Do you have tons of great ideas, but hardly turn them into action? Or do you find it... Read more
Julia Cameron, now age 72, once hit creative rock bottom, but she got back up again and the book she wrote about the experience, “The Artist’s Way,” was a world-wide best -seller. Journalist Catelijne Elzes interviewed her after attending one of her workshops.
It has been 25 years since Julia Cameron wrote her groundbreaking book on creativity, The Artist Way. It was kind of random: Someone suggested that she share the tools that had helped her out of her creative void. The book became a tremendous success. The Artist’s Way has been translated into more than 35 languages and sold over four million copies. Accross the world, people take courses in her method, now simply known as The Artist’s Way. Perhaps most importantly, thanks to Julia Cameron, people wake up every day from “creative hibernation,” however deep, and some of them even change their whole lives.
The author Elizabeth Gilbert says that Eat, Pray, Love would never have been written without The Artist’s Way. Glamour magazine photographer Helmut Newton, Who guitarist Pete Townshend, and singer Alicia Keys all attribute some of their success to Julia. The title of the book makes it seem like it’s aimed at official artists only, but nothing could be further from the truth. Julia herself does not believe in that distinction. “We, all of us, have a creative spark,” she says. “We express it in different ways. Some are creative housewives, others use their spark to make a living.” However, Julia is also convinced that we all suffer from a creative blockage to some extend. Maybe somebody said something negative about something you made; maybe your parents had a certain opinion on creative professions; or maybe you criticize yourself too harshly.
“A lot of artists have an inner critic, me included,” she says. ” I call mine Nigel and I picture him as a severe British interior designer. When I make a work of art, Nigel will start to cry, ‘It’s too boring, too childish, too afwul.’ These days I tell him, ‘Nigel, thank you for sharing,’ and I keep working.” How can you tell where yo might be blocked? According to Julia, envy is a clear sign. “It’s when you look at somebody else’s creative work and you think: I want to do that too, or: I can do that better,” she says. “It’s frustrating, but keep the faith. Anyone can liberate their inner artist.”
This is an edited fragment from Happinez “Feel the Sun” (issue 22 – 2020). Do you want to read the full interview with Julia Cameron? You can find the issue in our shop!
Do you have tons of great ideas, but hardly turn them into action? Or do you find it... Read more
J.P. Sears is a guru completely different from all the others. In his YouTube videos,... Read more
Fifteen-year old Antonio Arèas came up with the idea of Word Rocks: cute little... Read more
Do you remember yourself standing there, on the edge of the diving board? Every inch... Read more
It may seem like a contradiction: Being friendly and kind, yet guarding your... Read more
The way we see the world is really no more than a social convention. When we... Read more