Love this! Adding "My creative practice thrives—because I create rituals tailored to the realities of my own life instead of Julia Cameron’s" to my affirmations
Amazing essay Jeremy--your 'Mourning Pages' idea is pure genius--honestly. Working a full time job makes it virtually impossible to create with any regularity and put some care giving in the mix and it's even harder. You've touched on something huge here because most of these truths go unspoken.I applaud your confronting the weaknesses of the ever revered, never criticized "Artist's Way."
Thanks! I do enjoy how the linguistic flip seems to take the whole concept deeper. I noticed most of my morning pages were lamentations, anyways haha. Considering doing the whole thing finally just to see what I think about the rest! Have you worked through the whole thing? I'm kinda curious now.
I never have worked through the whole book. And honestly, the book was never really a touchstone for me or anything. The farthest I got was morning pages which I find useful as a thing to do when I need it but I've never really done it as a daily practice.
I did go to art school and when I graduated I had various creative businesses--like a clothing line with a friend where I printed all the fabric and she sewed the garments, jewelry and stationery lines that I sold to museum shops and boutiques, etc. But I didn't really have the capital I needed to get them off the ground and that was always the problem. And when I designed for myself, designing was always the thing I did the least--something most people don't understand. All the other aspects of 'business' were more time consuming. And I usually had to augment those small art businesses with part time work on the side. And then, when I got orders for my clothing or jewelry etc, I basically had to treat myself like a factory worker and crank them all out. And then do it again. When I switched to doing design and product development for other companies, I gave my creativity to my day jobs. I genuinely enjoyed most of those jobs, but there was not much creative energy left for my own work at the end of the day.
I always created on my own throughout, but it was much slower because of the time and energy constraints than what I do now when I'm able to focus on it because I've got more financial stability and control over my time.
Most of the people I went to art school with (that I'm aware of) don't still make art. You leave school, and then you need money, and then, if you have a kid, you really need money and/or health insurance and suddenly, you're in your 40s and wondering what happened to your art. I didn't have kids but most of my female friends did and it takes complete precedence. (as it should). Art school acts like art is a middle class job, but it isn't.
I could go on and on about how New York galleries work, but that's depressing. And a lot of it is hustle and networking, not the quality of the work.
And so I feel much the same as you about how we must approach our art-for me, that's making as a personal journey connecting us to the sacred and fulfilling what I think of as a divine mandate. Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being alive and to compartmentalize it the way we do now is untenable and disrespectful of our lives. I actually feel like art/culture is in a massive transition and that we're sitting in the middle of that transition. Does that last our lifetimes? Perhaps. But I think both our messages about what art is really about is a part of that transition and that it matters.
I tried the artists way a couple times and felt totally failed when I couldn’t stick to the expectations of the morning pages and dates! I am an “all or nothing” perfectionist and it’s something I am seeking healing from…
I love that you talked about that here, because I feel like it’s a common problem for artists in general! If you can’t FULLY support yourself as an artist or FULLY give every single part of your life to ART then you aren’t a “real” artist.
Ya! When I started making art, doing The Artists Way was presented to me as a kind of right of passage. I really felt like art and life were in conflict, when art itself seems to be all about merging the two. Which you've just done simply by making motherhood your subject matter itself, I guess? And I often do by making themes of economic hardship central to my work. I find solutions to these problems are always surprisingly simple...once you kinda humble yourself and let yourself let go of what you think it should look like
Yes! I think all artists create and find inspiration from their own lives. We think we have to overcome ourselves, or our life (jobs, mental health, diversity, parenting…etc.) but if we embrace it we will find inspiration within. I don’t always draw or paint motherhood, I love painting stil-life, but I am also finding that when I embrace what inspires me today, like watching my children play or my passion for breastfeeding or my struggles within parenting, my work becomes an expression of my life, it becomes emotional and other people connect with that. Not just other mothers, but men and women and children all connect their own stories to what they see in my work.
