On January 2nd, 2022 (The first day of the first week in January), I began my 12-week journey with The Artist’s Way. I didn’t plan to start it on the first week of the new year, but I’m glad it worked out like that. It was as if I was symbolizing my re-commitment to writing in the form of this 12-week program.
Throughout the weeks that followed, I would periodically Google questions I had about the program and found it difficult to get answers to my questions. I made a lot of assumptions and decisions based on my own preferences and comfort. I don’t know if this was the intention of the process, but it’s all I could do with the information I had. This made me very uncomfortable. When I am following a guide, I like to have some insight on if I’m doing things “right”. In this case, there were many times I had no idea if the process was working properly.
For that reason, I’m going to go into detail about each week. I’ll summarize the majority of things, but there are some tasks I will explicitly call attention to because they are tasks I had issues with and feel there may be other artists that go through the same things I went through.
NOTE: You’ll see me reference things like “W1-T1” and “W4-T10”. This stands for “Week 1-Task 1” and “Week 4-Task 10” (respectively) in the workbook.
Table of Contents
The Setup
Based on my experience, here are a few recommendations I would make for those who want to begin The Artist’s Way.
- Buy The Artist’s Way Workbook. Here is a link to it on Amazon, but I’m sure you can find it other places.
- Buy a good journal. This is the one I bought and I love it! It contains more pages than you’ll need for the 12-week period, but it has some really nice features (TOC, page numbers, bookmark ribbons, etc.) and no bleed through.
- Borrow The Artist’s Way guidebook from your local library or a friend. I’ll explain this in detail under Week 1.
- Spend at least a week before you plan to officially start getting familiar with the workbook and taking notes from the guidebook.
General Tips / Notes
Skimming the Guidebook
The first thing I did was look for any references to the guidebook in the workbook. When I found a reference, I’d go to the guidebook, find the referenced page(s) and take notes. You might have to go a few pages forward or backward depending on the version of guidebook you have. Next, I skimmed through the guidebook looking for any exercises that might be helpful. I will reference the ones I took notes on in each week’s respective section below.
Artist’s Dates
I am on a budget so expensive artist’s dates were not an option. I spent a lot of time every Sunday looking through Facebook events, Google events, and Eventbrite looking for free or affordable events in my area. Here are a few I did:
- Sip & Paint (most expensive at around $30)
- Browsing a bookstore for a few hours (free)
- Planetarium visit (free)
- Museum visit (free)
- Took myself out for lunch (about $15)
- Art and film events hosted by non-profits in my area (free)
Weekly Reviews
Week 1: 1/2 – 1/8
Bookmarked Pages
Exercises/Notes from the Guidebook
Artist’s Date: Sip and Paint
Experience
I spent a lot of time reading during week 1. I wish I would have done all of this during the week between Christmas and New Year’s. I familiarized myself with the workbook and looked at the various tasks to see what my weeks would look like. I then skimmed through the guidebook. I read the Introduction and Basic Tools sections of the workbook in their entirety and that is when I decided to skim the guidebook.
When reading those two sections, I found (and this is obviously my subjective opinion) Julia Cameron to be overly self-important. There was a lot of you’ll want to complete this book because so-and-so (a friend of Julia’s that you may or may not have heard of) found it extremely helpful and then some more of so and so wrote to me to say that they really loved it and it completely changed their life. It goes on and on. At first I tried reading the guidebook. I kept looking for the places where the book actually explained the process that made it change lives instead of the places where it merely said it changes lives. These pages were few. I can only handle so much peacocking. I tried to keep an open mind, but I decided to skim the guidebook and extract the pieces of information that I felt I would need and then returned it to my library the next day.
I am not religious at all and I struggled with her continuous reference to God and the Creator. It had a very Christiany feel to things and there were many times I had to modify things to get around that terminology.
Be specific with your imaginary lives! You end up writing out about 40 of them and coming up with some at the end is a bit tough.
Week 2: 1/9 – 1/15
Bookmarked Pages
Exercises/Notes from the Guidebook
Artist’s Date: Browsed Local Bookstore
Best idea EVER!!
Experience
I admit that I am a bit jaded by experiences in my past regarding religion. The Basic Principles remind me very much of some things from that past and so I was not a fan of them, but like I said earlier, this is just my opinion.
I think this week was really important for taking an honest inventory of how I was spending my time and the things I want to accomplish. It pushed me to stop procrastinating and start making changes. I do spend my time differently now.
Week 3: 1/16 – 1/22
Bookmarked Pages
Exercises/Notes from the Guidebook
Artist’s Date: N/A
I had something scheduled and the weather got in the way. I scheduled something else for later in the week and we had a home repair get in the way. I gave myself grace in week 3.
Experience
Not much to note from this week. Really enjoyed the tasks and figuring out why I gravitate toward the people I do.
She did introduce the idea of synchronicity in the check-ins during this week and, maybe because I didn’t actually read the guidebook, I didn’t fully understand what I should be looking for. I knew I was looking for things lining up or falling into place at the perfect time, but it was hard to pinpoint those things when looking back over my week.
