Julia Cameron

• Creativity is our true nature; blocks are an unnatural thwarting of a process at once as normal and as miraculous as the blossoming of a flower at the end of a slender green stem.

• As artists, we must learn to be self-nourishing. We must become alert enough to consciously replenish our creative resources as we draw on them.

• Over any extended period of time, being an artist requires enthusiasm more than discipline. Enthusiasm is not an emotional state. It is spiritual commitment, a loving surrender to our creative process, a loving recognition of all the creativity around us.

• In order to have a real relationship with our creativity, we must take the time and care to cultivate it.

• I have said before that creativity is a spiritual issue. Any progress is made by leaps of faith, some small and some large.

• I have learned, as a rule of thumb, never to ask whether you can do something. Say, instead, that you are doing it. Then fasten your seat belt. The most remarkable things follow.

• Growth is an erratic forward movement: two steps forward, one step back. Remember that and be very gentle with yourself.

• The grace to be a beginner is always the best prayer for an artist. The beginner’s humility and openness lead to exploration. Exploration leads to accomplishment. All of it begins at the beginning, with the first small and scary step.

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WEBSITE: www.theartistsway.com

When I think of Julia Cameron, one thing comes to mind: her book, The Artist’s Way, which has been described as the “seminal book on the subject of creativity.” When I first started to read it, I had the misconception that the book, her workshops, and her exercises were for “artists.” Artists, in my mind, were painters, musicians, writers, anybody whose main focus in life is their creativity.

Shortly into the book, it became clear that Julia Cameron’s popularity comes from the fact that she can help any of us use our creativity in dealing with our careers, family, or personal interests, regardless of our primary interest in life. We are all creative beings.

In the first chapter, Cameron outlines ten basic principles. I want to share with you the first three to get a sense of where she is coming from:

1. Creativity is the natural order of life. Life is energy. Pure creative energy.

2. There is an underlying, indwelling creative force infusing all of life—including ourselves.

3. When we open ourselves to our creativity, we open ourselves to the creator’s creativity within us and our lives.

All of Julia Cameron’s work comes back to The Artists Way. This book provides a 12-week program with specific exercises to unlock ideas and expand your creativity. It is a guide to living the artist’s life, but in truth, it is a guide to a creative life. I have one suggestion: plan on doing at least some of the exercises. It’s all about “Living the Artist’s Life,” not about reading about the Artist’s Life.

As a playwright, Julia Cameron’s work has graced such stages as Princeton’s McCarter Theater, The Denver Center of the Performing Arts, and the tiny Taos Community Auditorium in her hometown. It was there that she first workshopped her musical Avalon, under the guidance of legendary director John Newland. Cameron serves as a composer on her musicals, as well as a libretto-writer and lyricist. This musical aspect of her career began in her mid-40s.