I love this Jeremy, so much. I've tried and failed at The Artist's Way half a dozen times. I was too poor, too worn down, too uneducated, too disabled, too disconnected. So much of arts discourse has always left me feeling "this isn't meant for people like me." The idea of Artists Dates when I could barely leave my house and lived in an improverished neighborhood - that left me mourning. The lack of any kind of local arts community, sisters, spaces, support - that left me mourning. Trying to fight my inner critic whilst at the same time being surrounded by a society that time and time again told me I was not worth as much as others, that left me mourning. Trying to force myself to write through pain, exhaustion, instability, isolation... There has been much, much mourning. But then there comes what grew anyway. I have, despite EVERYTHING, still carved my own path and way and it is fierce and wild and beautiful, but it is not Julia's way and never will be. Here's to other ways, other journeys. Thank you so much for writing this.
Wow thanks so much for your comment! It would be cool to hear more about your experience with the artists way....an abelist critique of it. Have you ever written on that? If not, you should! I think the program needs more people speaking out about it because it's often presented as a right of passage, when I think it can be harmful in many ways.
Not that we have to throw out the whole thing--I think it could be made stronger and more universally resonant with some modifications.
I thoroughly relate! I was fortunate enough to receive a formal arts education, had a period of hyperproductivity while earning my degree, then I graduated into the Great Recession.
Between the loan payments and the cost of living, I suddenly found myself unable to afford basics, especially framing materials. This meant that I couldn't get my work shown in many of the galleries in my area. My living situation also meant that I had to change mediums because I simply didn't have the space for a proper studio setup. Then, of course, there's the way that holding down a regular job takes hours out of your day and can also leave you feeling emotionally drained when you finally get home. It was like every creative impulse had suddenly been sucked right out of me.
Changing mediums several times helped. I shifted from printmaking and oil painting back to charcoals and ink drawings. When even that was requiring energy that I didn't seem to have, I pivoted again and focused on learning fiber arts techniques. Messing around with something new reignited my creative spark.
What my journey has taught me so far is the importance of releasing the impulse to define my practice by medium or markers of external success (i.e. "I am a painter," "I am a professional/award-winning artist"). When I embrace the realities of my present circumstances, whatever they happen to be, I can allow them to inspire me in new directions. Abandoning what isn't working for me anymore in favor of different creative projects or rhythms doesn't make me any less of an artist. Even fallow periods, where we take a rest from creating, are sometimes necessary for us to regain inspiration. We're not robots, after all.
…i’d say most of my creativity is a loss one way or another, if and only if because the idea of success seems untenable and infinite…they are all little seesaws of maybe, as good or as bad as the intention of any whom interact with them…definitely feels hood though, the idea of mourning them, maybe just to leave them buried and behind for good with no dopey dream of rediscovery or utility attached to them…does art have a start and end date? can it be born and then die? great inquiry…
Your work always brightens my day whenever I get the chance to read it! If anything sharing creative work online, even to a small following, is a really beautiful way to connect with other people. I rarely get to have these kinda chats in real life (outside of my house anyway)
Thanks for nudging me to think for myself Jeremy. I’ve been enjoying morning pages (when I do them) and have enjoyed lots of Cameron’s thoughts, capturing many of them in Readwise and even posting some as Notes. I think I’ll read her work with a new set of eyes now, thanks to this piece 👏
I was hoping this came across as a balanced take! I know some of it was a little biting, but I often see so little critique of it I felt it was time. Lol I still haven't done most of it, so maybe some of my issues with it would be resolved later, but I think with establishing a creative practice for the first time there needs to be a lot more room to figure out what routines work best for you personally.
Are you just working through it at your own pace? I think I could engage with it that way...just to see what works for me? Thanks for reading!
I got the impression early on that she wrote it for people who have felt creatively blocked. I wasn’t struggling with that, so I didn’t finish the book.
I did take away morning pages tho, which I’ve found have been impactful. The meta/personal thinking I do there very often solves a creative problem or gets me inspired for something in the work I share.
Overall, I have found many lines of hers observant and reassuring (eg, “leap and the net will appear”; “Art is born in attention and its midwife is detail”; “It’s impossible to get better and look good at the same time”) and as someone for whom creativity is as close to a religion as anything could be, I’ve felt she understands it very well indeed.
But like you said, I’ve read her work without the lens you offered. And now that I have it, her work has even more colour in it. And I’m grateful to you for that.
