The Artist's Way: Week One
Recovering a sense of safety
I heard about the Artist’s Way a few months ago. A random YouTube video crossing my feed and then another and another. I’ve been umming and ahhing about it for a while, at first it seemed like one of those cheap tricks that creatives dive into for a fix-all solution for their creative block. Honestly, I still think that, but I’m also a little lost when it comes to the direction I want to take my creativity.
The self-help book was published in 1992 by Julia Cameron, written to help people gain self-confidence in their creative talents and skills. It has ties to Christianity as well, connecting your spiritual and creative self to God and so on, but as someone who isn’t religious this really isn’t my focus. At its centre is personal development in a way that, to this day, isn’t overly celebrated, creativity.
The original book is a 12-week program, which is what I plan to follow, taking me to the second week of April. There are two main activities for the Artist’s Way, Morning Pages, and an Artist Date.
The Morning Pages must be long-hand, hand written, and ideally one of the first things you do in the morning to start your day. Don’t read back on them initially, take your time, but don’t think too hard about it. Easy…right??
Now that you’ve done that, take yourself on an Artist Date once a week. Initially, I thought this meant ‘do something cultured’ like go to the art gallery or museum or a live show. But it’s much more simple than that. The suggestion for week one is; “Take five dollars and go to your local dollar store…”. It doesn’t have to be much, just take yourself out on a date, go do something fun or relaxing that inspires you. Each week also offers other activities that could be used in your Morning Pages or Artist Date, I’m not yet sure how deep I’m going to dive into these, it may depend on what they are each week.
At the end of each week, make sure to check in with yourself, how did you do? Did you enjoy what did? Did you learn anything? And next week, do it all again! This will act as my check in I guess, we’ll see how long I last.
Morning Pages
Look we got off to a good start. However, as we know, I am not a morning person so the idea of waking up early to write my inner most thoughts and feelings sounds like a terrible time. Alas, we gave it a go and we lasted a whopping three days. Every single one of these days I happened to either start work late, or it was my day off…and on top of that I also stayed in bed, doom scrolling for an hour, before actually picking up my journal to write. Cameron recommends you write at least two pages, this wasn’t the case. In fact, I found myself only able to write a page at most, and for the majority of the time I was just talking about what I was going to do that day, or what I wanted to do.
I’ll be honest, I think I’m doing it wrong. I’m not really sure how to change what I’m doing, maybe I just need to be more vulnerable with it? Maybe I need to wake up earlier in the morning beforehand instead of just scrolling my phone. I did journal two other times, though at night, so it’s not like I put the journal away and gave up.
I also haven’t ventured too far into the suggestions and prompts that come with each week. This week happened to be extra busy, as will next week so it really just never crossed my mind. You know, in Cameron’s book, she says the Artist Date is the hardest part for people. Which, as I read that, knew that I would not be one of those people. I LOVE going out by myself, I’ve been going on Artist Dates for the better part of a year now. But early? morning? journaling? This is my mortal enemy. Please send your good wishes as I put on an earlier alarm.
Artist Date
It’s Wednesday 23rd January 2025. Around about 10:30am and nearing 20 degrees Celsius. I have a shower and proceed to take an extra 20 minutes picking my outfit because I’ve decided if I’m going to take myself out on a date I want to look good. I decide on some white wide cut ripped jeans, a Hozier crop with the words ‘Too Sweet’ printed on the front, my purple and white Nikes, and my Cotton On tote that’s about 7 years old.
I have a plan, its a date I’ve gone on before with some small alterations to the intentions. I drive to a large park and walk the 30 minutes through the park which leads to the gardens, and out the other side into the city’s centre. From there its onwards to one of my favourite restaurants in town for souvlaki, walk up the eatery stairs to a quiet corner and get out my book, These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spoon, and pop on One Piece because I can’t read while I eat and I can’t eat in silence. My intentions are to read for a chunk of time in this space, them move back to the gardens and do some creative writing. I’ve got two stories, one long form, one short form, stuck in my head that I want to get out.
After I’ve read a couple chapters I’m ready to move on and make my way out into the bustling city, it’s still summer holidays, there’s kids everywhere and I know I should be turning left back the way I came but my feet take me right, towards the shops. I’ve got nothing specific to look for, I go into a pop-up sale and find a pare of cargo pants that are 50% off, they fit immediately and are surprisingly comfortable for a summer wear. So without thinking too hard I buy them, because that’s the kind of day I want it to be, a little spontaneous, no overthinking. I go into some more shops, message my friends saying I want more tops for the gym but my friends want to be involved so I don’t buy anything. Finally, I turn back to the gardens.
I don’t have much time, the sun is blaring, my friends are all messaging about our plans tonight, I need to be home by 5pm at the latest, preferably closer to 3:30…it’s 2:30 now, I’ve already been out for a good two or so hours. Before the gardens is the Arts Centre, a beautiful collection of stone buildings with two courtyards in the middle, one of my favourite places in town purely for its beauty and the fact its where I spent most of my final years of my undergraduate degree (the Classics department call one of the buildings home).
As I walkthrough the arches there are groups of tourists being guided around the courtyard, looking up at the observatory. I have my headphones in, playing a playlist called ‘Pining Garage Band’ which is probably exactly what you think it is. However as I move deeper into the Arts Centre I can hear piano around me, I take a final step in and at the brightly painted piano is a young man, early 20s, playing a song that’s eerily familiar and singing softly. I sit between him and an iron statue of a man called STAY. I don’t talk to him, the piano player, or even look in his direction. I take my headphones out as he begins to play Je te laisserai des mots, which, at the time, I didn’t know by name but did know the tune from TikTok.
Its beautiful, I pull out my journal and begin writing. Not creatively, but about where I am and what’s happening, about how I have always loved string music but there is something about piano that always pulls emotion from within me. Then I sit, my eyes closed, and I listen to the piano mixing with the wind that blows through the leaves above the courtyard before us.
After some time the piano stops and I look up. I am left with just the wind and the continuous chatter of the tourists. It is 3 o’clock. I need to go home. I’ve done no creative writing and I forgot to get a voucher for my friend’s birthday but as I reach my car again, my feet are hurting, and I do feel lighter.
All in all it was a lovely date, with a note of adventure and opportunities taken to enjoy the world around me and let it inspire me. Artist Dates really do seem easy enough, I think the hardest thing will be remembering to find the time to do them.
That’s week one of The Artist’s Way, join me next week where I attempt to do week two while my schedule is thrown out of whack.