing to do with the outcome. Through interviewing a lot of different artists for my job I discovered they all had a unique relationship to their art that served them in some way. Whether it was meditation, an outlet, a form of expression, or a way to process.

5. Creativity requires developing a better relationship with yourself

   Perfectionism and creativity don’t go together. As you grow your creative muscle, you’ll simultaneously growing your ability to silence your nagging inner critic. You’ll inevitably make art you don’t like in the beginning. Luckily, your skills and ability are irrelevant. If you’re sharing your work, there might be outer criticism that you have to machete your way through in order to stay on your path of making art and expressing whatever it is you feel called to express. As difficult as it is, it’s a pursuit that I’m finding is facilitating my growth in ways that likely wouldn’t be happening if I wasn’t sitting down and making something.

6. Making art is a mini revolution of sorts

   Our culture encourages us to consume more than we create. By prioritising the frivolous, playful and seemingly pointless, you’re buying back a bit of the time otherwise allocated to jobs, responsibilities and other people’s agendas — and placing it on something that’s for you, that feels rewarding, makes you feel a little bit more alive and adds beauty to your days.

Below I’ll leave a few postcards from the random creative urges I’ve had during my time doing The Artists Way.