Blast Through Your Creative Blocks with Julia Cameron

[00:00:01] The following podcast is part of the Mind Body Spirit.fm podcast network. This episode is sponsored by Unity.org. Ready to let go of what's weighing on your heart? Our Forgiveness Workbook from Spirituality and Health offers a supportive path to release resentment and rediscover inner freedom. Get your copy today at Go.Unity.org forward slash forgiveness.

[00:00:32] Explore modern spirituality, creativity, and self-development. Delve into the intersection of metaphysics and science through great conversations. Where do you find your truth? It's a big universe. Hi everybody, I'm Jim Lefter. I'm so excited to have you here on Big Universe, the Big Universe podcast. I am your host. I'm a spiritual journeyman type guy, media producer.

[00:00:58] Just a quick mention, check out our website at BigUniversePodcast.com and please subscribe to the podcast. Tell every single person you know. That would be very helpful. And make sure you take a listen to all the podcasts on MindBodySpirit.fm Okay, so my guest today holds the record for the number of appearances on Big Universe and I may force her to become a co-host at some point. I don't know.

[00:01:25] I'm really honored that she's here again today with her latest book. Julia Cameron is credited with starting a movement in 1992 that's brought creativity into the mainstream conversation in the arts, in business, and in everyday life. She's the best-selling author of more than 40 books, fiction and non-fiction, a poet, songwriter, filmmaker, and playwright. Commonly referred to as the godmother of creativity, her book series,

[00:01:51] starting with the classic The Artist's Way, has sold over 5 million copies to date. Julia's latest book is Blasting Through Blocks, an artist's way guide to unleashing your creativity. And as always, you can find her at JuliaCameronLive.com Julia, it's so great to have you back on Big Universe. Thank you for coming. You're welcome. It's good to be here. It's good to see you, Al. It's good to see you too. You know, can I force you to become a co-host at this point? Or you want to wait and figure that out.

[00:02:21] So, your latest book, of course, is about Blasting Through Blocks, and every writer that I know of has to deal with that sort of stuff. Those obstacles that come into our heads when we're trying to do the actual writing. Before we go to some, you know, some specific things that I'd love to pick out, just because they're in my brain, I wondered if you could give us a really quick overview of the basics of the artist's way tools,

[00:02:51] because that's really a big part of this. So, the first one is Morning Pages. Tell me what that is. Well, Morning Pages are, as their name suggests, pages done in the morning. Three pages of longhand morning writing on 8 1⁄2 by 11 paper.

[00:03:13] And I think that they are a chance for you to tell the universe what it is you want. So, you say, this is what I like. This is what I don't like. This is what I want more of. This is what I want less of. And it's as though you're sending a telegram to the higher power.

[00:03:37] And the response comes to you through your own hand. And I think Morning Pages are a potent form of prayer and meditation. I think that they unleash creativity in everyone who uses them. Definitely, definitely. I've experienced that, so I know a lot of people have.

[00:04:05] So, artist dates is the next key thing. What is an artist's date? Do I have to do them? Yes. You have to do artist dates. Dates are something that you don't have to do daily, but you have to do it weekly. And an artist's date is a solo expedition by yourself to do something that enchants or interests you.

[00:04:33] And I think it has to be long on whimsy and short on duty. Ah, so it's something for fun that kind of inspires you. Yes, my favorite artist's date is going to a pet store where they have a big gray and white bunny named George. And I have permission from the store owner to pet George.

[00:04:57] And when I touch George's silky coat, I have a feeling of bliss and whimsy. And I look at George, and George seems to be feeling the same thing. So, I think an artist's date is something that enchants your inner eight-year-old.

[00:05:18] You can do something like go to a children's bookstore where they have titles like all about reptiles, all about choo-choo trains, all about big cats. And the information contained in a children's book is just about enough to start your creativity engine revving up.

[00:05:45] If you were to go to an adult library and look at the same titles, you would be overwhelmed by the amount of information that they're trying to give you. Yeah. So, an artist's date should be short on information and long on fun. So, I think what you're hitting on here is going to the kids section,

[00:06:09] you don't have to dive into months worth of research in order to kind of get that inspiration. Yes. I think the block that you're talking about is trying to use learning as an excuse for not creating. Yeah, yeah. And I think there are many people who always feel they should learn one more thing before they try to create. Yeah.

[00:06:38] And what I'm saying is you've learned enough. I have bought so many books about writing. I read so much about writing that I don't actually write. I get distracted by just the books on writing. Mm-hmm. That's it exactly. The trick is to not be distracted. The trick is to have a singular focus. And the focus should be deft and fun. Yeah.

