The Artist's Way or Unleashing your Creativity

In November, I will be giving a sermon at Walker Church on the topic of the link between creativity and spirituality. Back in the 1990s, I read a wonderful book by Julia Cameron called The Artist's Way. In her book, Julia shows blocked and aspiring artists how to tap into their creativity, be it painting, music, songwriting, writing, storytelling, movie making, dancing, acting, etc. She herself is a film maker who has written screen plays and directed films. Julia also provides a great number of exercises to promote the creative process. According to her: "Creativy is our true nature, that blocks are an unnatural thwarting of a process at once normal and as miraculous as the blossoming of a flower at the end of a slender stem. I have found this process of making spiritual contact to be both simple and straight forward."

At the time, I read Cameron's book, I was blocked as an artist. So, I did the exercises she mapped out which helped me recover vital parts of myself such as a sense of identity, empowerment, and abundance. She provided me with a number of tools to unleash my creative potential. The two main ones are called The Morning Pages and The Artist's Date. The Morning Pages involves writing down freely whatever pops into your mind for ten minutes or three pages. This writing is to be spontaneous and uncensored, and is intended to counter our inner critic. The second technique is called The Artist's Date. Here we are to set aside an hour or two each week to open ourselves up to our inner creative child. This time would be spent alone at a quiet place like a coffeeshop, or library, or other environment where there are no distractions. At the time I read The Artist's Way, I spent an entire year using these tools, and found the process to be very helpful.

At the time I first stumbled upon Cameron's book, my creativity was blocked in many ways. Although I was already writing some songs, telling stories, and playing music at various Open Mics, I didn't think of myself as an artist. Although I fantasized about finding a regular coffeehouse to play my own music at, and a way to record my own songs, I lacked the confidence to act on those dreams. I wasn't able to write freely because the creative process was blocked by an unforgiving inner critic. This was due in large part to my previous conditioning and upbringing.

Fortunately, I found a creative community of artists at Walker Church who provided me with a nurturing community to thrive in. There, I got to know artists of all stripes, including musicians, writers, poets, theater people, dancers, and puppeteers. There, I found a safe place to express myself through music, writing, acting, and storytelling. I was able to join in their Sunday morning pick-up band where I could play my autoharp, guitar, harmonica, tin whistle, and other instruments every Sunday morning. By hosting a monthly Open Stage for twenty years, I not only got a regular chance to try out my own music and songs, but I met all kinds of other artists.

Besides attending Walker Church, I also began seeing a therapist who encouraged me to see myself as an artist. At the beginning of our therapy sessions, he would often ask me if I was playing any gigs that week. He was a good role model and mentor for me because he himself liked to play guitar and sing songs. And one of his sons played in a country band called Trailer Trash. His encouragment helped me counter many of the negative messages I had received earlier in my life. As I began to grow in confidence, I started to realize many of my creative dreams. I recorded twelve CDs of original songs. I found a couple of regular coffeehouses to play music at. I found a singing partner with whom to sing my own songs. I joined several Minneapolis storytelling groups, one of which eventually met at Walker Church. I wrote a play that was produced at a Minnesota Fringe Festival. I acted in several Walker Church pageants. I wrote a play for one Walker Christmas pageant. I exhibited some of my drawings and sketches at the Walker Art Fair. I even managed to publish three memoirs. So, now I not only feel that I'm living out many of my dreams, but I finally see myself as an artist in the widest sense of the term. And my spiritual journey has meshed with my creative one.