I have always been fascinated by the Artist's Way book. I was told I should give it a try...so when the successful book launched a website, I leapt at the chance to give it a whirl. For those you who aren't familiar, The Artist's Way is a system by which artists can journey to cultivate their creativity. It comes complete with exercises, artist dates, and the website version includes soundbites as well meant to help you [the artist] become your best, most grounded, motivated artist self.
So I dove right in. I did the three longhand written pages each morning, listened to the soundbites, did the creative exercises, and journaled about the experience in their online notebook. Right away I found the experience of it helpful. If nothing else, it gave me the chance to check in with myself each day and do something entirely for me.
When we "artists" are all busy working, I feel like our "me time" is sometimes the first thing to go. This system made me take time for that each morning. A few days into my morning papers, I noticed that I was noticing more things about myself and handling situations with perhaps more presence than I might have in the past. That was surprising.
I especially enjoyed the soundbites. These are gold. I loved how I could sit with my headphones on and just zone out on them for a few, short minutes. It was very meditative and calming. Forcing myself to relax, yes please! I always need that.
The large amount of writing that is associated with the program was no problem for me. I found that the more I wrote, the better. I am the type of person who loves to think about things and write about them and then go back and see how I am changing. Even so, I still forgot a couple of time sot do my morning papers, but I didn't feel too bad about it. If you are a person who isn't very into writing, this could be harder for you. However, this could also really help a person who is challenged in that department.
I only have one criticism of the program, overall, and that is the God thing. God is brought up and discussed a lot in the program, especially the soundbites. I am agnostic, so I found this bristled me a little, at first. Each time I heard "god" in the recordings, I replaced in my own head with "the universe." I was able to still enjoy the experience, and it will not (and did not) ultimately deter me. By the same token, I know a lot of people are very religious and I think that they will love the program even more for this very reason.
I would certainly recommend The Artist's Way Toolkit to anyone who feels they need a new breath of creativity in their lives. It's a wonderfully simple and well put together toolkit that provides a person a table for their own insightful journey!
*I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club Review, however all opinions expressed are solely my own--love it or hate it.
So I dove right in. I did the three longhand written pages each morning, listened to the soundbites, did the creative exercises, and journaled about the experience in their online notebook. Right away I found the experience of it helpful. If nothing else, it gave me the chance to check in with myself each day and do something entirely for me.
When we "artists" are all busy working, I feel like our "me time" is sometimes the first thing to go. This system made me take time for that each morning. A few days into my morning papers, I noticed that I was noticing more things about myself and handling situations with perhaps more presence than I might have in the past. That was surprising.
I especially enjoyed the soundbites. These are gold. I loved how I could sit with my headphones on and just zone out on them for a few, short minutes. It was very meditative and calming. Forcing myself to relax, yes please! I always need that.
The large amount of writing that is associated with the program was no problem for me. I found that the more I wrote, the better. I am the type of person who loves to think about things and write about them and then go back and see how I am changing. Even so, I still forgot a couple of time sot do my morning papers, but I didn't feel too bad about it. If you are a person who isn't very into writing, this could be harder for you. However, this could also really help a person who is challenged in that department.
I only have one criticism of the program, overall, and that is the God thing. God is brought up and discussed a lot in the program, especially the soundbites. I am agnostic, so I found this bristled me a little, at first. Each time I heard "god" in the recordings, I replaced in my own head with "the universe." I was able to still enjoy the experience, and it will not (and did not) ultimately deter me. By the same token, I know a lot of people are very religious and I think that they will love the program even more for this very reason.
I would certainly recommend The Artist's Way Toolkit to anyone who feels they need a new breath of creativity in their lives. It's a wonderfully simple and well put together toolkit that provides a person a table for their own insightful journey!
*I was compensated for this BlogHer Book Club Review, however all opinions expressed are solely my own--love it or hate it.
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