Laura

February 2018:
YEP. This book is basically The Life-Changing Magic of Nurturing Your Inner Artist. I didn't ‘do' the course in the same way that I didn't ‘do' the decluttering process prescribed by Marie Kondo, but I still got so much out of this book. The exercises (“tasks”) are great and so are the pep talks. I don't care that it comes across as a little woo-woo. If you're not willing to tolerate a little woo-woo, I don't know how you can be creative. Creating things is magic – I don't know how else to explain it. But I get it if the tone isn't for you.

I loved that so much of this book is about self-care, just packaged in a somewhat dated style. It would be so interesting to see this book reframed from a feminist millennial perspective. Same concepts with a tone and examples more suited to our current times. A Call Your Girlfriend or Two Bossy Dames or Forever 35 version of The Artist's Way would be amazing.

I started taking this book a bit more seriously than I had initially because I really like The Artist's Way Everyday, which I did not finish. I wrote about it on my blog.

November 2017:
Trying this again. Might be the right time, this time.

August 2012:
I wasn't planning on “doing” the book but now I can't even face reading it. The first few chapters were enough for me. I will try reading it again another time but now is not that time.

This book contains some utter bullshit, but on the whole it made me feel invigorated and inspired.

“Turns out the real reason for growing up was to learn what to do with suffering. Not being surprised was the answer. What else do you want to know?”
(from “Powers”)

“I think if you read a poem, then forget you've read it, and then much later you read it again, it really does get better.” (From “Stop Thinking & End Your Problems”)

Feeling Small

“Of course, it is in some situations harder to be willing to feel small or unimportant. It is harder to be willing to feel small in relation to family members than in relation to the universe and to eternity.  It is hard to feel small and still feel strong, and good. 

“You have to come full circle. You may start out in your life feeling small, and bad. Then you learn to feel larger, and good. Then you learn to feel smaller again, and still good.”

Ugly?

“I'm not sure if this lamp here in this shop is ugly. 

“It may be ugly, but it may simply be unusual, colorful and strange.  On the other hand, everything else in this shop is ugly. 

“So the lamp is probably ugly too.”