Living the Artist's Way

October 30, 2023
In this meditative guide, Cameron (Write for Life) adds the practice of “writing for guidance” to the creative program first outlined in her bestselling The Artist’s Way. By writing out a request for guidance (“What should I write about next?” is a frequent query of Cameron’s, though readers can tackle “any topic”) and answering it on the page, one can tap into a force that’s both deeply personal and greater than themselves, according to the author: “There is something in the act of writing that renders the guidance we receive somehow more ‘real’... our hand is an instrument in the hand of God.” Outlining a six-week lesson plan, Cameron details how writing for guidance can help readers quell anxiety, “slow down” amid life’s stressors, and surrender control. Interspersed throughout are personal anecdotes and conversations with the author’s many friends (almost all of whom write “morning pages,” a practice Cameron delineated in her original program) that illustrate how such guidance can be sought out, received, and used. In one case, asking and answering a series of requests on the page soothed Cameron’s nerves as she waited for feedback from her editor; elsewhere, a friend shares how “writing opens up to hear guidance.” Cameron’s lovely prose is grounded in a keen awareness of her inner and outer worlds, which are described so vividly that the reader comes to feel like one of her many “intimates.” Artists and others looking to tap into their intuition will find plenty of wisdom here.