Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly is The Artist’s Way?

It’s a 12-week creative recovery program by Julia Cameron, designed to help people reconnect with their creativity, confidence, and sense of possibility for creators of any kind.

It’s essentially a spiritual, practical, slightly woo-woo-but-also-weirdly-effective blueprint for getting unblocked.

The program includes:

• daily morning pages (three pages of handwritten journaling first thing in the morning)

• a weekly “artist date” (i.e. take yourself somewhere fun or novel)

• “homework exercises” from each chapter.

  Consistency is more important than perfection! I’d rather you do “Artist’s Way Lite” for 12 weeks than quit after two.

How big of a time commitment is The Artist’s Way?

Approximate weekly commitment:

• 20–30 minutes most mornings for morning pages

• 30–90 minutes to read + do exercises

• Up to 2 hours for your artist date

And again: imperfect participation still yields real benefits. to budget about 20-30 minutes each morning (or as many mornings as you can) for morning pages (handwritten journaling), 30-90 minutes per week to read the chapter of the week and to complete the suggested exercises, and two hours per week for your weekly “Artist Date.”

That seems like a lot of time. What if I can’t commit?

Embrace “Artist’s Way Lite.”

• Do one page instead of three of your morning pages.

• Complete two or three of the weekly exercises.

• Put “Artist Date” energy into your next dog walk or morning cup of coffee instead of a full-blown “date.”

Like anything, the more you put into it the more you’ll get out of it, but you’ll get plenty of creative juices flowing with a half-assed approach, I promise. Case in point, the first time I went through this program, I took 11 MONTHS and I still experienced enormous shifts. (See below)

Seriously, though, 13 weeks is a long time. Is it really worth it?

Only you can decide—but here’s what it did for me:

• I went from unanswered pitches to breaking into Runner’s World, Outside, and others.

• The day after I finished the last chapter, I was invited to be a regular contributor to The Washington Post Wellness section—without ever pitching them.

A friend who did it alongside me applied to an MFA program after shelving that dream for decades.

This sounds like a lot of writing. Do I have to be a writer to join?

No, not at all. Anyone who identifies as a creative (or wants to!); including visual artists, musicians, performing artists, singers, etc. are welcome.

What if I miss a meeting?
You are welcome to watch a recording.

What’s an Artist Date?

It’s a weekly “date” with your inner artist (you!). You don’t have to spend any money or do anything fancy; all that’s required is that you do something fun by yourself, whether that’s browsing at your favorite used bookstore, walking on a new-to-you trail, or people watching at your favorite coffee shop with a hot mocha.

The subtitle of the book is “a spiritual path to higher creativity.” Do I need to believe in God or religion to benefit from it?

No you don’t. That said, one of the tenets of the book is that there is a higher power, spirit, universe, or whatever you want to call it, that is rooting for our creativity. If that feels way too “woo” for you, this might not be a good fit. If you’re skeptical but open, you might be pleasantly surprised. (That was my—Pam’s—experience.)

If I could go through every chapter of this book on my own, what’s the point of spending money to do it in a group?

If you’re committed to going through the process, it’s super helpful to have a group to hold you accountable for completing at least the reading, some of the homework, and even one or two sessions of morning pages each week. Plus, as you come up with questions and begin to experience shifts, you will appreciate having a community who is going through the process with you to bounce things off of.

Sure, you can do it alone, but it’s more fun and motivating in a group.

Case in point: I started this book with a friend and did the first six chapters at the same time as a friend within about six weeks. Then she slowed down with it, our regular calls and texts about the book fell off our radar, and it took me more than six months to complete the second half of the book.

How Jewish do I need to be to join?

If you identify as Jewish, you’re in, hon. This is a pluralistic community; all denominations are welcome, as are unaffiliated Jews.

The full title of The Artist’s Way is “The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity.” Do I need to believe in God to participate?

No, you don’t. That said, if you’re not even a little bit open to the idea of a higher power or divine presence, you might struggle to embrace some of the concepts of the book.

Are we going to talk about politics in this group?

Not in a debate-style way.

We’ll focus on reflecting on our creative blocks, wins, and processes. While we won’t be debating politics in this group, we also recognize that our feelings about the current political climate—and our overlapping identities (ethnic, religious, political, and otherwise)—can impact our creative lives. When politics naturally intersect with creativity, members are free to share their experiences, with the expectation that others will listen with respect.

Did ChatGPT help you write this?

A little. I created the draft and I let Chat help me polish it a bit and check for typos.

I promise you the conviction that we need to create community and art and the em dashes are all mine.