The Artist's Way Wrap Up - Dreaming Fully Awake

Before I ventured on to actually do this journey, I’d heard lots about The Artist’s Way. Even friends who had dabbled with just the beginning pages had mentioned it but never really thought much about it. Now looking back I understand why it’s such a pivot and most recommended books around the internet.

The Artist’s Way may have been published way back when (1992 to be exact), but every essay written within its cover still hits all the right spots some 25 years later.

For those of you who haven’t picked up the book, seriously what are you doing? Even if you’re not blocked and you want to learn more about yourself and your creative habits, make this book yours.

It’s broken into twelve major lessons on how to reignite creativity, all with a theme of what will get focused on week by week. It’s generally comprised of mini essays that allow you to really get to the nuts and bolts of what’s going on. Each week is finished off with tasks to do and a check in.

The book arms you with two very important tools: morning pages and artist’s dates. I don’t journal and I didn’t particularly think much of it, so I started and just decided not to box myself in with the morning pages, because they’re supposed to be 3 pages of emptying your brain, and it’s all done by hand with a pen and paper in hand, so I just wrote a page or maybe even half a page it’s all about balance. I learned that I started to enjoy them and actually miss them when I wasn’t doing them.

I find that The Artist’s Dates are the hardest for me because most of the time I don’t really have the time to make them happen or I don’t have the money, but the times I have done them I have made so much progress and fun with them. It’s been an enriching process to my life and my writing abilities. It’s hard to really put it into words though, because the shifts I’ve felt have all been so internal and totally worth their weight in gold.

I started this journey with no real expectations about what’s to come. I wasn’t blocked in anyway, I can happily pump out words if needed, I may mull on them for hours and hours but I can do it. I did feel like I was lacking in some aspects and mostly because I wasn’t as regular with my practice, but that’s mostly because I prioritised being busy over being able to be creative and I have learned that the process of unsticking my creativity has made me a better writer and better coach.

It’s also made me a better person, I know that I’m allowed to take my creativity and use it any way I like and not have social norms attack it or belittle it.

I understand that my creativity can be fickle and that I do need to nurture her a lot more than I allow her to be nurtured.

There is still further work to do with creativity and I’m going to keep going, but for now this is the end of my journey with The Artist’s Way.

If you want to take a look at my journey with the twelve weeks here they are in detail for you, just click away and you’ll be able to find what you need.