The Artist's Way: Week Four
The Practise: Episode 2
Hello and welcome back to The Practise, a series where I work through different programs designed to improve creativity.
This article is episode two of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.
In this issue I’ll be going over Weeks 2, 3 and 4 of the Artist Way!
A quick reminder on the structure of this series:
Episode 1 - The Artists Way: Week 1
Episode 2: The Artists Way: Week 4 Check in
Episode 3: The Artists Way: Week 9 Check in
Episode 4: The Artist’s Way: Week 12 Check in.
Without further ado, let’s jump in : )
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Week Two: Recovering a Sense of Identity
Tasks: Completed
Overview:
This week was all about protecting your space from people and thoughts that might get in the way of your creative desires. A lot of the tasks ask you to figure out who specifically in your life might be blocking you. Cameron calls these people “Crazymakers”.
Crazymakers could also be in memories that have stayed with you since you were a child. Somewhere along the way you’ve internalised whatever they said about you and constructed it as a prison where you place your art.
Favourite quote:
“You will learn that it is actually easier to write than not write, paint than not paint and so forth”
Painting:
Attempted to continue x2 paintings this week and absolutely failed, nothing went the way I wanted to. It was just one of those weeks.
A couple of months ago, I found that my local library is having a mini art competition, for a small painting on a mini canvas - I tried to paint something small this week but the artist block was completely immovable. I’m taking this to mean the process is working?
Writing: 32,000k / 100,000k
Only a thousand words this week, a bit of a slow week but I’m still taking it as a win. I think because I’ve been writing more than I’ve been painting, it comes a bit more quickly to me, or I’ve stayed consistent enough that writer’s block is just something that’s easier for me to work through.
Morning Pages:
7/7 pages done this week, a step up from last week. I am not a morning person, however this week I found myself actually writing the pages in the morning. It was still hard to fill out the third page, but yet to find it tiresome or rewarding.
Artist Date: The Nutcracker Ballet
A step up from last week - went to opening night of the Australian Ballet, as they begin their National Tour. I haven’t been to the ballet before and I think I’m a fan. Act I was a couple of contemporary dances and Act II was the second act of The Nutcracker. Though I had a limited knowledge of the Nutcracker story beforehand, the story was easy enough to follow and it was very interesting to consume content I hadn’t before.
It was also nice to dress up and go by myself. I’ve been to quite a lot of musicals and theatre shows, (Favourite: Hamilton and Phantom of the Opera) but this was my first Ballet. I do know that Dracula is coming to Melbourne later in this year so potentially another Artist Date for that!
Week Three: Recovering a Sense of Power
Tasks: Completed
Overview:
Somehow, this book is predicting exactly what has happened the week previously. I haven’t skimmed through the book before starting this journey, and there’s been a repeating instance of a specific action or thought the week before cropping up in the text. It’s quite eerie.
Although I’m not seeing a rise in how creative I’m being per say, I do feel a sense of unwinding - like I’m tackling deep rooted issues first before I can start being creative again.
Favourite Quotes:
“Anger is meant to be respected. Anger shows us what our boundaries are”
“Sloth, apathy and despair are the enemy. Anger is not. Anger is our friend. Not a nice friend. Not a gentle friend. But a very very loyal friend”
Painting:
Again, another painter’s block week! Though not for lack of trying I might add. The weekend mostly consisted of painting over and over a painting, including multiple re-coats that the canvas is looking a little worse for wear.. Despite much concentrated effort, the best thing I could end up with was blacking out the canvas and giving it a rest.
Writing: 40,000k / 100,000k
8k this week which I am much more happy about! In my dream productive week I do around 10k a week, but I take it as a win when I return to my manuscript consistently. I find it quite hard to continue with writing when I’ve had more than two days break.
For context, whilst I’m in the editing depths of my first manuscript, I’ve been working on the first draft of my second. My goal is to reach 100k until I move into editing and draft 2. I think draft 2 will be around 120 - 130k.
Morning Pages: 7/7
I came into my stride with my morning pages this week, started writing some random book ideas - rambling prose style and ended up filling up my three pages each day quite quickly. A huge difference from last week.
Artist Date: Aimless driving around my neighbourhood
This week was quite hectic and socially draining, so a good half an hour in my car driving around on a calm Sunday evening was just what was needed. Quite a step down from going to the Ballet from last week, but I think that the point of an Artist Date is to fuel yourself and this week, my inner child needed to just relax and cruise through familiar streets.
