So interesting to read your reflections on The Artists Way and the other comments shared here. I did it in 2019, but as a facilitated course with a small group (like an evening class). We met for a couple of hours each week, did some simple and very fun creative exercises together, and reflected on our experiences of the morning pages, artists dates and exercises each week. I think we did it over 10 weeks instead of the full 12.
I really loved it, and found that the group dimension added a lot (it helped that we had a really great facilitator). I didn’t have a regular creative practice at a time, and signed up quite randomly as a way to ‘do something creative’, and it really helped me recognise, uncover and connect to creative parts of myself - a process I have continued to explore in different ways ever since.
For me, the structure and daily/weekly practices were really supportive during a somewhat turbulent time in my own life, and the course overall helped me find some new directions at a time I needed to. The artist’s dates took me out of my ordinary routines but in really nourishing ways (one of them was getting a pedicure!). I started off with the intention of doing morning pages on ‘most’ days, knowing that I can be a bit too much of a stickler for rules at times, but after a few weeks I found myself wanting to do them each day.
I can also totally understand why the course won’t be for everyone, and it might not have felt so supportive if I had tried in a different way or at a different time in my life. The overall message I took from it is that everyone has creativity within them, and to trust our instincts and processes in engaging with that creativity (and in life). That continues to be a really influential message for me.
Thank you for sharing your experience and opening up this space for others to share too!
Another dropout here. I tried it in 2019 and quit after week 3 or 4, I think. I love structures and containers that are flexible enough for me not to feel caged. I fell into the trap of wanting to do the whole program week by week. Probably, it would've gone differently if I had allowed myself to practice just the exercises that felt most inspiring. I loved the morning pages, though. I still write them sometimes, just not always in the morning.
This comment is making me think about how the container might be expanded—do the morning pages or not, but spread out the exercises and artist dates over the course of a month instead of a week, perhaps. Already that feels more spacious to me and less rigid. Also support trying out a different time for morning pages! Have you found that the afternoons or evenings work better?
The idea of spreading out the exercises is brilliant! As for the morning pages, what works for me is noticing if and when I need them, so the time is determined by that. Mornings usually work best for me, but the afternoon right after lunch is not bad. I tend to forget about them in the evening instead.
Thank you Nicole for your honest words! My copy of The Artists Way sits on my bookshelf and stares me down with the hope that I'll eventually finish the program. But honestly, I don't think that day will ever come. I wanted to stick with it, but I'm not much of a rules gal, especially when it comes to my work and writing life. My days are so unpredictable that I find writing morning pages challenging. And when I missed a day, or two, or three, I felt like a failure. So I tucked the book away just in case someone needs a copy.
Also a dropout. It was too rigidly ruled for me. I felt like I kept failing myself and that I'd never be a writer if I couldn't commit to the exercises etc. Lovely-ish idea but my perfectionist all-or-nothing personality did not like it at all. Ack, I can feel the old anxiety rising as I write this 😫
The rules seem to be a real sticking point for people. It's a lot to keep up with for 12 weeks, and like you said, a perfectionist mindset starts interpreting missing tasks as a failure. It's so good to know what doesn't work for us!
I did the Artist's Way in 2022 on my own with a copy I ordered online. I have always struggled with lack of commitment to myself and all my creative projects as unimportant compared with keeping up with my duties and obligations to others and the external world. (Which I failed at regularly) and not a religious person.
So I started doing the pages on a New Moon, began treating my inner life as real life, began being kind to my inner child (Nicole's Yoga Nidras helped :) ) and did exactly half of all the exercises each week whether I 'liked' them or not, and discovered that the commitment to the pages and dates really anchored me to my inner self, and actually allowed me to be more generous with externals without any resentment. I'm currently on day 648 of morning pages - and they have morphed into my own version with me... not 3 pages, sometimes only half a page, 1 or 2 pages, but rarely 3 pages now. I have observed my own inner growth through those pages - akin to journaling I guess, but I do keep a separate journal as well. I've worked more constructively on my own art and writing than I ever did before, but YES, if you took all the 'rules' to heart and thought you had to become a 'believer' or something to use them then I think the point of the pages has been missed. But personally, I have used them to mature and develop a true commitment to my inner artist (child), heal a LOT of wounding and feel like a whole being. So, while they aren't perfect - they are useful!
"Began treating my inner life as real life..." That's so beautiful, Samantha! I also love this example because while the program doesn't work for some, it sounds like you've found a way to integrate some of the practices in a way that's really supportive. Thanks so much for sharing!
I first did the Artist’s Way back when I was in my 20s, working in corporate land and needing a creative outlet. I never could sustain morning pages. It didn’t suit me. And I wasn’t really into artist’s dates either. But I read the whole program and did some reflecting and it certainly helped me back then. Now I feel like I’ve got my own journalling process so I don’t need morning pages and I do go on a slow, meditative walk once a week in nature, which maybe you could class as an artist’s date - but I don’t because it feels more holistically calming, grounding and nourishing to my whole system rather than simply being about my creativity. I think it’s worth a read but it’s certainly not necessary to follow along prescriptively.
Morning Pages seem like a love it or hate it situation, ha! So great that you know what works for you in this life season, and can draw on that intuition for your own journaling and movement practices.
I’m also an Artist’s Way drop out. It was too rules-heavy and rigid for me. Before kids I️ took classes and joined writing groups. When my kids were young I️ wrote whenever I️ could, wherever I️ could. They are young adults now and I️ am reclaiming writing — 1 generative writing group every week, soon adding another. This keeps me accountable as I️ create a practice of my own.
I definitely relate to writing whenever I could, wherever I could! Love to hear how you're reclaiming writing in a new season, and your group sounds really supportive.
