by Julia Cameron

EDITOR’S NOTE: Many writers know (and revere) Julia Cameron for her opus The Artist’s Way, which 30 years ago introduced the practice of “morning pages” and other life-changing techniques embraced by creative souls everywhere. We at Career Authors got an early peek at her latest, Seeking Wisdom: A Spiritual Path to Creative Connection (new in January 2022), and were especially taken by the tools she offers for artists of all faiths to use in their ongoing struggles to create during a crisis—whether a personal loss or hardship or a raging worldwide pandemic.

It’s our pleasure to share with you three of our favorites, excerpted with permission from Julia Cameron and St. Martin’s Press.

Try This (Exercising Patience):

We are all, sometimes, impatient. Sometimes it is with ourselves. Sometimes it is with other people. Sometimes it is with God. At the core of impatience is fear—fear that we won’t get enough, that we won’t get what we deserve soon enough or often enough. We can use love for our inner artist to cure its fear. Quickly fill in the following sentences:

If it wasn’t too late, I’d try . . .

If it wasn’t too late, I’d try . . .

If it wasn’t too late, I’d try . . .

If it wasn’t too late, I’d try . . .

If it wasn’t too late, I’d try . . .

 

If I had no fear, I’d make . . .

If I had no fear, I’d make . . .

If I had no fear, I’d make . . .

If I had no fear, I’d make . . .

If I had no fear, I’d make . . .

Try This (Releasing Worry):

Take pen to page and bring to mind a time when your worry was unfounded. It is human nature to worry sometimes, and especially when we cannot find the answers we seek, our imagination can run wild while we wait for clarity to arrive. Fill in the following sentences:

I remember when I was so worried about_______.

I had an instinct that _______.

I turned out to be right about _______.

I turned out to be wrong about _______.

When everything turned out to be okay, I felt _______.

 

Now: What are you currently worrying about? What does your guidance have to say about it? Fill in the following:

Right now, my biggest worry is_______.

I am afraid that _______.

What I am really afraid of is _______.

When I ask for guidance, I hear _______.

An action I can take based on my guidance is_______.

A time when my guidance was right was when . . .

Try This (Mirroring Belief):

As artists, we need “Believing Mirrors” in our lives—those who mirror us back to ourselves as large, competent, and exciting. Our big dreams sound right-sized to them. They assume we can achieve them because they believe in us. One of our chief needs as creative beings is support—and support, when we find it, is truly a godsend.

List five Godsends in your life, past or present:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Choose one person from the list. Can you reach out to them now and thank them for their help? Can you be inspired by them to be a godsend for someone else?

 

 

From Seeking Wisdom by Julia Cameron. Copyright (c) 2022 by the author, and reprinted with permission of St. Martin’s Publishing Group. Learn more about the book and preorder here.