The “morning pages” journal is my way to vomit out all of the angst, upset, rage, etc, etc that I’m feeling. The fabulous thing about doing this is that once you’ve done it, your brain records “Okay, she has shared her feelings on this matter!” and your desire to tell each and every person in creation about That Annoying Person or Incredible Realization #190 you just have basically goes down to zero. You get it out, you’re done with it.
I think I’d forgotten how bloody fabulous and mind-clearing that particular use of journals can be.
While Diane went on to analyze various ways of journaling from paper to computer to iPhone, it made me want to go check out the origin of Morning Pages again, and I discovered that the book that started it all is now available in many variations. The Artist's Way Starter Kit looks amazingly inviting:
I see it's also available in a beautiful deckle-edged hardcover which is truly tempting to me, since my old copy is battered, and I think this book is a keeper:
There are workbooks and other side-items, some no longer available as new, but still out there. I haven't worked my way through this in many years, and it's kind of tempting to do it again.
I also bought The Vein of Gold: A Journey to Your Creative Heart, the sequel, years ago and never read it. And now I find that there are even more books by Julia Cameron that I haven't read.
Have you read any of them? What did you think?
4 comments:
I think The Artist's Way is still valuable. I've read Cameron's other books (such as The Vein of Gold) and it's old wine in new bottles: she clearly needed follow-ups to a book where she'd said everything.
That's the unfortunate conclusion that I came to, either from other people's reactions to Vein, or possibly I even started it myself. I don't remember any more.
The Artist's Way saved my confidence in myself as a professional writer during a particularly difficult time in my life. To make matters worse, I was also getting strong messages from people I trusted that my literary dreams weren't worth anything, and others to whom I looked for encouragement were not-so-subtly sabotaging my efforts. Cameron's work allowed me to get a valuable perspective on these interactions. I wrote out, "Leap And the Net Will Appear" and pinned it over my computer screen.
Since then, I've published 5 hardback novels from a major NY house, and dozens of short stories, some nominated for national awards. I still need reminders that it's okay to follow my dreams, but I've come a long way!
Deborah, I think it may have helped me in similar ways, though my struggles were a bit behind me and I was writing again.
A friend recommended the book to her professor who was under a deadline to finish a nonfic book and was tied up in writer's block, and it worked for her, too.
Post a Comment