So interesting to read your reflections on The Artists Way and the other comments shared here. I did it in 2019, but as a facilitated course with a small group (like an evening class). We met for a couple of hours each week, did some simple and very fun creative exercises together, and reflected on our experiences of the morning pages, artists dates and exercises each week. I think we did it over 10 weeks instead of the full 12.
I really loved it, and found that the group dimension added a lot (it helped that we had a really great facilitator). I didn’t have a regular creative practice at a time, and signed up quite randomly as a way to ‘do something creative’, and it really helped me recognise, uncover and connect to creative parts of myself - a process I have continued to explore in different ways ever since.
For me, the structure and daily/weekly practices were really supportive during a somewhat turbulent time in my own life, and the course overall helped me find some new directions at a time I needed to. The artist’s dates took me out of my ordinary routines but in really nourishing ways (one of them was getting a pedicure!). I started off with the intention of doing morning pages on ‘most’ days, knowing that I can be a bit too much of a stickler for rules at times, but after a few weeks I found myself wanting to do them each day.
I can also totally understand why the course won’t be for everyone, and it might not have felt so supportive if I had tried in a different way or at a different time in my life. The overall message I took from it is that everyone has creativity within them, and to trust our instincts and processes in engaging with that creativity (and in life). That continues to be a really influential message for me.
Thank you for sharing your experience and opening up this space for others to share too!
Another dropout here. I tried it in 2019 and quit after week 3 or 4, I think. I love structures and containers that are flexible enough for me not to feel caged. I fell into the trap of wanting to do the whole program week by week. Probably, it would've gone differently if I had allowed myself to practice just the exercises that felt most inspiring. I loved the morning pages, though. I still write them sometimes, just not always in the morning.
This comment is making me think about how the container might be expanded—do the morning pages or not, but spread out the exercises and artist dates over the course of a month instead of a week, perhaps. Already that feels more spacious to me and less rigid. Also support trying out a different time for morning pages! Have you found that the afternoons or evenings work better?
The idea of spreading out the exercises is brilliant! As for the morning pages, what works for me is noticing if and when I need them, so the time is determined by that. Mornings usually work best for me, but the afternoon right after lunch is not bad. I tend to forget about them in the evening instead.
Thank you Nicole for your honest words! My copy of The Artists Way sits on my bookshelf and stares me down with the hope that I'll eventually finish the program. But honestly, I don't think that day will ever come. I wanted to stick with it, but I'm not much of a rules gal, especially when it comes to my work and writing life. My days are so unpredictable that I find writing morning pages challenging. And when I missed a day, or two, or three, I felt like a failure. So I tucked the book away just in case someone needs a copy.
Scheduling can be a real issue, right? Morning pages sound lovely in theory but for so many it's just not a realistic way to start the day.
Also a dropout. It was too rigidly ruled for me. I felt like I kept failing myself and that I'd never be a writer if I couldn't commit to the exercises etc. Lovely-ish idea but my perfectionist all-or-nothing personality did not like it at all. Ack, I can feel the old anxiety rising as I write this 😫
The rules seem to be a real sticking point for people. It's a lot to keep up with for 12 weeks, and like you said, a perfectionist mindset starts interpreting missing tasks as a failure. It's so good to know what doesn't work for us!
I did the Artist's Way in 2022 on my own with a copy I ordered online. I have always struggled with lack of commitment to myself and all my creative projects as unimportant compared with keeping up with my duties and obligations to others and the external world. (Which I failed at regularly) and not a religious person.
So I started doing the pages on a New Moon, began treating my inner life as real life, began being kind to my inner child (Nicole's Yoga Nidras helped :) ) and did exactly half of all the exercises each week whether I 'liked' them or not, and discovered that the commitment to the pages and dates really anchored me to my inner self, and actually allowed me to be more generous with externals without any resentment. I'm currently on day 648 of morning pages - and they have morphed into my own version with me... not 3 pages, sometimes only half a page, 1 or 2 pages, but rarely 3 pages now. I have observed my own inner growth through those pages - akin to journaling I guess, but I do keep a separate journal as well. I've worked more constructively on my own art and writing than I ever did before, but YES, if you took all the 'rules' to heart and thought you had to become a 'believer' or something to use them then I think the point of the pages has been missed. But personally, I have used them to mature and develop a true commitment to my inner artist (child), heal a LOT of wounding and feel like a whole being. So, while they aren't perfect - they are useful!
"Began treating my inner life as real life..." That's so beautiful, Samantha! I also love this example because while the program doesn't work for some, it sounds like you've found a way to integrate some of the practices in a way that's really supportive. Thanks so much for sharing!
I first did the Artist’s Way back when I was in my 20s, working in corporate land and needing a creative outlet. I never could sustain morning pages. It didn’t suit me. And I wasn’t really into artist’s dates either. But I read the whole program and did some reflecting and it certainly helped me back then. Now I feel like I’ve got my own journalling process so I don’t need morning pages and I do go on a slow, meditative walk once a week in nature, which maybe you could class as an artist’s date - but I don’t because it feels more holistically calming, grounding and nourishing to my whole system rather than simply being about my creativity. I think it’s worth a read but it’s certainly not necessary to follow along prescriptively.
Morning Pages seem like a love it or hate it situation, ha! So great that you know what works for you in this life season, and can draw on that intuition for your own journaling and movement practices.
I’m also an Artist’s Way drop out. It was too rules-heavy and rigid for me. Before kids I️ took classes and joined writing groups. When my kids were young I️ wrote whenever I️ could, wherever I️ could. They are young adults now and I️ am reclaiming writing — 1 generative writing group every week, soon adding another. This keeps me accountable as I️ create a practice of my own.
I definitely relate to writing whenever I could, wherever I could! Love to hear how you're reclaiming writing in a new season, and your group sounds really supportive.