Last week, I wrote about my intent to begin Julia Cameron’s “The Artist’s Way” 12-week course. I hope you bought your book and read the introduction, because I have the feeling this will be a very good time over the next three months.
I have not read Julia Cameron before, but I already appreciate her writing style. She has a lyrical, no-bullshit style - it is clear she knows the value of the tools she pitches. And for what it’s worth…I have the feeling I know their value as well.
Last week, after I realized the foundation of all endeavor is first to believe in ourselves, I planned a follow-up article - in fact, a series of articles and videos. What I intend to cover are tools I believe are crucial in learning to listen to yourself. It comes as little surprise that what I read in Cameron’s book thus far fits my experience (and recommendations) very closely.
So without any further preface, welcome to Week 0 of The Artist’s Way!
Spiritual electricity
Cameron’s first task is to determine where the creative process originates. She calls the phenomenon “spiritual electricity,” noting the interconnections among everything in the Universe. Tap into the interconnections, she asserts, and you tap into the creative process.
Most Pagan systems (including the Druid order to which I belong) emphasize the interconnections humans have with all life - with the Earth, Moon, and Sun - with the Universe itself. When the Universe begins to speak through you, we call that Awen, a Welsh word meaning “inspiration,” which has many different layers to its etymology.
Cameron states outright that tapping into inspiration, Awen, spiritual electricity - whatever you choose to call it - cannot be accomplished with a quick fix. Instead, what we do is learn to feel ourselves from the inside. I agree - with much more to say shortly.
There are two basic tools in The Artist’s Way: Morning Pages and Artist Dates.
Morning pages
If you have written in a journal before, you are familiar with the concept of Morning Pages, even if you never knew the term. The intent is to commit to writing three full pages of…anything that comes out…every single morning.
Morning Pages may sound a bit arbitrary, even a bit prescriptive (I just know I will be haunted by the “three pages” part - my perfectionist streak will lengthen or shorten a thought to make it fit exactly those number of lines). However, the purpose of Morning Pages is to clear all thoughts from your head, where “all thoughts” includes worries, prejudices, anger, unfinished tasks…and the occasional burst of Awen.
Cameron states nobody could write three pages every morning for an extended period of time without coming upon at least one inspired thought. Again, I agree - writing in a journal is the number one tool I recommend for learning to listen to your thoughts.
So far, so good! Morning Pages sound like a delight.
Artist dates
If Morning Pages are intended to clear your head of all thoughts, Artist Dates are intended to do the opposite. Inspiration is finding a new connection among existing knowledge - whether those connections are notes in a melody, words in a book, or movements in a dance, etc. But finding new connections requires existing knowledge. Enter the Artist Date.
Cameron is vague on recommending the quality and duration of the activities to be pursued. This makes sense - an Artist Date is a plan to do nothing purposefully. That is - to enjoy yourself, to rest, to recreate.
The idea of rest as purpose reminds me of a wonderful book by George Sheehan called “Running & Being.” In it, Sheehan discusses how running (to him, anyway) was both work and play. In fact, it was play as work and work as play. Sheehan believed if we can find the play in anything - running, software development, writing - it ceases to be work…and becomes inspiration.
Signing the contract
If it sounds like I am already sold on this process, that’s pretty close to the truth. Both Morning Pages and Artist Dates are tools I used - sometimes unconsciously - as methods of introspection.
I believe introspection is the first step to developing identity, and that my own introspection over the course of my life helped me overcome issues others would not. (To be clear, I also believe my introspection reaches a pathological point at times, but I plan to elucidate that later.)
This morning, I woke up and wrote my first set of Morning Pages. I signed a contract with myself, committing to follow this process for twelve weeks. Already, I feel a sense of excitement. I’ve used these tools before and know the power they contain, even if I have fallen off in my use over the past years.
I’m on my way! Wait…no…I’m on The Artist’s Way.
Until next week, write your Morning Pages! Please feel free to comment on your own experiences as well!