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Self-improvement is a favorite literary genre of mine. In all of the hurdles we face in life, a little advice from an author with their own story and breakthroughs can be a great resource.

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron blends self-development seamlessly with spirituality. She does so in a way that both empowers the reader and their higher power.

The central theme is that you were made to create and can tap into the genius behind everything you see before you. By fostering a relationship with the Great Creator and by putting in the work to honor your creative side, you are capable of more than you ever imagined.

The book is intended to be read and followed for twelve weeks, each week with its own specific topic and tasks for reflection.

From week one through completion, you are tasked with developing the habits of daily morning pages and weekly artist dates. Morning pages is the practice of writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts each morning. Artist dates are intentional timeslots carved out of your week for whatever creative endeavor your heart desires.

While it is an uplifting read, the author does not gloss over the challenging blocks to our creative freedom. She discusses comparison, grief, self-loathing, and jealousy in great detail. By offering understanding, she helps us see these obstacles as hidden tools along the way.

Whether you are an artistic soul to your core, or someone hoping to come up with ideas and innovations, this book will be a great resource for you.

In this post, I’ll speak to my own experience while reading this book as well as reasons why I recommend it to creatives of all kinds.

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1) The book speaks to a wide audience.

“Artist” is a title that society tends to give out in rather stereotypical situations. You must have a musical or artistic talent, an education/career in your field, and listen to mostly indie bands. Bonus points if you have a secret stash of poetry that describes your real feelings the world can’t handle.

While your occupation can play into your unique creativity, your identity as an artist is much more expansive than a title. It’s a way of living, where your life becomes your masterpiece.

The luxury of creativity is available to anyone, but there’s a catch:

You must wholeheartedly choose to create and put effort into doing so.

This book teaches the lessons and skills necessary to unleash your artist, regardless of your field, when the process is undeniably difficult.

2) Morning pages are–dare I say–worth it.

I was skeptical about writing three whole pages of stream-of-consciousness thoughts each morning, and that’s coming from someone who swears by journaling. People I’ve spoken to about it express similar skepticism about the time commitment this practice would take.

The author emphasizes the necessity of these morning pages for the book’s effectiveness, so in an effort not to shoot myself in the foot, I did them.

Unlike any other good habit I’ve taken on, this one was much easier to maintain than I expected. I woke up 30 minutes before I needed to start my day and got out of bed with ease. I didn’t used to rise so easily even when I was sleeping in longer.

Of course, I can’t speak to everyone’s experience with morning pages, but I do believe taking the time for yourself to just think reaps benefits of its own. Remember that you always can tweak a practice to your needs. If making a hot beverage or using a prompt list makes it easier on you, Godspeed.

The habit of morning pages employs your time in the morning well. Writing your thoughts helps you enact subtle change on a subconscious level. Your consistency shows in your endeavors as an artist, and your notebook becomes a place where new ideas are born and developed.

3) Understanding your artist child creates inner harmony.

We all made things as kids. Whether it was finger paint masterpieces, lego skyscrapers, or saddles for our Breyer horses, creating was a large part of play for many of us.

What if that creative little you is still within you? If we dig deep down, we can still feel the fragility of a small kiddo in our adult selves.

The book explains that our artist child is often neglected and unsatisfied due to the demands of adult life. He or she acts out as a result. Those bouts of jealousy, frustration, and disappointment are from neglecting the part of ourselves that dreams big and wishes for more.

It is easy to deem such internal demands as childish, criticize ourselves, and censor our feelings. Repression never solves the problem, though. It only reinforces the fear that blocks our creativity.

Self-compassion can be one of the hardest values to foster, but it shows in every area of our lives as we cultivate it. Seeing the fragile part of myself, and others, as a child in need of gentleness has helped me shift my thoughts from self-criticism to compassion. I wouldn’t emotionally tear down a child, so why should I do so to myself?

Now when I create, I do so to satisfy my adult self and my kid self. I’m more willing to experiment and fail to grow in my craft. It is much easier to enjoy myself when I grant myself the compassion and understanding I need.

This idea allows you to expand your self-definition. Instead of seeing my artist child as a scatterbrained creative with too many interests, I began seeing her as an incredibly quick learner who stays stimulated with variety.

Choosing to understand and befriend yourself is a challenging but powerful undertaking. Fostering even small improvements in your inner harmony can open new doors for enthusiasm in life.

Be your own strongest ally. You truly are capable of anything, and the artist child within you is there to help.

4) The weekly tasks are clever and enjoyable.

At the end of each chapter, there is a list of ten prompts and activities to help you practice the ideas discussed in the chapters.

Many of the tasks encourage you to both plan for the future and take an actionable step where you are. Each week brings something different to the table, from writing letters to loved ones to mustering up the courage to do a long put-off task.

The tasks are thankfully far from filler work. They help you take confident steps forward. While most books task the reader with implementing the ideas, The Artist’s Way provides easy activities to start you in the right direction.