Week 4: 1/23 – 1/29
Bookmarked Pages
Exercises/Notes from the Guidebook
Artist’s Date: Take and Make Craft from my library
Experience
W4-T1 needs updated. Many of the tasks need updated. I know there are still many people that read magazines. I, however, do not have any magazines that I am willing to cut to pieces or that would actually capture the imagery I need for this task. I also am not willing to buy magazines for the sole purpose of cutting them up because I don’t have that kind of money. Digital photos for the win!
W4-T2 should probably have an alternative option. What if an 80-year-old wants to complete this workbook?
As I’ve mentioned, I’m not religious. I really did not like Julia’s Artist’s Prayer. Because I like to keep an open mind, I took some time to think about how I could approach this prayer idea from a different angle. This is what I came up with (more of a prayer to myself to be a better person):
May I grow more creative with each passing day.
May I learn to set aside time for my artist to grow.
May I allow myself more freedom to err.
May my writing impact lives in a positive manner.
May my actions and words be used for good.
The good of those around me as well as the food of myself.
May my mind stay open to the thoughts and experiences of those who are different from me.
May I be support to other artists I interact with.
May I learn to accept myself as I am.
May I learn to take less stock in what others think of me so that I am free to be myself.on for this block. Use this space for describing your block. Any text will do. Description for this block. You can use this space for describing your block.
I completely skipped W4-T8. I had recently donated old clothes to Goodwill and I also don’t buy clothes that give me “low-self-worth”. This is another task that I felt could use an alternative option, such as “Find something in your house that gives you negative feelings every time you see it” or something along those lines.
I also didn’t really do a “reading deprivation”. I didn’t read any books in Week 4, but I did read articles online and browsed social media. Not sure if those count or not.
Week 5: 1/30 – 2/5
Bookmarked Pages
Exercises/Notes from the Guidebook
Artist’s Date: Extended Artist’s Date
You can read about my Extended Artist’s Date here.
Experience
W5-T1 was another assumption on Julia’s part. I believe in a supportive God so coming up with grievances was very difficult. I think it took me all week and the grievances were weak.
I just could not remember to do W5-T2…or maybe I just didn’t see images of my desires? I don’t know. Either way, I didn’t clip any images, save them to a Pinterest board, or do anything else with this. I bookmarked it so I could refer back to it and remember what I was looking for, but never really did it.
I can’t draw. I am not that type of artist by any means. But I still did W5-T8. So can you. 😉
I really liked the exercises from the guidebook for this week. I felt they were helpful.
In this check-in, Julia mentions the “page-and-a-half ‘truth point’”. I have no idea what she’s talking about. Maybe I looked at Morning Pages the wrong way. I thought they were supposed to be a recording of whatever was on my mind, which usually just ended up being whatever happened the previous day. Some days I wrote deep stuff. Some days were filled with “I don’t know what to write about”. But I never got halfway through and thought now here’s where I get into the meat of it. Sometimes that happened right away, sometimes not at all. Another assumption on Julia’s behalf that we are all the same.
Week 6: 2/6 – 2/12
Bookmarked Pages
Exercises/Notes from the Guidebook
Artist’s Date: Lunch at a local café to read.
Sorry, no special picture or social media post to go along with this one. 😊
Experience
I was extremely frustrated with W6-T1. I wanted to yell “WE DON’T ALL LIVE IN CALIFORNIA WHERE IT’S SUNSHINE AND DAISIES ALL YEAR ROUND, JULIA!!” When I got to this task there was a foot of snow on the ground. There should be an alternative to pressing leaves or flower petals. I took the essence of this task to be pushing the participant toward doing something childlike and whimsical (even uses that word in the task description) so I took some time to think up a solution. I found an indoor photo scavenger hunt and did that instead.
On the page for W6-T3 there is a mini task that advises you to send postcards to 5 friends. Here’s the thing: I have the phone numbers of all the friends I would love to hear from (it’s less than 5, but I could stretch it for this task), but I don’t have all of their addresses. I would have to call or text a few of them to get their addresses. Then they wouldn’t be getting surprise postcards. I skipped it. Another task that needs updated to the 21st century. (Side note: about a month later, I ended up going to dinner with all of them as we are all in the same circle of friends).
I do not understand W6-T6. Is Julia trying to say that over the 6 weeks of doing this workbook my financial situation should have changed?
Week 7: 2/13 – 2/19
Bookmarked Pages
Exercises/Notes from the Guidebook
Artist’s Date: Film Night hosted by Lit Youngstown
Experience
I, again, modified a task—W7-T5—because I was not going to buy 10 magazines just to shred them for the pictures. I went through Pinterest and some other sites and collected pictures and made a digital collage of photos. I don’t often buy things for myself unless it’s a special occasion (birthday or I receive a submission acceptance) so the mini task associated here was also a good exercise in doing something nice for myself for no reason at all.
