Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance (Artist's Way)
Category: Books,Health, Fitness & Dieting,Psychology & Counseling
Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance (Artist's Way) Details
Review Praise for THE ARTIST'S WAY....“THE ARTIST’S WAY by Julia Cameron is not exclusively about writing—it is about discovering and developing the artist within whether a painter, poet, screenwriter or musician—but it is a lot about writing. If you have always wanted to pursue a creative dream, have always wanted to play and create with words or paints, this book will gently get you started and help you learn all kinds of paying-attention techniques; and that, after all, is what being an artist is all about. It’s about learning to pay attention.”--Anne Lamott, Mademoiselle “The premise of the book is that creativity and spirituality are the same thing, they come from the same place. And we were created to use this life to express our individuality, and that over the course of a lifetime that gets beaten out of us. [THE ARTIST’S WAY] helped me put aside my fear and not worry about whether the record would be commercial.”--Grammy award-winning singer Kathy Mattea “Julia Cameron brings creativity and spirituality together with the same kind of step-by-step wisdom that Edgar Cayce encouraged. The result is spiritual creativity as a consistent and nourishing part of daily life.”--Venture Inward “I never knew I was a visual artist until I read Julia Cameron’s THE ARTIST’S WAY.”--Jannene Behl in Artist’s Magazine “Julia Cameron’s landmark book THE ARTIST’S WAY helped me figure out who I really was as an adult, not so much as an artist but as a person. And award-winning journalist and poet, Cameron’s genius is that she doesn’t tell readers what they should do to achieve or who they should be—instead she creates a map for readers to start exploring these questions themselves.”--Michael F. Melcher, Law Practice magazine “This is not a self-help book in the normative sense. It is simply a powerful book that can challenge one to move into an entirely different state of personal expression and growth.”--Nick Maddox, Deland Beacon “THE ARTIST’S WAY (with its companion volume THE ARTIST’S WAY MORNING PAGES JOURNAL) becomes a friend over time, not just a journal. Like a journal, it provokes spontaneous insights and solutions; beyond journaling, it establishes a process that is interactive and dynamic.”--Theresa L. Crenshaw, M.D., San Diego Union-Tribune “If you really want to supercharge your writing, I recommend that you get a copy of Julia Cameron’s book THE ARTIST’S WAY. I’m not a big fan of self-help books, but this book has changed my life for the better and restored my previously lagging creativity.”--Jeffrey Bairstow, Laser Focus World “Working with the principle that creative expression is the natural direction of life, Cameron developed a three month program to recover creativity. THE ARTIST’S WAY shows how to tap into the higher power that connects human creativity and the creative energies of the universe.”--Mike Gossie, Scottsdale Tribune “THE ARTIST’S WAY is the seminal book on the subject of creativity and an invaluable guide to living the artistic life. Still as vital today—or perhaps even more so—than it was when it was first published in 1992, it is a provocative and inspiring work. Updated and expanded, it reframes THE ARTIST’S WAY for a new century.”--Branches of Light “THE ARTIST’S WAY has sold over 3 million copies since its publication in 1992. Cameron still teaches it because there is sustained demand for its thoughtful, spiritual approach to unblocking and nurturing creativity. It is, dare we say, timeless.”--Nancy Colasurdo, FOXBusiness Praise for VEIN OF GOLD, the second volume in the ARTIST’S WAY trilogy “For those seeking the wellspring of creativity, this book, like its predecessor, is a solid gold diving rod.”--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Read more About the Author Julia Cameron has been an active artist for more than three decades. She is the author of more than thirty books, including such bestselling works on the creative process as The Artist’s Way, Walking in This World, and Finding Water. Also a novelist, playwright, songwriter, and poet, she has multiple credits in theater, film, and television, including an episode of Miami Vice, which featured Miles Davis, and Elvis and the Beauty Queen, which starred Don Johnson. She was a writer on such movies as Taxi Driver, New York, New York, and The Last Waltz. She wrote, produced, and directed the award-winning independent feature film God's Will, which premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival, and was selected by the London Film Festival, the Munich International Film Festival, and the Women in Film Festival, among others. In addition to making films, Cameron has taught film at such diverse places as Chicago Filmmakers, Northwestern University, and Columbia College. She is also an award-winning playwright, whose work has appeared on such well-known stages as the McCarter Theater at Princeton University and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Read more
Reviews
I have really tried to like Julia's books. I bought The Artist's Way in 1996. After trying to get through it several times, donated it to the library. So many people raved about the book, I bought it again. Then tried several times to do the Morning Pages. The longest I made it was 3 weeks. Then bought the Miracle of the Artist's Date. Got my hubby involved when it didn't work for me, thinking I just needed the support she always talks about. My hubby is a photographer, so he is an artist in his own right. Didn't work for him either. Out of the 52 suggestions, only about 5 were even appealing.So, when I read some of the ratings where people didn't connect with her other books, but did on this one; I was ready to try again. Here is a quote that first hit me as part of the reason we have a disconnect. "If there is enough of a sense of adventure in the work itself then I do not need to plunge into the outdoors seeking a feeling of an adventure." I live in the middle of a forest. I take a walk outside because it is relaxing and calming. My art is making pottery. Being in the "Zone" is good. Another quote.."We need to fall in love with ourselves. One of the best ways to do this is to view yourself as a character, one you are fascinated by." I'm too old for this nonsense. Maybe because she was once married to Martin Scorsese, she buys into that. I have a husband, kids, grandkids, self motivation, self esteem, and a life I'm very content with. I don't need to pretend to be a character so I can love myself. Then I got to this quote "A career must be husbanded". In this sense, it means use it economically; conserve. Disconnect. Then there are all the quotes from famous people in the middle of her writing that don't seem to me to connect the dots of the point she is making.The final straw for me was this quote. "The minute we identify with the rest of humankind, we are on the right track......Our shared humanity is the solution. Our 'specialness' is the problem." To me that contradicted everything else she writes. Did I miss something? Wasn't the whole idea of Morning Pages, Artist Dates, and her books about finding those bits of ourselves that are special and then allowing our art to celebrate that?This book is just more of the same of her other books. The importance of Morning pages. The importance of finding adventure. The importance of finding friends that support you. The importance of loving yourself (but not your specialness). I just think she is neurotic. She needs to get a real job for a while. She has been sending out the same message for so long, maybe that is the problem. She really has nothing new to offer. In all the 25+ years she has been writing books, she does not seem to have moved forward herself.So why have I tried to read her books and get out of them what so many others seem to? Because I know that NO ONE does their best work/art in a bubble. Because I want to always be moving forward. Learning. Wanting to learn. Setting goals. Improving my technique. Coming up with new ideas. Coming up with new ways to work. I don't need to spend time doing a brain dump or strapping on rollerblades. I need to spend more time actually PLAYING with my clay and enjoying the process. Feeling it. Allowing defeat as well as success. Allowing my art to spark joy in me just for the sake of doing it. Julia's books seemed to be more about the "self" than about the art. Isn't what I'm looking for and so I'm parting ways with her.