Week Four: Recovering a Sense of Integrity
Tasks: Completed
Overview:
Last week I went through my wardrobe and packed a lot of boxes to donate clothes to an Op shop. I didn’t think much of it until this week’s text, which said that had probably happened by now. It is like this book is following my thoughts. It’s the spiritual creative version of House of Leaves. There have been multiple instances where something will happen, or I’ll have a string of thoughts that I’d put in my morning pages, only to read the text for the next week and have my past actions described to me in a casual accuracy.
This week also had one of the hardest tasks so far - no reading. I was quite annoyed at that, especially since I like to listen to audiobooks while painting. Put me in a terrible mood most of the week, looking forward to breaking my fast next week!
Favourite Quote:
“Until we experience the freedom of solitude, we cannot connect authentically”
Painting:
After a week break I finally sat down and completed my dog painting! I do think it has some final touches, but after hours re-doing the face, I’m quite happy with it. I’m also realising that it’s the biggest painting I’ve done so far, so I think for the next painting I’ll opt for an even bigger canvas. This painting is also a present - I tend to do paintings and give it to others, so a personal goal I’m setting is to make paintings to put in my house. Right now my painting space looks a little boring.
Quite happy with how it turned out!
Writing: 45,000k / 100,000k
Approaching the halfway mark! Only 5k completed this week, but a lot of plot and character development. I ended up getting rid of two chapters as well, but I think the end goal will still be 100,00k.
By quick maths, I think I can get to 100,000k by the end of Week 12. That is now an official goal of the Artist Way! We’ll see where I end up, but I’m feeling good about that goal.
Morning Pages: 7/7
Again, morning pages came quite easy this week. A lot of social things happened this week, so rambling quickly turned into a gossip session, which was quite rewarding. However, by the end of the week it was hitting me that I’ve been doing this for almost a month and I’ve still got two more to go. I am halfway through my notebook!
Artist Date: Shopping at a big outlet
Ventured out away from the usual shopping centre and went to a big outlet mall a 40ish minute commute away from home. I had a free Friday so it was quite good to stroll around a semi - empty building and explore shopping. I did have one errand, which was to buy my friend a birthday present, but I ended up buying a calendar, small pocket notebook and a boardgame for myself! I’ve been looking for a pocket notebook for a while, to doodle on train rides and in between moments rather than go on my phone, and Dymocks provided. 7mm lined.
Final Thoughts:
If I remember correctly, I was quite skeptical during Week 1.
I am not anymore. I think this book is very well structured. Over the past couple of weeks it has accurately predicted my reactions to the tasks. I also think that I picked up the Artists Way at the right time in my life - I’m in a position to look inward and diagnose the way I am and my habits.
At first glance, it doesn’t seem like I’m making progress in my creativity, but small actions have been taken that are all adding up, I sorted out my painting supplies, and I reorganised the desk where I paint. Mornings become much easier to wake up to when I have the buffer of 3 pages of prose before I start the day. My wardrobe is cleaner, I’m making an effort to paint for myself. I think about my manuscript more often. I don’t agonise about buying new paint if I need it. Mentally I’m quite all over the place, I think I’ve made quite an improvement - and I’m not even halfway through the book.
So far, I haven’t encountered any advice that isn’t specific to a certain demographic. There are still a lot of references to religion and ‘God’ but not so much that it takes away from the tasks or advice in the book. I would say that this book starts by looking at the bigger picture, there are no instructions on dedication of craft or ‘you must write for 30 minutes every day’ it just positions you to think about your craft and your actions in the in-between moments of each day. Which I think is immeasurably helpful.
I also think that if you’re in a position where you need to heal from something mentally draining, doing the Artist Way could be a light hearted way of figuring out how that affected you. I think Morning Pages have a use outside of creativity and even if you don’t consider yourself a creative person, it could be really helpful to get all your thoughts on a page. There’s something cathartic about putting pen to paper and then never re-reading what you’ve written.
After a couple weeks of doing the Artist Way I now have a list of goals!
100,000k words in my manuscript by the end of Week 12 AKA finish Draft 1
Making paintings with the intent of keeping them, rather than making them for someone else.
Feeling good about my progress. See you again for the next issue of The Practise ~ coming out next month, for a Week 8 update - and as always, be kind to yourself!
Catch you later,
Kaye
Ready for more?
Read the last issue of The Practise: The Artist’s Way: Week One
Read the newest issue of The RoundUp: How do you fall back in love with your craft?
Read the newest issue of The DeepDive: The World Needs What You Make
Read the newest issue of Futureative Favourites: July 2026 Edition
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