You helped me see something I care about in higher resolution.
Thanks Jeremy. Agree on this. I remember vividly where I stalled when I tried The Artist's Way some decades ago, it was when she got onto money, and like you, I felt very strongly 'it says nothing to me about my life"' I was like OK Capitalist, and once I fell off that wagon I couldn't get back on. That said I'm a massive fan of self-made daily practice-- it's the backbone of all my work. So I'm all for constructing bespoke habits and rituals.
Thank you for saying all this. I never bonded with that book despite a bazillion people recommending it to me )or even gifting it to me). My reasons were different than yours but it boiled down to your initial point, that her approach is too regimented and narrowly focused on a one-size-fits all solution, and that what really matters is finding your own personal artist's way.
Yea exactly! Now that I have a stronger sense of how my creativity works, Id be interested in trying more of it with a critical lens. I think it could be made better with some adaptations. Thanks for reading!
Definitely check out Internet People here on Substack. They’re currently doing a bare minimum artists way and each week they release a podcast episode. The consensus seems to be no one finishes this book. There’s a section in week one where she talks about artist recovery needing to be slow and gentle and I can’t help but think her entire book contracts that. Why are you putting so many tasks into one week?
I really dig your take on the morning pages as mourning pages.
Yes yes yes. I have yet to try the artists way but for years have wanted to do the morning pages aspect. And for years I didn't do it because I wake up at 1030pm to go to work and this was in no way feasible. Then a friend said, wait you can do it, you just have to do it your way! Sometimes it takes a nudge from someone outside yourself. But now I've been doing pages for a year and a half. It started as what I called "night pages", last thing before I went to bed, around 2pm...you gotta take whatever practices you like, fit them in however you can and leave the rest. Thanks for saying this. Someone needed to!
Amazing, you really summed up my contention with The Artists Way, and I do really think there needs to be a DIY Make Your Own Artists Way kind of thing
I'm working on it. I am constantly mapping Creativity to notice what is a universal shared experience within a creative cycle and what is personal. Whilst my personal solutions and story may be inspiring, what is important is for everyone to have their own experience of creativity and know where they are within the cycle so they don't have to feel so bereft when they aren't at the peaks. That is ultimately why I do it, so I can reflect on where I am and respond, knowing that productivity culture does not reflect creative rhythm and that I can include the whole of the experience when I think about my work.
I never got on with Julia Cameron’s work either. When you have 2 tiny children waking you up there’s no time for morning pages. I think she caught a zeitgeist moment with her book, giving permission for spending time on nurturing self-expression, but the system she offered was routed in privilege. I like to think “we” (artists) have moved on and I look back at her work as a historical document, reflective of her life and possibilities, but not something that was ever relevant to everyone.
I think The Artist's Way, along with Steal Like an Artist, the War of Art and other "Artist Self-Help" books, for lack of a better term, all revolve around the same general principles: I either currently do something creative or would like to, but I'm discouraged by time, social responsibilities, the fear of being judged, etc., or I'm not getting the return I think I deserve. So, what are some hacks that can help me with that struggle so that I can make good things without hangups, get my work out there and find some success?
I want to be careful because I don't think these books give bad advice. But for me personally, I believe one of the best things a creative person can do is practice ego death. Not forever and not in all things—just with respect to what we expect to receive for our efforts. What's the highest good we could achieve with what we're drawn to do that's independent of external validation?
I think those answers are going to differ quite a lot from person to person, but I think there are some general ideas we could all consider. First is to focus on the local. "Be famous for five miles" as Gary Snyder suggests. Make an impact just one other individual, in-person and in real time and you've won already. Also, let some things work through you and your work, such as your ancestors, where you're from, your history, or your culture; something that only you can really do in the way that you do it. A third thing might be to interact with good things that are way bigger than ourselves. Nature's pretty good for that, for example.
Lots of other ways to think about it of course, but creative expression is too important a thing to cheapen it into some commodity that demands external validation to determine its value.
