Announcing two free group activities: The Artist's Way creative cluster and Halloween flash fiction show
Show of hands of anyone who’s ever done Julia Cameron’s 12-week program on creativity, The Artist’s Way.
<Raises hand and shakes it wildly>
Show of hands of anyone who’s ever COMPLETED Julia' Cameron’s 12-week program on creativity, The Artist’s Way.
<uhhhhhh>
So here’s The Artist’s Way in a nutshell. Basically, Julia Cameron was a working screenwriter and journalist who could only create in fits and starts and through sheer willpower. When she realized that the way she was working was killing her (and fueling an alcohol addiction), she realized she needed another way, and so she developed a program inspired by the 12 Steps of AA for “recovering creatives.”
As with 12-step programs in general, a belief in God is not required! Cameron often describes her own experience with divinity in terms of energy: our aim is not necessarily communion with a divine entity (although if that’s your experience: cool!) but rather a “flow state” where our ego kind of disappears and we’re just in the zone.
I’ve started the program many many times, but life always has a way of happening when I’m a couple of weeks in. (Actually, sometimes when I’m only a couple of days in!) Before I know it, instead of starting my day with the three pages of longhand free writing that Cameron calls “morning pages,” I’m back to starting my days with client work, emails, and tweets.
Part of this is because I really do believe in creative flexibility. I grew up in a strict household and religious tradition and so anything that feels too much like a rule or a restriction appeals to me at first… until I start to rebel big-time.
But lately I’ve been thinking about giving the program another shot. I still do have a lot of beliefs about the kind of artist I “should be” that I think are worth examining.
If anyone else has Cameron’s book on their shelf, or is curious about this kind of program of accountability, please email me. I’m thinking of launching what Cameron calls a “creative cluster” of people who want to work the program together. This would just be a free slack or text group where we can check in with one another about the daily and weekly tasks or any blocks we’re having. (Basically, the two main tools are the daily morning pages and a once-a-week artist’s date where you spend an hour doing some sort of fun activity. So your commitment would be an hour or two a week, tops.)
I’ve worked 12-step programs and found that a big part of why they work is the community aspect, and so I suspect the reason I keep putting Julia’s book down is because I’m trying to go it alone!
And I literally cannot do this alone.
I’m not even sure I want to!
Another group announcement!
I’d like to host a little Halloween show on Saturday, October 31st at 8 pm. The format: super-short spooky stories (think 500 words tops). If you want in, email me. I’ll host a FREE short workshop Saturday October 24th at 3 pm where we bring in our stories for group feedback and to brainstorm ways to spread the word about the show.
At the moment, I’m not going to cap the numbers, and just let the show be long if it wants to be! But if numbers get really crazy, I will put a cap on it.
This is just a fun thing I wanted to offer my fellow creators and horror fans on my favorite holiday. My plan is to charge money at the “door” and split it with the performers, so maybe we’ll walk away with enough money to buy ourselves a small treat.
xoxoxo
Sarah
What a splendid idea for the Halloween show! As for The Artist's Way, I will join you! I have completed it a few times to varying degrees of success, and started it half a dozen more. The wonderful thing about the program is that it is different every single time, as we are different artists every time we do it. 💖