Should You Finally Do the Artist’s Way?
Writing a book. Running the Boston Marathon. Running for office. Climbing to the summit of Mount Everest. Discovering a scientific breakthrough. Completing the Artist’s Way? While thinking of goals and aspirations for the future, the Artist’s Way is on a lot of writers’ and artists’ lists.
What is it?
Oft romanticized and thought of as a lovey-dovey coddling journaling practice, the Artist’s Way is actually more than “just” the most well known components of morning pages and artist dates. The book is actually a highly structured program on a rigorous twelve-week schedule with activities, writing prompts, exercises, check-ins, and required readings. Because of the unexpected demand, many start with high hopes, and give up, defeated, in the first few weeks. BUT I believe if you’re informed, and know what you’re getting into, it’s incredibly worthwhile and even critical to a whole-hearted life, not only for writers and artists, but for anyone who is alive only in the most basic sense of the word - if used correctly, the program can put some wind in your sails, and set you on a new course of life. And yes, the morning pages are a big part of this.
Morning Pages & Artist Dates
The goal of the morning pages is often misunderstood. Some warn that the morning pages will “change your life” by destroying it. Here is what Julia Cameron says about the morning pages:
“All that angry, whiny, petty stuff that you write down in the morning stands between you and your creativity. Worrying about the job, the laundry, the funny knock in the car, the weird look in your lover’s eye - [the stuff that] muddies our days. Get it on the page… Morning pages [exist to] get us to the other side: the other side of our fear, of our negativity, of our moods” (11-12).
Misunderstanding the purpose of the morning pages is what stops a lot of participants in their tracks. The morning pages aren’t intended to be a big place of revelation - they are intended to be a dumping ground for all the other noise in your brain that stops you from having big revelations. And once you get it all written out - the to-do lists, the rants and complaints, the leaky roofs and “I have to call the plumbers” of it all - that is when you get to the hidden, subconscious, buried thoughts like, “this relationship is burying me alive,” and “I hate my job and want to be a jeweler instead.”
Do not react to the pages right away, either. As Lidia Yunavitch asks in a great writing exercise, “What is the story underneath that?” (Click here for her amazing exercises). Do you really want to be a jeweler or rancher/homesteader? Or do you want to find a day job or career more aligned with your values? (There is no wrong answer). There is so much to uncover as you keep writing the pages - but Cameron insists you not reread them right away - not for at least eight weeks. When you do reread them, read with a highlighter in hand - annotate the story of your days, and figure out your desires, then make concrete plans on how to achieve your goals once you demystify them.
As for artist dates, these are for “opening yourself to insight, inspiration, and guidance,” by taking yourself to places like museums, coffee shops, nature trails, thrift shops, movies, and more (18). Cameron suggests doing activities that involve leaving the house - but I think that if you create the right environment, leave your phone in another room and immerse yourself, home is just fine. Think of it this way - whatever activities you like to do that both inspire you and make you feel artistically refreshed, are artist dates.
So how do you know if you should partake in this project?
YOU SHOULD DO THE ARTIST’S WAY IF:
You have great ideas and start a lot of projects but can never finish them.
You feel “blocked,” and like you may never have ideas again.
You like your life (or don’t) but feel like something is missing.
You know what kind of art you want to make and what kind of lifestyle you want to have - and have no idea how to get there.
You don’t know what kind of art you want to make and what kind of lifestyle you want to have.
You’ve recently lost a home, a job, a relationship, or something else foundational and important, and feel unmoored.
You’ve never done the program, or it’s been at least five years and you want to check in with yourself.
YOU SHOULD NOT DO THE ARTIST’S WAY IF:
You already have a solid creative practice.
Your life is perfect as-is.
You know what kind of art you want to make and what kind of lifestyle you want to have - and you are already working toward it concretely if not already there.
You’re aware of not only the patterns in your life, but if and how you want to change them.
You know your why & have done “the work.”
You’re not at a turning point in your life.
You’ve done it in the past five years - overdoing it is not going to make your life better.
Now what?
You will never regret time spent journaling and nurturing your inner creative, if you feel called to do so. Make sure once you decide to “do” the Artist’s Way, you commit to it, and carve out the time you will need in advance to make the most of the exercises, activities, artist dates and morning pages. And if you decide you aren’t interested or able to do the program, or you’ve done it already and don’t feel the calling currently, just know- morning pages and artist dates are for everyone. Remember - the Artist’s Way is not a magic antidote to life’s problems - it’s a diagnostic tool. Only you can change your life.
