A Year of Creative Living
Julia Cameron
Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin
October 2009/ ISBN 978-1-58542-5
Inspirational Nonfiction
Amazon
Reviewed
by Leslie Halpern
From the prolific
author of the international bestseller The Artist’s Way
comes this new inspirational guidebook for everyday creativity.
Broken down into 12 months, the book offers 365 suggestions for
opening one’s mind to new ideas through spiritual awakening.
Primarily aimed at writers, artists of all kinds can benefit from
the mind-expanding thoughts included in this book.
Julia Cameron’s suggestions range from the general (February
8), “We are so skilled in the art of negative imagination,
we are adroit at the art of writing out of anxiety, what might our
writing and our world look like if we allowed ourselves to inhabit
our positive imagination” to the specific (August 4), “Deadlines
create a flow of adrenaline. Adrenaline medicates and overwhelms
the censor. Writers procrastinate so that when they finally get
to writing, they can get past the censor.” Similarly, some
of her entries explore deep philosophies while others indicate superficial
behaviors that can increase creative output (such as “Complete
the following sentence: If I didn’t have to do it perfectly,
I would try _____.”) In short, there’s something relatable
for every kind of artist in this book.
Essentially The Artist’s Way Every Day reads like
a boxed calendar with a thought for the day – only bound and
with days of the month for any year. It’s part spiritual guide,
part prayer book, and part instructional how-to for anyone involved
in a creative endeavor. Its broad appeal, however, may also present
a weakness. Someone seeking only practical writing tips or only
lofty philosophical ideas on creativity may find some of the suggestions
irrelevant. The ideal readers for this book will approach it with
an open mind to exploring something new and challenging each day
even when its immediate benefit may not be apparent.
Reviewer's
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