Notes from Julia Cameron's "Walking in This World" Chapter 1

The first chapter in Julia Cameron’s book “Walking in This World” is about “Discovering a Sense of Origin”. “You begin where you are, with who you are, at this time, at this place.” We set out  that is the key. “Creativity is inspiration coupled with initiative.” Beginning starts with our desire followed by one small action and then another. “Energy attracts energy.” 

Julia listed three tasks in chapter 1, the Task for beginning where you are is to number from 1-20 and list 20 ‘creative actions’ you could start with today. Each day we begin again and here is a list to inspire you.

In the next essay Julia wrote about commitment. We get so caught up in being professional that our serious pursuits distract us from actively engaging our creative dreams. “When we make the art we love, it makes time and energy available to us for our professional pursuits. Why? Because we feel more vital, and that vitality is assertive energy that makes room for its own desires.”

I have certainly found this to be true in my own working life. Even though I have practiced The Artist’s Way Tools on and off for over nine years, I had come to resent my job and did not have the energy or motivation to pursue my creative dreams. My twelve weeks with Julia awoke me to all the possibilities and gave me the push to try new things, instead of finding excuses not to even try. These days I’m mostly excited to start my work day, and thankful for a job that provides funding for my creative projects.

What is your creative dream or dreams? Start out small, play the piano, draw, or paint for five minutes a day and then increase the time, add new actions, and before you know it you are making progress. The task for Commitment is “Express Yourself” list from 1-10 and write 10 positive adjectives to describe yourself. Then take these 10 words and use them to write a personal ad about yourself. “Create a positive and provocative picture of your uniqueness. The point of this tool is not self-transformation but self-acceptance.”

So I listed enthusiastic, fun loving, helpful, humorous, active, creative, imaginative, adventurous, introspective, and industrious. Truthfully I sometimes feel like all I've got going for me is my enthusiasm. Here's the sentence "As we swirl through the cosmos, come participate in delightful dance with an adventurous, fun loving, imaginative writer."   

In her essay titled Snow, Julia gently encourages us to find items, activities, events, and places that feed our love for our particular art form. The last task in this chapter was the hardest for me, “Do Nothing”. This is not meditation, which I love doing. Somehow in my make up, if I am a wake I must be industriously busy. I was so bad at this the first time through, I had to try it again another day, and did a little better. The process reminded me of a fifteen minute intense condensed form of our media deprivation week. 

“This task asks that you do nothing - and that you do it thoroughly for fifteen minutes. Here is how to set your “nothing” up. First of all, cue up a piece of music that is both calming and expansive. Secondly, lie down. Stretch out on your back, fold your arms comfortably, and let your imagination speak to you. Close your eyes and follow your train of thought wherever it leads you-into your past, into your future, into some part of your present that you have not been able, do to busyness, to fully enough inhabit. Listen to the music and to your thoughts gently unspooling and repeat to yourself gently this simple phrase, “I am enough...I am enough...” Stop striving to be more and appreciate what it is you already are.”

Whatever your creative dream start towards it, "kiss it hello," discover its essence, all the ways you find joy in discovering and moving through the process of creation. Everyday take a small step, a few moments, just for your art, give yourself that gift. "If we knew our writing, [performance], or art project would meet with huge professional and financial success we would pick up pen, brush, or [audition] with great enthusiasm." Act as if, from this day forward as if the pursuance of your dreams will bring you great success.