Coming Back to The Artist’s Way (Again)

This week, I’ve been revisiting The Artist’s Way, and I’m reminded why it’s so often recommended as more of a lifestyle practice than a book you simply finish & shelve.

First published in 1992, it carries some spiritual-adjacent themes that might feel dated to some but the message is timeless: creativity is something you participate in. It introduces you to powerful exercises that help you open up into this message.

If you struggle with perfectionism, artistic jealousy, or procrastination, this book doesn’t shame you out of those perfectly normal human tendencies. We all have them, except they show up in different ways in different people. (As you may have experienced from others at least once in your life - some expressions are not healthy.)

Julia Cameron keeps returning to the same idea: creativity isn’t a personality trait or a "talent" you either have or don’t. That’s something I’ve always believed too — that every single person carries a small, essential puzzle piece of art that only they can offer. The work is less about becoming an "artist" and more about remembering that you already are one.

What struck me most this time was how often she reframes “doing nothing special” as creative work. Letting curiosity pave the way instead of planning concrete outcomes. I love the concept of ideas coming from absorbing the world around you. The interesting thing is that this applies to everyone, not just artists.

Naturally, this can be a radical shift for anyone used to measuring their worth by productivity or comparison. (Especially in deeply ingrained systems that reward output over presence and speed over depth.)

This book is a companion for learning how to move through the resistance — especially the kind that shows up as fear of being bad, fear of being seen, or fear of even starting at all.

I’ve done the work before and continue to do so. Sometimes it’s tedious, and sometimes emotionally messy — I'm convinced that it is necessary if you want to get to the other side.

The exercise I come back to the most are the morning pages.

If you’ve been stuck waiting to feel ready, or watching other artists and wondering why their path looks easier, this may be a book worth exploring.

I picked up my copy of The Artist’s Way on a whim almost a decade ago, but you can find it here if you want to work through the practices yourself:

👉 The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

(This is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase — at no extra cost to you. I only share books and tools I genuinely return to and use.)