Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Reconnect With Your Creativity
This book was a big step in reconnecting to my passion for playing the piano. I followed the steps from doing the morning pages to taking the many baby steps to reach a goal whether it be learning a new piece or playing a recital. I learned about the pitfalls to creativity which included self-judgment and being around people who didn't support me whether they were negative in their comments or crazy-making. A lot of the book relates to the thought processes we have developed in the past that hamper our creativity. Also I learned to "keep going"!Another book I have read which I found incredibly helpful in all areas of my life, whether it be in relationship with my husband or others, or in day to day existence is "Working on Yourself Doesn't Work" by Ariel and Shya Kane. I feel readers would find this book valuable as it describes how being in the moment (not being swept up in the past or the future) can enhance your life and also your creativity. The concepts the Kane's present greatly enhanced my creative output and also my joy in playing and being myself.
Rating: - Life-affirming beyond one's expectations
I think a perfect way to say how valuable this book is would beto share a story of what I did once while following it's advice: whilebitterly angry at someone with whom I was involved, I began writing in my journal all of my feelings, all of my pains, all of the most vituperative things I could think of... and within about half an hour it began turning into a children's story, putting the entire conflict that inspired it into a parable/metaphor, worthy of being published! Not to mention that by the time I picked up the phone later that morning to talk to the one I so deeply cared about but was enraged with, the anger was gone and the love returned, as if the vacuum Nature abhors was filled with love without my control.This book is a treasure that goes deeper and beyond most if not all of the new thinker's books written in the past several years (if not decades) in the areas of spirituality, psychology and creativity. While so many wax poetically (or try to) on the religious and social constructs that have been at the foundation of everyone's life, Julia Cameron speaks from the point of view of the Creative Force, beuatiful in its unknowability...that is at the center of it all- all of our world, all of our art- all of our lives. What this book can do for artists and writers surpasses even that which Nietzsche made possible with his aphorisms in HUMAN, ALL TOO HUMAN on "The Soul of Artists and Writers." To put all the pain of an artist- in fact, of human existence in total really- in terms of being blocked creatively is in and of itself remarkable. .... The Miles Davis quote is worth the price of the book all by itself: "Do not fear mistakes. There are none."
Rating:  - Good Message
This is one of those books that finds it's ways into the nooks and crannies of your life, and one day you just break down and buy it to see why it keeps popping up. It's been reccomended to me by a teacher, a musician, and another musician - all three of them songwriters, one a graphic artist, and only one making a living at what they do (the teacher). I'm a writer, musician, and beginning songwriter, not to mention business professional, and a human being on planet Earth.I'd seen this book dozens of times in bookstores (I spend lots of time in bookstores) but never picked it up. I went into it thinking it would be silly, but I was surprised. The Morning Pages & Artist's Dates were sound advice. Something I'd been doing for years, even though I had no name for it. I write all the time (especially commuting to and from work), and do plenty of stuff that would qualify as "artist's dates". I firmly believe that if you want to do something, just do it, don't think about it, don't analyze the best way into it, just do it. As I got deeper into the book, I felt it... how can i say this. I felt it stopped taking itself seriously. It seemed like Julia Cameron gave you great tools for beginning the journey, but as she was showing you the map, she glossed over parts. So she gives you the keys to the car, points out in vague terms the destination, and really glosses over the key sightseeing parts and stumbling blocks along the way. Maybe this is done on purpose (so we each find our own path), I don't know. I just felt like, the two key points of this book were: 1) Write for 45 minutes a day, in the morning. Write about anything, just keep your pen moving across the page (very Natalie Goldberg-esque advice) 2) Do something interesting, by yourself, once a week. This way you have new, fresh imagery for your art (prevents you from falling into a 'rut') That's the car, the keys, and the map. No get out there and do it! Oh, and the section on Crazy Makers was great. How true, how true. I was, and now see in the world, people who flock to artistic types so they can feel more artistic. I also see artistic types who enjoy the attention of a flock. I'm not sure it's healthy for either one of them. They both need to learn something about independance and self esteem. I also reccomend: (on life) o Anatomy of the Spirit by Carolyn Myss o After the Ectacy the Laundry by Jack Kornfield o the Path of Least Resistance by Robert Fritz o On the Road by Jack Kerouac on writing: o Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life by Natalie Goldberg o the Passionate Accurate Story by Carol Bly o the Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri o Stein on Writing by Sol Stein on music: o Writing Music for Hit Songs by Jai Josefs o Tunesmith by Jimmy Webb o Songwriters on Songwriting by Paul Zollo want to talk more? e-mail me at fourstrings@mailandnews.com
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