The first few weeks mostly hinge on topics involving self-discovery. The tasks centralize on identifying creative blocks and rewiring our brains to believe in ourselves once again.

In later chapters, you learn once again how to have creative play. These are the tasks I have enjoyed most. You are tasked with things like beautifying a space in your home, doing something your kid self would have loved, and listening to an album of music.

Once some of these tasks are done, the effects can be enjoyed indefinitely. A letter sent can become a rekindled friendship and a beautified space can become a focused crafting environment.

5) The improvements set in motion continue long after the book is complete.

Now, this is coming from someone who has not finished the book. In fact, I’d rather it not end so soon.

However, I’m confident that if I stopped reading this book today, I’d enjoy my current level of creative freedom for years to come. I owe it to The Artist’s Way that I began to incorporate my creative hobbies as essential parts of my days once again.

What you glean from the book will be completely your own. I know musicians who went from cover artists to songwriters from reading this book. The change I underwent was more subtle. I learned how to finally believe my creations were good enough.

I recently gifted this book to a friend who I know will have her own unique experience. That’s the beauty of literature. The same words leave a different impact on every reader.

This book has something to offer everyone, whether you would call yourself an artist or not. And even though I am an avid self-improvement reader, this is the book I credit for the most change in my habits and perceptions.

If you want the secret to self-improvement without reading the book, it’s simply small steps forward. Depending on the steps, that can be much easier said than done. And that’s where the book seeks to aid.

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My Top 3 Takeaways from Reading The Artist’s Way

1) Nurture your self-compassion.

I tend to have a drill sergeant mentality toward my personal growth and creativity. I’m used to forcing myself to do better.

This book’s call to action is the opposite. You must be gentle to yourself to see change. The part of you responsible for your creativity is fragile and not to be mistreated.

While treating myself with kindness in all situations is still a work in progress, I am so proud to say that I do something I love more days than not.

My creative output has increased tenfold, all because I refuse to belittle myself for being a beginner anymore. That mentality only protected me from my fear of starting new things. I don’t wish to protect that any longer.

Take joy in yourself. Only you can create what you were made to make. You are incomparable and brimming with potential. Part of being compassionate toward yourself is believing in this and tapping into that potential daily.

“Treating myself like a precious object will make me strong.”

Julia Cameron

Appreciate the experiences that made you.

Every event in your life, good and bad, has formed you into who you are. You are an unreplicable occurrence. There will only ever be one you.

Celebrate who you are and cherish what made you. Even painful experiences refine our hearts and minds with time and healing.

You may not be where you want to be, and that’s okay. See it as direction. But, remember, you are worthy of appreciation just as you are.

Take time to revisit past photos, journals, or mementos. The person you were then when those photos were taken is within you now. The passing of time has served to refine you into who you are meant to be in this moment.

Regardless of where you are and where you’re going, appreciate the people and times who made you, you. Hope your future self does the same for the present you down the road. We become all that we experience in life. Embrace the becoming.

I cherish my 5 year old self who was obsessed with horses and fumbling her way through ballet classes. I am grateful for my high school self who forged her way even when she was without support. And I am grateful to my adult self who is becoming the support younger me needed all along.

Even reading back through my morning pages from two months ago, I have gratitude for the woman I was then. I was timid to jump into creative lakes I hadn’t yet tested the waters for. I have lept into a few since then.

Imperfect as my life has been, I would not change a single event or the people I knew along the way. Everything happened for a reason. I have faith that my whole life will be the same way.

Balance life’s complexities with fun.

As previously mentioned, this book does not shy away from hard moments in life and talks about them in detail. But it also offers a cure:

Enjoyment.

Make something to beautify your workspace. Dance off feelings of frustration. Buy yourself something comforting like a pair of warm socks.

Fun can be found in so many places we forget to look, the least of these being our creative hobbies. When we pick up our paintbrush, clay, or pen, we are saying “yes” to creative play.

Life gives us enough chores. There’s no need to make chores out of the pastimes we’re meant to enjoy! Start your painting with a cartoon dog you’ll paint over later. Make a vase from clay in the oddest shape possible. Write something audacious that you would never publish.

You never know what could come of these playful moments. Letting off steam could be the key to a creative breakthrough.

Consistent small steps can change your life.

When faced with an overwhelming task, break it into steps that you can chip away at over the course of this year, month, week, and day.

I do the same with my other ongoing goals. Every day, I aim to chip away at one home task, one blog task, and one hobby task. And because of how small those tasks are, I’m not scared out of them before I start.

Looking solely at the end goal won’t get you there. Small steps each day certainly will.

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Thank you for reading this post. If you’re interested in purchasing a copy of The Artist’s Way for yourself, you may do so by using my link here. I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a great way to support my writing if reading this blog is something you enjoy.

I wish you a wonderful rest of your day and the greatest of luck with your artistic endeavors.

Until next time,

K&O