Love this! Adding "My creative practice thrives—because I create rituals tailored to the realities of my own life instead of Julia Cameron’s" to my affirmations
hahaha like why does she have such a choke hold on people!! haha thanks for reading :)
Amazing essay Jeremy--your 'Mourning Pages' idea is pure genius--honestly. Working a full time job makes it virtually impossible to create with any regularity and put some care giving in the mix and it's even harder. You've touched on something huge here because most of these truths go unspoken.I applaud your confronting the weaknesses of the ever revered, never criticized "Artist's Way."
Thanks! I do enjoy how the linguistic flip seems to take the whole concept deeper. I noticed most of my morning pages were lamentations, anyways haha. Considering doing the whole thing finally just to see what I think about the rest! Have you worked through the whole thing? I'm kinda curious now.
I never have worked through the whole book. And honestly, the book was never really a touchstone for me or anything. The farthest I got was morning pages which I find useful as a thing to do when I need it but I've never really done it as a daily practice.
I did go to art school and when I graduated I had various creative businesses--like a clothing line with a friend where I printed all the fabric and she sewed the garments, jewelry and stationery lines that I sold to museum shops and boutiques, etc. But I didn't really have the capital I needed to get them off the ground and that was always the problem. And when I designed for myself, designing was always the thing I did the least--something most people don't understand. All the other aspects of 'business' were more time consuming. And I usually had to augment those small art businesses with part time work on the side. And then, when I got orders for my clothing or jewelry etc, I basically had to treat myself like a factory worker and crank them all out. And then do it again. When I switched to doing design and product development for other companies, I gave my creativity to my day jobs. I genuinely enjoyed most of those jobs, but there was not much creative energy left for my own work at the end of the day.
I always created on my own throughout, but it was much slower because of the time and energy constraints than what I do now when I'm able to focus on it because I've got more financial stability and control over my time.
Most of the people I went to art school with (that I'm aware of) don't still make art. You leave school, and then you need money, and then, if you have a kid, you really need money and/or health insurance and suddenly, you're in your 40s and wondering what happened to your art. I didn't have kids but most of my female friends did and it takes complete precedence. (as it should). Art school acts like art is a middle class job, but it isn't.
I could go on and on about how New York galleries work, but that's depressing. And a lot of it is hustle and networking, not the quality of the work.
And so I feel much the same as you about how we must approach our art-for me, that's making as a personal journey connecting us to the sacred and fulfilling what I think of as a divine mandate. Creativity is a fundamental aspect of being alive and to compartmentalize it the way we do now is untenable and disrespectful of our lives. I actually feel like art/culture is in a massive transition and that we're sitting in the middle of that transition. Does that last our lifetimes? Perhaps. But I think both our messages about what art is really about is a part of that transition and that it matters.
I tried the artists way a couple times and felt totally failed when I couldn’t stick to the expectations of the morning pages and dates! I am an “all or nothing” perfectionist and it’s something I am seeking healing from…
I love that you talked about that here, because I feel like it’s a common problem for artists in general! If you can’t FULLY support yourself as an artist or FULLY give every single part of your life to ART then you aren’t a “real” artist.
Ya! When I started making art, doing The Artists Way was presented to me as a kind of right of passage. I really felt like art and life were in conflict, when art itself seems to be all about merging the two. Which you've just done simply by making motherhood your subject matter itself, I guess? And I often do by making themes of economic hardship central to my work. I find solutions to these problems are always surprisingly simple...once you kinda humble yourself and let yourself let go of what you think it should look like
Yes! I think all artists create and find inspiration from their own lives. We think we have to overcome ourselves, or our life (jobs, mental health, diversity, parenting…etc.) but if we embrace it we will find inspiration within. I don’t always draw or paint motherhood, I love painting stil-life, but I am also finding that when I embrace what inspires me today, like watching my children play or my passion for breastfeeding or my struggles within parenting, my work becomes an expression of my life, it becomes emotional and other people connect with that. Not just other mothers, but men and women and children all connect their own stories to what they see in my work.
