I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until my mind was suddenly full of thoughts and opinions, and the only way I could quiet it was to write until I felt empty.
At the time, I worked as a massage therapist. I thought I had strong hands, but during my morning pages, my palms would cramp before I finished the required three pages. If you have read The Artist’s Way, you might recognize this daily journaling assignment.
I didn’t know what I was doing, I didn’t know how to use punctuation properly, and I embarrassingly couldn’t spell anything because I had relied on spellcheck for so long.
It took me four years to finally finish all 12 weeks of that book (not an uncommon experience based on the anecdotal data I’ve gathered), and I felt guilty every day that I skipped my morning pages, even when I wasn’t explicitly following the program.
“You call yourself a WRITER—just do it.”
“You should love doing this!”
“What’s wrong with you?
These are some of the thoughts that would spill out of this shame spiral, constantly derailing any progress I was making.
Getting back on track
In the weeks and months between my multiple attempts at getting back around to finishing The Artist’s Way, I worked on projects that excited me and wrote stories that felt like falling in love, and made a YouTube channel that helped me dip my toes into the world of filmmaking, and moved across the country to go back to school.
I didn’t need to finish the book to take these next steps; it felt as familiar as walking — the projects emerged naturally as ideas progressed by following the most obvious next step.
Each time I decided to return to The Artist’s Way, I hoped I would finally find some perspective on my long-term path. Part of me was convinced that if I committed, and finished the book, my entire life plan laid out for me with step-by-step directions at the end of it. Of course, it wasn’t.
The real artist’s way
The last chapter of the book is about trusting your faith. When I finally read it, I realized I had subconsciously put my faith in the book instead of myself. After four years of self-discovery, it felt like I ended up back where I started — a road with no answers and no one but myself to guide me forward.
The regimented structure of the book feels like it is giving you a mapquest to manifest the rest of your life, but that is the exact fantasy you have to give up if you want to be an artist.
To be an artist, you must feel like an artist.
An artist does not want to be told what to do — they want to bring their unique vision to life. The old stereotype that artists live unconventional lives is true for a reason. The nature of art is unpredictable. It is the culmination of history and current events, and personal experience, and cultural phenomena, and none of that can be foreseen.
The real Artist's Way is not a worn path; it is a way of living that allows you to follow your own path.
Two things that might help:
1. The Heart Compass Guide to Nonlinear Goal Setting
This short, simple [and FREE] workbook uses Dorothy and her adventure through Oz as a metaphor to describe how the games on Heartability can help you set off on your next adventure.
After completing this practice, you will feel more aligned with your intuitive impulses and have more perspective over where you are headed. The PDF outlines three main practices and includes a worksheet at the end to put it all together.
To complete this, you will need: pen and paper, access to the internet, and 30-60 minutes.
2. Summer Camp (launching 8/1)
Growing up is inevitable, but the world losing its magic isn’t. This guide offers 11 prompts that can be completed at your own speed — over the course of a day or a week, or a month. Each page contains a simple activity or mindset shift that is designed to remind you of the creative curiosity your imagination once held.
To complete this, you will need: $11, 30-60 minutes a day, and a desire to play.
What about you?
Honestly, I feel like psychologists should do research on this book. Maybe we can start by collecting some anecdotal evidence in the comments… What was your Artist Way journey like?
I have purchased and then given away the artists way at least 3 times. It was never my path but it did teach me the value of the brain dump before any creative work.
Also very stoked for summer camp. Who’s bringing the gf smores?