For the Jealousy Map, I found it easiest to put it in table format (example below).
| Name | Why | Action Antidote |
|---|---|---|
| Jane Smith | Full-time writer | Write for an hour every day |
| John Doe | Writes excellent dialogue | Go to more workshops |
Week 8: 2/20 – 2/26
Bookmarked Pages
Exercises/Notes from the Guidebook
Artist’s Date: Support Through Expressive Arts hosted by NAMI Mahoning Valley
Experience
I ended up putting W8-T5 in a Google Sheets doc because it just made more sense than trying to cram all that info onto the workbook page.
This week was really good for laying out my goals and realizing just how important writing is to me.
Early Patternings was…interesting. I found Julia making soooo many assumptions. I especially took issue with numbers 5, 13, and 16. The whole thing felt like she was trying to push toward something that isn’t there in everyone’s life. My parents didn’t exactly guide me toward a career in writing, but they also didn’t discourage my love of it. They encouraged me to write for fun, but it was always clear that the arts were viewed as side hustles and not careers. I don’t see anything they ever did as negative reinforcement. I also didn’t have poor relationships with any of my teachers so the phrasing of the statements in this exercise felt very pointed and wrong for my situation. I understand that not everyone is as lucky as I am. I feel very lucky to not have memories of people shooting down my art, but this is just another example of Julia assuming that every has had the same life/background. I, again, made major modifications to suit my experiences.
Week 9: 2/27 – 3/5
Bookmarked Pages
Exercises/Notes from the Guidebook
Artist’s Date: Lunch at a local coffee shop to read
Another time that I didn’t document my date.
Experience
W9-T1: I did not read all of my Morning Pages. I could list my excuses, but I won’t. In the pages I did read, I saw themes. They also help me see some things in myself that I had not recognized before that I do want to change.
W9-T4: Another assumption. I’m not the type to pursue something without completing it. Also, if I had made a U-turn, why assume I would want to bring it back? Sometimes U-turns are made for a reason. SMH.
Blasting Through Blocks was a good exercise to help me see why I haven’t published my two completed novels even though I am focusing on a new novel.
Week 10: 3/6 – 3/12
Bookmarked Pages
Exercises/Notes from the Guidebook
Artist’s Date: Browsed a local bookstore
Experience
I answered the questions for W10-T3 in a Google Doc because there was nowhere near enough room in the workbook for it.
W10-T5 was very hard for me. Actually, just number 5. I kept forgetting about it, but I also find it very hard to make time to pamper myself. So something as small as setting aside 30 minutes to read was very hard for me to do. I only accomplished to do something “lovely” for myself 3 out of the 4 days. 😔
I’m a nerd and like stats so I put the answers to The Workaholism Quiz into a Google Sheets doc so that I can analyze my answers. I also added a “Notes” column because I felt I needed to explain a few of my answers to my future self who comes back to read my answers.
Week 11: 3/13 – 3/19
Bookmarked Pages
Exercises/Notes from the Guidebook
Artist’s Date: Attended a literary webinar
We played some bingo while the writer talked. Can you guess which writer was on the webinar?
Experience
I saved the answers for W11-T1 in a Google Doc because, again, there is just not enough space in the workbook. Also see the image below:
Sorry for the strong language, but that was my first and only thought. There are 3 reasons:
- I am not a fan of the Basic Principles (too churchy / religious sounding for my taste).
- I couldn’t think of a single essay from the book that I would want to use.
- I hate listening to my own voice so there is no way I could use it for meditation.
Week 12: 3/20 – 3/26
Bookmarked Pages
Exercises/Notes from the Guidebook
Artist’s Date: Support Through Expressive Arts hosted by NAMI Mahoning Valley
Experience
Again, in W12-T4, Julia got a little too religious for my blood. Not everyone shares this belief in God. I may believe in God, but I also believe that I have to work through my fears and emotions. I can’t just say “God’s got it” and things will be fixed. I know I’m not the only artist that feels this way. I did not make a God jar.
I did not complete W12-T7.
Creativity Contract
I gave myself license to modify the contract. I am not requiring weekly artist’s dates, but will continue to do them on a semi-regular basis. I nixed the entire line about choosing a creative colleague because I don’t really feel a need for it right now.
Summary
The main takeaway should be: Don’t be afraid to tailor the tasks to your needs or beliefs. There were many times I modified wording or completely changed the task because it just didn’t fit my lifestyle (or the technology of today). I understand you are supposed to commit to the process, but one can only commit so much when their life is so different from Julia’s.
Even though I changed things so much, I do understand why Julia set it up the way she did. Her faith is obviously a large part of her life. That’s just not the way it is for everyone.
I still keep up with several things: morning pages, artist’s dates (just not every week), and paying attention to what nurtures me and what doesn’t. I’ve been going for walks more and giving myself freedom to accomplish more throughout the day by procrastinating less and overcoming my depression and anxiety more.
I’d say to keep an open mind, but also be true to yourself.
FEEL FREE TO CONNECT WITH ME!
Your takeaways sound really valuable–and I think we all have to tailor craft books (or any kind of how-tos) to our own lifestyle and wishes. I think it’s great that practices, like morning pages, have stuck. And I think it’s super important to think about the process of writing and the why’s of writing, and I think being forced to slow down by this kind of program helps. Super well done!
Thank you!