I love this Jeremy, so much. I've tried and failed at The Artist's Way half a dozen times. I was too poor, too worn down, too uneducated, too disabled, too disconnected. So much of arts discourse has always left me feeling "this isn't meant for people like me." The idea of Artists Dates when I could barely leave my house and lived in an improverished neighborhood - that left me mourning. The lack of any kind of local arts community, sisters, spaces, support - that left me mourning. Trying to fight my inner critic whilst at the same time being surrounded by a society that time and time again told me I was not worth as much as others, that left me mourning. Trying to force myself to write through pain, exhaustion, instability, isolation... There has been much, much mourning. But then there comes what grew anyway. I have, despite EVERYTHING, still carved my own path and way and it is fierce and wild and beautiful, but it is not Julia's way and never will be. Here's to other ways, other journeys. Thank you so much for writing this.
Wow thanks so much for your comment! It would be cool to hear more about your experience with the artists way....an abelist critique of it. Have you ever written on that? If not, you should! I think the program needs more people speaking out about it because it's often presented as a right of passage, when I think it can be harmful in many ways.
Not that we have to throw out the whole thing--I think it could be made stronger and more universally resonant with some modifications.
I thoroughly relate! I was fortunate enough to receive a formal arts education, had a period of hyperproductivity while earning my degree, then I graduated into the Great Recession.
Between the loan payments and the cost of living, I suddenly found myself unable to afford basics, especially framing materials. This meant that I couldn't get my work shown in many of the galleries in my area. My living situation also meant that I had to change mediums because I simply didn't have the space for a proper studio setup. Then, of course, there's the way that holding down a regular job takes hours out of your day and can also leave you feeling emotionally drained when you finally get home. It was like every creative impulse had suddenly been sucked right out of me.
Changing mediums several times helped. I shifted from printmaking and oil painting back to charcoals and ink drawings. When even that was requiring energy that I didn't seem to have, I pivoted again and focused on learning fiber arts techniques. Messing around with something new reignited my creative spark.
What my journey has taught me so far is the importance of releasing the impulse to define my practice by medium or markers of external success (i.e. "I am a painter," "I am a professional/award-winning artist"). When I embrace the realities of my present circumstances, whatever they happen to be, I can allow them to inspire me in new directions. Abandoning what isn't working for me anymore in favor of different creative projects or rhythms doesn't make me any less of an artist. Even fallow periods, where we take a rest from creating, are sometimes necessary for us to regain inspiration. We're not robots, after all.
…i’d say most of my creativity is a loss one way or another, if and only if because the idea of success seems untenable and infinite…they are all little seesaws of maybe, as good or as bad as the intention of any whom interact with them…definitely feels hood though, the idea of mourning them, maybe just to leave them buried and behind for good with no dopey dream of rediscovery or utility attached to them…does art have a start and end date? can it be born and then die? great inquiry…
Your work always brightens my day whenever I get the chance to read it! If anything sharing creative work online, even to a small following, is a really beautiful way to connect with other people. I rarely get to have these kinda chats in real life (outside of my house anyway)
hands raised all the way up!
Thanks for nudging me to think for myself Jeremy. I’ve been enjoying morning pages (when I do them) and have enjoyed lots of Cameron’s thoughts, capturing many of them in Readwise and even posting some as Notes. I think I’ll read her work with a new set of eyes now, thanks to this piece 👏
I was hoping this came across as a balanced take! I know some of it was a little biting, but I often see so little critique of it I felt it was time. Lol I still haven't done most of it, so maybe some of my issues with it would be resolved later, but I think with establishing a creative practice for the first time there needs to be a lot more room to figure out what routines work best for you personally.
Are you just working through it at your own pace? I think I could engage with it that way...just to see what works for me? Thanks for reading!
I got the impression early on that she wrote it for people who have felt creatively blocked. I wasn’t struggling with that, so I didn’t finish the book.
I did take away morning pages tho, which I’ve found have been impactful. The meta/personal thinking I do there very often solves a creative problem or gets me inspired for something in the work I share.
Overall, I have found many lines of hers observant and reassuring (eg, “leap and the net will appear”; “Art is born in attention and its midwife is detail”; “It’s impossible to get better and look good at the same time”) and as someone for whom creativity is as close to a religion as anything could be, I’ve felt she understands it very well indeed.
But like you said, I’ve read her work without the lens you offered. And now that I have it, her work has even more colour in it. And I’m grateful to you for that.
