Reclaiming lost dreams

I don't usually read self-help books, but Lisa recently lent me one after a conversation about how my creativity seems to work best when I stop trying to interfere in the process. It's The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, and it aims to help people discover or rediscover the artist within.

The book proposes a series of weekly tasks over the course of twelve weeks, underpinned by two 'rules'. Each week you have to take yourself on an artist's date (which basically means find the time to indulge your creative side) and every day (yes, that's every day) you have to write three full pages of longhand. It can be about anything at all, serious or complaining, silly or profound, but you must write these morning pages every day. It is also essential that you ignore any internal voice criticising what you do. For that reason, you shouldn't show your writing to anyone else.

The book has a vocabulary that I find uncomfortable, describing the universe as an artistic spirit that actively works to help us individually, but I gave it a go anyway, and I've discovered that I enjoy the meditative aspects of writing. I've only been doing it for just under two weeks, but already I'm finding some odd changes within me.

First and foremeost, I now remember a dream nearly every morning, which is something I very rarely do. I haven't yet worked out what to do with these dreams, but it still feels like I'm reclaiming something which I'm entitled to, and which left me feeling short-changed when I couldn't remember them. Secondly, I really do feel more creative. Although many of these ideas aren't good for one reason or another, that's not the point. If you don't have ideas, you're stuck. And if you're stuck, you feel awful.

So let's see where The Artist's Way takes me now...