One of the creativity books I often reach for is ‘The Artist’s Way‘ by Julia Cameron.
A few of my favourite quotes from its pages:
- “To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong” Joseph Chilton Pearce
- “Give yourself permission to be a beginner.“
- “Stop looking for big blocks of time when you will be free. Find small bits of time instead“
- “Since you are like no other being ever created since the beginning of time, you are incomparable” Brenda Ueland
- “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage” Anais Nin
A few of my favourite exercises from its pages (paraphrased):
- imaginary lives: if you had 5 other lives to live, what would you do in each of them?
pick one, and do a little something of that life this week
(eg. if one was an astronomer, you could go to the observatory)
then try 5 more … repeat at will - list 20 things you enjoy doing
when was the last time you did them? do one this week
then try more … repeat at will - list 10 tiny changes you’d like to make; significant or small
“I would like to …..” ; pick a small one, or take a step towards a large one
then try more … repeat at will - bake or cook
- list 10 things to finish this sentence: “If I didn’t have to do it perfectly, I would try…”
pick one … can you take a step towards it?
then try more … repeat at will
I do recommend it, especially if you’re a little bit stuck in your practice or if the muse is evading you.
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