You helped me see something I care about in higher resolution.
Thanks Jeremy. Agree on this. I remember vividly where I stalled when I tried The Artist's Way some decades ago, it was when she got onto money, and like you, I felt very strongly 'it says nothing to me about my life"' I was like OK Capitalist, and once I fell off that wagon I couldn't get back on. That said I'm a massive fan of self-made daily practice-- it's the backbone of all my work. So I'm all for constructing bespoke habits and rituals.
Thank you for saying all this. I never bonded with that book despite a bazillion people recommending it to me )or even gifting it to me). My reasons were different than yours but it boiled down to your initial point, that her approach is too regimented and narrowly focused on a one-size-fits all solution, and that what really matters is finding your own personal artist's way.
Yea exactly! Now that I have a stronger sense of how my creativity works, Id be interested in trying more of it with a critical lens. I think it could be made better with some adaptations. Thanks for reading!
Wow, thanks. I needed this . . .
Definitely check out Internet People here on Substack. They’re currently doing a bare minimum artists way and each week they release a podcast episode. The consensus seems to be no one finishes this book. There’s a section in week one where she talks about artist recovery needing to be slow and gentle and I can’t help but think her entire book contracts that. Why are you putting so many tasks into one week?
I really dig your take on the morning pages as mourning pages.
Yes yes yes. I have yet to try the artists way but for years have wanted to do the morning pages aspect. And for years I didn't do it because I wake up at 1030pm to go to work and this was in no way feasible. Then a friend said, wait you can do it, you just have to do it your way! Sometimes it takes a nudge from someone outside yourself. But now I've been doing pages for a year and a half. It started as what I called "night pages", last thing before I went to bed, around 2pm...you gotta take whatever practices you like, fit them in however you can and leave the rest. Thanks for saying this. Someone needed to!
Once again your writing leaves me feeling validated and hopeful. Thank you so much for sharing your view of life. It’s valued❤️
Amazing, you really summed up my contention with The Artists Way, and I do really think there needs to be a DIY Make Your Own Artists Way kind of thing
I'm working on it. I am constantly mapping Creativity to notice what is a universal shared experience within a creative cycle and what is personal. Whilst my personal solutions and story may be inspiring, what is important is for everyone to have their own experience of creativity and know where they are within the cycle so they don't have to feel so bereft when they aren't at the peaks. That is ultimately why I do it, so I can reflect on where I am and respond, knowing that productivity culture does not reflect creative rhythm and that I can include the whole of the experience when I think about my work.
I never got on with Julia Cameron’s work either. When you have 2 tiny children waking you up there’s no time for morning pages. I think she caught a zeitgeist moment with her book, giving permission for spending time on nurturing self-expression, but the system she offered was routed in privilege. I like to think “we” (artists) have moved on and I look back at her work as a historical document, reflective of her life and possibilities, but not something that was ever relevant to everyone.
I think The Artist's Way, along with Steal Like an Artist, the War of Art and other "Artist Self-Help" books, for lack of a better term, all revolve around the same general principles: I either currently do something creative or would like to, but I'm discouraged by time, social responsibilities, the fear of being judged, etc., or I'm not getting the return I think I deserve. So, what are some hacks that can help me with that struggle so that I can make good things without hangups, get my work out there and find some success?
I want to be careful because I don't think these books give bad advice. But for me personally, I believe one of the best things a creative person can do is practice ego death. Not forever and not in all things—just with respect to what we expect to receive for our efforts. What's the highest good we could achieve with what we're drawn to do that's independent of external validation?
I think those answers are going to differ quite a lot from person to person, but I think there are some general ideas we could all consider. First is to focus on the local. "Be famous for five miles" as Gary Snyder suggests. Make an impact just one other individual, in-person and in real time and you've won already. Also, let some things work through you and your work, such as your ancestors, where you're from, your history, or your culture; something that only you can really do in the way that you do it. A third thing might be to interact with good things that are way bigger than ourselves. Nature's pretty good for that, for example.
Lots of other ways to think about it of course, but creative expression is too important a thing to cheapen it into some commodity that demands external validation to determine its value.