Julia Cameron - The Artist's Way (1992)

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Art is not about thinking something up. It is the opposite — getting something down.

Julia Cameron
All too often too often we try to push, pull, outline and control our ideas instead of letting them grow organically. The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.
Mystery is at the heart of creativity. That, and surprise.

Julia Cameron
Creativity — like human life itself — begins in darkness. We need to acknowledge this. All too often, we think only in terms of light: "And then the lightbulb went on and I got it!" It is true that insights may come to us as flashes. It is true that some of these flashes may be blinding. It is, however, also true that such bright ideas are preceded by a gestation period that is interior, murky, and completely necessary.

Julia Cameron
The creator made us creative. Our creativity is our gift from God. Our use of it is our gift to God. Accepting this bargain is the beginning of true self-acceptance.

Julia Cameron
We must learn to let the flow manifest itself where it will.....not where we will it.

Julia Cameron
Selecting a challenge and meeting it creates a sense of self-empowerment that becomes the ground for further successful challenges.

Julia Cameron
We tend to think being hard on ourselves will make us strong. But it is cherishing ourselves that gives us strength

Julia Cameron
There is not one pink flower, or even fifty pink flowers, but hundreds. Snowflakes, of course, are the ultimate exercise in sheer creative glee. No two alike. This creator looks suspiciously like someone who just might send us support for our creative ventures.

Julia Cameron
Practice being kind to yourself in small, concrete ways. Look at your refrigerator. Are you feeding yourself nicely? Do you have socdks? An extra set of sheets? What about a new house plant? A thermos for the long drive to work? Allow yourself to pitch out some of your ragged clothes. You don't have to keep everything.

Julia Cameron
It is the inner commitment to be true to ourselves and follow our dreams that triggers the support of the universe.

Julia Cameron
We are the ORIGIN of our art, its homeland. Viewed this way, ORIGINALITY is the process of remaining true to ourselves.

Julia Cameron
What would a nontoxic god think of your creative goals? Might such a god really exist?

Julia Cameron
Many of us believe that 'real artists' do not experience self-doubt. In truth, artists are people who have learned to live with doubt and do the work anyway.

Julia Cameron
Answered prayers are scary. They imply responsibility. You asked for it. Now that you've got it, what are you going to do? Why else the cautionary phrase Watch out for what you pray for; you might just get it?

Julia Cameron
Try approving of yourself just as you are, and spoiling yourself rotten with small kid's pleasures.

Julia Cameron
Remembering that God is my source, we are in the spiritual position of having an unlimited bank account. Most of us never consider how powerful the creator really is. Instead, we draw limited amounts of the power available to us. We decide how powerful God is for us. We unconsciously set a limit on how much God can give us or help us. We are stingy with ourselves. And if we receive a gift beyond our imagining, we often send it back.

Julia Cameron
I learned, when hit by loss, to ask the right question: "What next?" instead of "Why me?"... Whenever I am willing to ask "What is necessary next?" I have moved ahead. Whenever I have taken no for a final answer I have stalled and gotten stuck.

Julia Cameron
Take a small step in the direction of a dream and watch the synchronous doors flying open

Julia Cameron
I learned to just show up at the page and write down what I heard. Writing became more like eavesdropping and less like inventing a nuclear bomb.

Julia Cameron
As we open our creative channel to the creator, many gentle but powerful changes are to be expected.

Julia Cameron
If you are too busy to develop your talents, you are too busy.

Julia Cameron
In order to have a real relationship with our creativity, we must take the time and care to cultivate it.

Julia Cameron
We are not accustomed to thinking that God's will for us and our own inner dreams can coincide.

Julia Cameron
There will be many times when we won't look good-to ourselves or anyone else. We need to stop demanding that we do. It is impossible to get better and look good at the same time.

Julia Cameron
What payoff are you getting for remaining stuck at this point in your expansion?

Julia Cameron
Creativity is God's gift to us. Using our creativity is our gift back to God.

Julia Cameron
The beginner's humility and openness lead to exploration. Exploration leads to accomplishment. All of it begins at the beginning, with the first small and scary step.

Julia Cameron
The essential element in nurturing our creativity lies in nurturing ourselves.

Julia Cameron
The artist brain is the sensory brain: sight and sound, smell and taste, touch. These are the elements of magic, and magic is the elemental stuff of art. In filling the well, think magic. Think delight. Think fun. Do not think duty. Do not do what you should do-spiritual sit-ups like reading a dull but recommended critical text. Do what intrigues you, explore what interests you; think mystery, not mastery.

Julia Cameron
Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough — that we should try again.

Julia Cameron