The Artist’s Way

I was first introduced to The Artist’s Way through Tim Ferris’ podcast. And after that, Julia Cameron continued to show up in my life in the most unexpected places. These are the kinds of nudges I’ve come to expect from the Universe. So, when a friend suggested we tackle the 12-week course together this summer, I was all in!

As you might have guessed, The Artist’s Way is a book about creativity. However, it does not teach people to be creative - it teaches people “to let themselves be creative.” Each week covers a different theme and offers exercises to reconnect to your creativity.

Week One is about “Recovering a Sense of Safety” and my favorite exercise is this: "If you had five other lives to lead, what would you do in each of them?"

I had so much fun with this prompt, and what came up was an interesting blend of what I expected and what I did not. Here’s a sample of what my other lives might look like:

🥐 I would be a master of French patisserie and own the cutest café.
🌅 I would be a writer, living in a quaint cottage on the coast.
💐 I would be a gardener or landscape artist.
🍷 I would work at a winery in Italy and spend my days among the vines.

The second part of the exercise is to pick one of the items on the list and bring them into your life today!

What would you do in your other lives?