Review by Booklist Review
Since The Artist's Way (1992), Cameron has become a one-woman industry of aids to creativity, not unlike Martha Stewart guiding us to gracious living. Both adhere to the "do this each and every day" approach, both eagerly dispense prescriptions, and both are, to their respective constituencies, immensely popular. In her last book, Walking in This World (2002), Cameron provided techniques and exercises to help readers connect with the artiste naif within. Building on her precept that "there is room for art in any life we have," Cameron even brings the dark night of the soul--that philosophical/spiritual/religious/artistic crisis of faith that truth seekers and artists from St. John of the Cross to F. Scott Fitzgerald have grappled with for centuries--under her scrutiny. When potential artists face emptiness within, discouragement can all too readily verge on despair, keeping us from finding the strength and courage to create. Cameron's empowering exercises may lead to greater self-knowledge and, perhaps, if practiced regularly and with devotion, even to soul-deep consciousness. --Whitney Scott Copyright 2003 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Best known as the coauthor of The Artist's Way, creativity guru Cameron now offers a series of personal essays and exercises about working through creative droughts. She emphasizes the importance of acknowledging artist's blocks as a part of the creative process, but also "soldiering through" by continuing to show up "at the typewriter or the easel." In each essay, she invokes her own struggles to make time for creative work and avoid the traps set by the "inner censor." In "Getting at It," she writes that "[w]aiting for art to be easy, we make it hard. We take our emotional temperature and find ourselves below normal, lacking in resolve.... The truth is that getting at it makes it easier. Every day we write creates a habit of writing in us." In the exercise that follows, Cameron suggests that readers list five ways in which they have inched forward in a given day. Some pieces of advice are likely to resonate more with readers than others-and the author's straightforward message can seem one-note at times. But for novice artists looking for encouragement in an uninspired period, this volume could do the trick. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
At one time or another, all artists face an upsetting emptiness, be it a blank canvas, notepad, or computer screen. To help budding and established creative types cope, Cameron (The Artist's Way; The Right To Write) offers a series of personal essays, each followed by exercises designed to empathize with and nudge readers. As in her earlier books, she recommends three activities from her "Artist's Toolbox": "Morning Pages," writing about something-anything-every morning; "Artist Dates," taking a festive, soul-enhancing outing every week; and "Walks," taking a walk every day to awaken intuition, discover oneself, and access intuition. To help with "Morning Pages," she also provides exercises that illuminate one's thinking, e.g., making lists of items indicative of success and instances when the reader has shown persistence. Cameron's biggest asset is that she speaks from experience; she is an artist who has struggled, who still struggles, and who gets through. And she has some well-tested ideas for doing just that. Recommended for public and academic libraries.-Deborah Bigelow, Leonia P.L., NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
