Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Get Back On Track
The title of this review tells it all. What most artists are lacking is someone to tell us that it's okay to be doing what we are doing and to learn how to incorporate that into our everyday lives. Julia Cameron does this! As you read each chapter you begin to notice an inspirational flow to your everyday life. As you complete the exercises you begin to say "WOW, look what I can do!" I found myself 'starved' for each new chapter and couldn't wait until the next week when I could read some more. I have also found that her recommendations are ones that most successful artists use. Not to say that I did falter here and there along the way with my 'morning pages'. . . but I soon learned to love them and now right 'night pages' as well. My main recommendation would be for anyone who needs a little (or I should say a lot) of inspiration or maybe some direction to get back on track. I'll definitely be keeping this book to refer back to in the years to come.
Rating:  - Beautiful, healing, affirming, authentic, triumphant
Since when is the last time you were inspired in your life by the REVIEWS of a book? Ha! This book is a treasure that goes deeper and beyond most if not all of the new thinker's books written in the past several years (if not decades) in the areas of spirituality, psychology and creativity. While so many wax poetically (or try to) on the religious and social constructs that have been at the foundation of everyone's life, happiness and problems, Julia Cameron speaks from the point of view of the creative force, beuatiful in its unknowability (it must be embraced and experienced, not known in our intellectual sense)that is at the center of it all- all of our world, all of our art, all of our lives. What this book can do for artists and writers surpasses even that which Nietzsche made possible with his aphorisms in Human, All Too Human on "The Soul of Artists and Writers." To put all the pain of an artist- in fact, of human existence in total really- in terms of being blocked creatively, is in and of itself remarkable, when looked at from the context of the advice given for removing the blocks and being truly creative and alive. As a multi-talented artist, this book, I can tell you, returns the poetry to the Bible, to religion, to honesty and intimacy, to love, and to creativity in general by supplying you with a how-to manual for putting it back into your life. She speaks from the place our ideas of God and Art- and Love- come from, making them all clearly synonymous and embraceable again, on many levels.As I am primarily a musician, I would like to see more musical examples and metaphors in the book, but even that is an almost childish request in light of what she achieved. The Miles Davis quote is worth the price of the book all by itself: "Do not fear mistakes. There are none." I would suggest two books as the perfect compliment to this: Marianne Williamson's RETURN TO LOVE, and Irving Stone's biographical novel of Van Gogh, LUST FOR LIFE. These three books- and of course, Corinthians(regardless of your religious inclinations), will have you know the creative spirit- yourself- like never before- and love what you know.
Rating: - This book changed my life
I purchased this book about 3 years ago. I have read it continously the past 3 years. I have given it as gifts to numerous friends and family. I am not a professional artist by any means...I sell electronic components/widgets. For years I knew I wanted to get in touch with my "creative" side, but couldn't find the how to's or make the "time"..sorry excuses. Well, this book came into my life and I started following Ms. Cameron's exercises...A whole new world opened up for me. I started noticing simple things, like birds! Flowers blooming, sunlight reflecting on the pond down the street from where I live. And I followed her MUST DO instructions of keeping a Morning Journal. One must write LONG HAND 3 pages of stream of consciousness ramblings. You can write anything..it isn't an exercise in creative writing. It is a ritual of clearing your self out so you can allow NEW stuff to enter into your creative soul.
I recommend this book very highly to EVERYONE!
Artist, salesperson, auto mechanic, mother, teenager..everyone can benefit from this easy and enjoyable book to read.
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