The Artist's Way
Encyclopedia
The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path To Higher Creativity is a self-help
book by American author Julia Cameron
, together with Mark Bryan. The book was written to help people with artistic creative
recovery, which teaches techniques and exercises to assist people in gaining self confidence in harnessing their creative talents and skills. Correlation and emphasis is used by the author to show a connection between artistic creativity and a spiritual connection with God
.
The ideas in creative personal development
outlined in the book, which were felt to be new at the time of the publication, are said to have become a phenomenon and spawned into many meetups and support group
s throughout the world. The group meetings are based on a 12 week creativity course designed for people to work through and gain Artistic inspiration
, as outlined in the book. The program is focused on supporting relationships in removing artistic blocks and fostering confidence.
Starting as a collection of tips and hints from different artists and authors, The Artist's Way was collected into a single book and self published
by Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan as a set of helpful methods for maximizing the creativity and productivity of artists.
The book was originally titled, Healing the Artist Within, and was turned down by the William Morris
literary agency, before being self-published. After the book began to sell widely, the title was then changed, when the book was published by Jeremy Tarcher
(now The Penguin Group
) in 1992.
The book went on to reach the Top 10 best seller list and onto the list of the Top 100 Best Self-Help Books of All Time. The book was eventually put into the "Self-Publishing Hall of Fame" after selling millions of copies worldwide.
Cameron maintains throughout the book that creative inspiration is from and of a divine origin and influence, that artist seeking to enable creativity need to understand and believe in."God is an artist. So are we. And we can cooperate with each other. Our creative dreams and longings do come from a divine source, not from the human ego."
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
book by American author Julia Cameron
Julia Cameron
Julia B. Cameron is an American teacher, author, artist, poet, playwright, novelist, filmmaker, composer, and journalist. She is perhaps most famous for her book The Artist's Way...
, together with Mark Bryan. The book was written to help people with artistic creative
Creativity
Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...
recovery, which teaches techniques and exercises to assist people in gaining self confidence in harnessing their creative talents and skills. Correlation and emphasis is used by the author to show a connection between artistic creativity and a spiritual connection with God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
.
The ideas in creative personal development
Personal development
Personal development includes activities that improve awareness and identity, develop talents and potential, build human capital and facilitates employability, enhance quality of life and contribute to the realization of dreams and aspirations...
outlined in the book, which were felt to be new at the time of the publication, are said to have become a phenomenon and spawned into many meetups and support group
Support group
In a support group, members provide each other with various types of help, usually nonprofessional and nonmaterial, for a particular shared, usually burdensome, characteristic...
s throughout the world. The group meetings are based on a 12 week creativity course designed for people to work through and gain Artistic inspiration
Artistic inspiration
Inspiration refers to an unconscious burst of creativity in a literary, musical, or other artistic endeavour. Literally, the word means "breathed upon," and it has its origins in both Hellenism and Hebraism. The Greeks believed that inspiration came from the muses, as well as the gods Apollo and...
, as outlined in the book. The program is focused on supporting relationships in removing artistic blocks and fostering confidence.
Summary
- History
Starting as a collection of tips and hints from different artists and authors, The Artist's Way was collected into a single book and self published
Self-publishing
Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...
by Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan as a set of helpful methods for maximizing the creativity and productivity of artists.
The book was originally titled, Healing the Artist Within, and was turned down by the William Morris
William Morris Endeavor
WME is the largest talent agency in the world, with offices in Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville, London, and Miami. WME represents elite artists from all facets of the entertainment industry, including motion pictures, television, music, theatre, publishing, and physical production...
literary agency, before being self-published. After the book began to sell widely, the title was then changed, when the book was published by Jeremy Tarcher
Jeremy P. Tarcher Inc.
Jeremy P. Tarcher Inc., founded by Jeremy P. Tarcher, 1973, in Los Angeles, California, is a book publisher and imprint of Penguin Group focused primarily on mind, body and spiritualism titles...
(now The Penguin Group
Penguin Group
The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...
) in 1992.
The book went on to reach the Top 10 best seller list and onto the list of the Top 100 Best Self-Help Books of All Time. The book was eventually put into the "Self-Publishing Hall of Fame" after selling millions of copies worldwide.
Cameron maintains throughout the book that creative inspiration is from and of a divine origin and influence, that artist seeking to enable creativity need to understand and believe in."God is an artist. So are we. And we can cooperate with each other. Our creative dreams and longings do come from a divine source, not from the human ego."
External links
- The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron's official web site
- Artist's Way At Work web site, by Mark Bryan
- Live Journal
- 750words.com
- "The Artist's Way" Find Meetup Groups Worldwide
- The Artist's Way Circle (Yahoo Group)
- The Artist's Way Review