I can’t remember where I first heard about The Artist’s Way. It might have been in the context of morning pages, and associated recommendations about making sure to write something first thing every morning. It might have been some advice thread somewhere for blocked writers. But it was something I know I came across several times before deciding to find out what the fuss was about.
Last week I started The Artist’s Way in earnest, and I thought it might be fun to document the process. Roughly what it is, what it involves and what effect it has on me and my creativity. I’ll aim to do weekly check-ins, since the course is broken down into weeks. But before we get into any of that, I think it’s worth delving into what the course actually is.
What is The Artist’s Way?
In brief, The Artist’s Way is a twelve-week course to help you get in touch with your creativity. It’s about rediscovering and empowering your inner artist and breaking down barriers to your creative energy. Originally published in 1992, you’ll often see it touted as the definitive book on unblocking creatives.
That’s what it is. Simple enough! But what does it involve?
The Artist’s Way employs two core tools throughout the course. They are the morning pages and the artist date.
Morning pages
The first rule of the course is that you have to write three pages first thing every morning. Three pages of what? Well, whatever comes into your head. The instructions are very clear that it doesn’t matter what fills the pages, as long as the pages are filled. I think the intention is for it to be kind of a stream-of-consciousness activity, essentially a way of clearing out your brain.
The pages are supposed to be A4, and by three pages it means three sides. Julia Cameron is pretty adamant that the pages should be handwritten, so that’s what I’ve been doing. Although I have to assume that if you’re unable to hand-write three A4 pages it’s okay to use a computer. And there are plenty of reasons it might not be possible for somebody to do that.
The book recommends setting your alarm half an hour early in order to fit the morning pages in before you do anything else. I’ll probably go further into how I found the time commitment, but I definitely need longer than half an hour to hand-write three A4 pages.
Artist dates
The other tool of The Artist’s Way is artist dates. Time spent alone, doing things that refill the creative well. The book isn’t prescriptive about what counts as an artist date, but it is clear that it should be time spent alone.
I’ve seen some people recommending art galleries or long solo walks, some people visiting places they loved from childhood or going alone to a restaurant. It’s recommended to take a couple of hours for this. Artist dates are also not always easy to find time for! But nobody ever said it would be easy.
That isn’t all there is to the program, of course
Each week there are specific tasks to do which line up with the theme of the week. There’s also a chapter of the book each week, discussing what you’re working on that week and why.
The Artist’s Way asks you to commit wholeheartedly
One of the first things it asks you to do is write a contract. You have to write out that you’re aware of what you’re committing to, and what it will involve. The ceremony of it is pretty cool, and I think it helps you feel like you’re taking it seriously.
The weekly reading and date, the daily writing, all add up to a not insignificant time commitment though. I’m not somebody with a huge number of non-negotiable demands on my time, but setting time aside to follow the course has definitely been the hardest part. I imagine for people who work longer hours than I do, or people with caretaking responsibilities, the time investment needed would be prohibitive.
Frequently asked questions about The Artist’s Way:
Is The Artist’s Way religious?
Strictly speaking, no. It’s clearly designed to be open to people of any faith, or indeed no faith at all. There are references to ‘God’, which Julia Cameron says you can substitute for a less loaded term if you prefer. I’d question why she didn’t just replace it with something less religious if she wanted it to feel maximally welcoming, but there you go. Personally, I feel a little resistance every time I read the word ‘God’, but I try to swap it out in my head for ‘the Universe’ or similar and I’m getting on okay with it.
What do you need to do the course?
Access to writing implements and paper, or a laptop, or similar. And probably the book. There is a workbook, which I don’t think you necessarily need. You can of course do morning pages and a weekly artist date without reading The Artist’s Way, but I think to get the most out of the course you do need that week-by-week direction, and the tasks to help focus your attention.
How long does The Artist’s Way take?
The course lasts for twelve weeks in total. In terms of time commitment each week, I’m still getting a handle on that myself. I need at least an hour every morning for the morning pages, and twenty minutes to an hour for tasks three to five times per week. Then there’s the artist date, and the weekly reading. I reckon if you can carve out one to two hours on the average day, plus an extra two hours once a week, that would do the trick. And if you write more quickly than me then you may not need as long for the morning pages!
It’s exciting to commit to your own creative growth
I was nervous about writing anything about the course before I’ve finished it. I’m a little uncertain whether I’ll have enough time on an ongoing basis to actually finish it. But I want to try. So many people have recommended it, that I think it’s important to at least try to figure out why.
Have you done some or all of The Artist’s Way? I’d love to know what your experience was like – let me know in the comments!
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