Day 7 - Chapter 8 - The Artist's Way

As Cameron has done with her previous chapters in identify potential ways an artist may be blocked, she again points out the obvious - the task of artist survival.  When one faces the losses of income, potential, or acknowledgment, etc, she encourages her readers to turn the perceived losses into strengths. To remember that every artist has a child within them.  While they might understand the loss intellectually, emotionally they may require additional support. She further discusses an area of potential abuse to the inner child with the academic / parental criticisms or from any authority figure who may see their tasks as correcting a creative endeavor.  She does not argue the importance of receiving appropriate feedback. Yet when the criticism’s tone is too harsh, or the timing premature, would be like planting a forest only to care for it by removing its roots. She asks her readers to reframe their thinking when experiencing a loss within their art.  Instead of “Why Me,” to ask the question of “What Next?” Another potential block an artist may use is the belief they are too young, or too old to follow their creative path. She encourages her readers to focus on the process of creativity, not the products to be produced - to deny curiosity, we deny one’s growth.  Her last suggestion to her readers in this chapter is to “fill in the form,” in other words, complete small tasks finishes the bigger picture. Cameron reminds her readers to work with what they have rather than narrow the focus on what they don’t have, as “large changes happen in tiny increments.”


​​I encourage you to buy a copy of The Artist's Way for a better understanding of your own creative process.  Whether you're a master artist or beginning artist, this is an excellent book.

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