Walking in this World: The Practical Art of Creativity

"Known for her best selling book THE ARTIST's WAY...Julia Cameron is the author of 19 books both fiction and nonfiction. She bills this book as a sequel to THE ARTIST'S WAY...and says it is the 'nextstep in her course of discovering and recovering the creative self. She urges writers and all creatives to inhabit the world with a 'sense of wonder' -- to not just observe. By dividing the volume into 12 weekly 'chapters' she lets us 'rediscover' the wonder of her "morning pages-- a type of journaling --to get the juices flowing' and helps us map our interests. Each 'chapter' or week works on a different aspect of Discovering -- ranging from 1 -- A sense of origin, to 2 sense of proportion to 3 a sense of perspective 4) a sense of adventure 5) a sense of personal territory to 6) a sense of boundaries to 7) a sense of momentum, to 8 -- a sense of discernment and 9 a sense of resiliency and 10 a sensse of comraderie and 11) a sense of authenticity to 12) a sense of dignity. Julia explains in her intro that "walking and talking humanize her life...they draw it to an ancient and comforting scale...and it is on these walks that her best ideas come to her...and no you don't have to walk every day-- she suggests a weekly walk. In the afterword which follows a short epilogue she explains about her 'creative clusters guide"...she noes that there are no franchised or accredited Artist's Way Teachers...for "creative recovery' as she calls it is 'a nonhierarchial, peer-run, collective process"....something I too totally agree with...She also includes guidelines for a group....for many readers...this process could be much more productive than just a weekly book club...for others...the book is still a great guide to going solo--- to reawakening your creative spirit or just re-affirming that YES, you are creative...and that it's never too late to write that play, paint that canvas or sculpt that statue....We are all creative...we just need to recognize our styles and to encourage our innate ability to color outside of the lines and think outside of the box! THERE IS NO ENVELOPE...."
~ Written on 2007-06-17

"As Julia Cameron has done so well in her previous Artist's Way books, the Artist is supported and encouraged on their journey to recovery. Although there is a sense of repetition in the exercises, her words read lyrically, as music for the soul. The Artist is lead page to page by inspirational quotes, reassuring in their absolute truth and direct application to daily life and vignettes from an artist's life fully lived. A must for the recovering creative spirit."
~ Written on 2007-02-22

"This is a nice continuation of the Artists Way program, but will not be as effective without having done the Artists Way first. There are a lot more references to "God" and "The Creator" than the first book, and a bit of repeated information in an identical format. That said, I think this book is a perfect continuation for both artistic recovery and artistic expansion, and is very useful. "
~ Written on 2007-02-02

"I read the Artist's Way long ago and thought this would just be a rehashing of it, but it is an excellent book in itself and as a companion to the Artist's Way. It does cover some of the same ground as the previous, but expands on them, and covers some new territory and techniques for living a productively creative life (such as the Walks in addition to Morning Pages, which may sound simplistic, but the importance of them is explained with helpful insight here.) I consider this book as both a way to strengthen the lessons in the Artist's Way, and a small step forward from it. Both are great books to read thoroughly a couple times, then pick up now and then when needing some sage advice and encouragement in creative endeavors, reassurance in the midst of self-doubt, and just to raise the optimism. I also appreciate that Cameron does all this in a non-New-Agey, straightforward way. (While she does touch on spirituality, do not expect language like "the divine cosmic essence of your being" here.) I can imagine even macho tough guys getting something out of these books."
~ Written on 2007-01-24

"One in the Artist's Way franchise, Cameron continues bolstering artists and their recovery through her frank descriptions of creative phases and her prescriptions of activity to work one's way through. these are the pages that bolstered me through the artescape year. it took me 12 months or more to wade through the 12 weeks of her walk, but to take one's time with this material is allowed. i continue to hold julia cameron in high regard--grateful for her work, her confessional nature, her experience with recovery, her commitment to allowing a great creator to work though her. i particularly like the words of other great creatives, celebrated in the margins of her own work through the decorative use of quotes. i found the chapter on dignity, the last chapter, to be particularly poignant--learning that all artists share a glass mountain phase of their creativity. learning i am not alone in my weird ways of hiding and fearing the "real" world when i come down off my creative highs. cameron's books are like candy to me--constant companions who keep me connected to a legacy of creativity. i am grateful for her anecdotes, her name dropping, her truth-telling. i receive tremendous benefit from my 10 year old morning pages habit--and have added artist dates and walks without adhering to them with any religiosity. i recognize, if taken as prescribed, these antidotes to depression would bolster me more equally throughout my days. i am honored to be a loyal reader of cameron's work--admiring the voice i hear on the page, claiming kinship with the author through how she echoes (or is it i who echoes her?) my own inspirational sentiment. i think it's hard to be an artist--and even harder not to be one. i am grateful for the accompaniment of cameron's artists' ways and walks."
~ Written on 2006-10-30