There is no such thing as a non-creative person. Author and artist Julia Cameron set out to prove this by creating her legacy "The Artist's Way," a movement intended on aiding others to discover and as a result, reconnect with their creativity.
The movement entails two parts: "Morning Pages," and "Artist Date" — and both parts are more intricate and bear a weight far heavier than you'd imagine. The initial "Morning Pages" describe how one should start every morning by writing down anything that comes to mind. Cameron explains it as a process in which by gathering sporadic thoughts, you collect a spectrum of cloud thoughts — thoughts that you don't necessarily say but rather leave dormant in your subconscious. Writing these cloud thoughts down on paper liberate them from your head for a clearer mindset. The morning pages prove to be successful as on the first page you collect words — which seem to be a web of random ideas enveloping in your mind. On the second page, you begin collecting the essence of your thoughts, and by the last page you are likely to have procured an idea to begin creating.
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But why morning pages, rather than afternoon or evening pages? Mornings are the only time of day when your mind isn't biased. Because if you were to conduct afternoon or evening pages, the thoughts you jot down on paper would be influenced by whether you have been subjected to a good or bad day. Practicing morning pages puts your mind and body at ease because your subconscious is still at work.
Think of it as meeting your shadow and taking it out for a cup of coffee where you are dusting out your darkest corners, and acquainting yourself with your hidden agenda. Very rarely are you suspended between your physical world and the world that lies amongst your ideas.
The latter step in the movement, the "Artist Date," entails two parts: the artist and a date. A date in retrospect has been proven useful to woo another. The challenge at hand is in essence to woo yourself. Plan a solo expedition where you set out to stretch out of your comfort zone, where you allow yourself to woo your subconscious. Explore your creativity. Take yourself out — be it to the coffee shop on the street corner, or to the local garden. Broaden your ideas by opening up to new surroundings.
Julia Cameron goes into depth and pushes boundaries through both her novel and a series of 12-week videos, where each video compliments the analysis in the novel.
Taking my own experiences into account, oftentimes I find myself encountering writer's block or lacking the tools necessary to unlock my creativity. This imbalance is something most, if not all, artists encounter — regardless of the art form. Therefore, through the concept of the movement, I look forward to stretching my creative muscles and getting a better grasp on my mind.