[00:07:07] And should be something that you can approach without fear. So, it's a matter of setting the bar low enough that you're able to leap over it. And you talk about the real thing behind all these kind of blocks is fear. What do you mean by that? Yes, I think blocks are all about fear. And I'm going to read you some of the titles of the blocks that you encounter.

[00:07:35] And see if you can feel yourself tensing up. I guarantee you I will. So, the first block is procrastination. Yeah. We'd love to do it if we could just get started. The book has an essay on procrastination. And then it has a tool for getting over procrastination. And that is to write out quickly what I'd really like to say is. Yeah.

[00:08:04] What I'd really like to say is. And by the time you've done that five times, you've given yourself a running start on your procrastination. Yeah. The second one is comparison. Oh, my goodness. That's a big one for me. Yes. You use yourself. You abuse yourself. Yeah. By comparing yourself to others.

[00:08:32] You're saying who's done the work that I'm thinking of doing, but they've done it better. It's not a new idea, you think. So, how can it be worthwhile? Yes. That's another block is we worry about being original enough. Yeah. And we don't say to ourselves, I am the origin of my work and therefore I am original. Hmm. Say to ourselves, it's been done before.

[00:09:01] It's probably been done better. And so, I don't think I should even start. What do I do when I encounter that? How should I think about it rather than saying, well, they're better than me? We have a tool which says, who do I use to intimidate myself? Hmm. And that's the author you're talking about. Can I use, instead of intimidation, can I use inspiration?

[00:09:30] Can the fact that it's been done before prove that it's a good idea? Hmm. So, it's a valid idea. So, I think I'll read a few more of the blocks. Sure. Moodiness. I'm not in the mood to create. Oh, yeah. Over-responsibility.

[00:09:55] There are things that I should be doing instead of creating, like sorting out my pantry, folding up my linen closet. Things that seem petty but seem very important when you put them in front of your work. Then, I think there's someone we're all familiar with called the inner critic. Oh, yeah. And I have a tool which says, name your inner critic. Give it a goofy name.

[00:10:25] Give it a name that's persnickety. Give it a name that says, I don't have to listen to you. And then say to yourself, what's the worst thing my critic can say about my work? Hmm. I always say, it's boring. It's been done before. No one's going to want to listen to you. Mm-hmm.

[00:10:53] So, what would you like to say back to your critic? And this is where profanity comes in. I love it. Well, you want to say, screw you, critic. Yeah. And as you make a cartoon character out of your critic, it begins to have lesser importance.

[00:11:14] Because when you start out, the voice of your critic is the voice of doom, the voice of discouragement. And when you find yourself saying, I don't need to take this into account. I can discount this. You find yourself feeling free. I think I'm correct about this, but you named your critic Nigel. Is that right?

[00:11:43] Nigel is my critic. I always mention that to people because I think that's a great way to personify it and sort of not make it part of your head. And I love the name Nigel for it. Yes. Nigel struck me as a persnickety name. Yes, it does. And people will say to me, how can I get rid of my Nigel? Nigel.

[00:12:07] And I'll say, well, you can't get rid of your Nigel, but you can miniaturize your Nigel. And Nigel has been with me for 55 years of writing. And Nigel will say something hideous to me when I do something creative. Nigel hates anything that's brand new.

[00:12:35] So Nigel will say, I don't think that has legs to stand on. And you say, Nigel, thank you for sharing. And you go right on creating. I have this lack of patience with myself sometimes when I feel like there's some creative idea flowing through me and I just can't get it on the page fast enough.

[00:13:04] And that actually frustrates me because it's like I'm never going to get there. How do I deal with that lack of patience with myself? Well, I think it's an important thing to acknowledge our impatience. And in fact, one of the blocks that I have in the book is impatience. Yeah. I have a friend who is an Aries, which is the most impatient zodiac sign.

[00:13:33] And she says the same thing you're saying. I can't get it on the page fast enough. Yeah. And here's where I want to say that morning pages are a potent tool because when we write morning pages, we write freely. We write without criticism. And it teaches us to write fast.

[00:14:00] And so if you're doing morning pages and doing artist states, you're refilling your well and you're able to draw on it when you need it. And so I think the best cure to impatience is the tried and true morning pages. Just kind of slow and steady getting it out rather than trying to jam it all through your head at the same time.

[00:14:30] Mm-hmm. You mentioned the block of having too many ideas that you feel like I have to pick the perfect idea to move forward. How do I deal with that idea that I just have too many? I don't know what to pick. Well, what I do is have people list the ideas that are competing. And when they do that, they see that they are all equally valid.

[00:14:59] So it becomes a matter of choice which one has the most juice for me. Mm-hmm. And I'll try and work on that one. Mm-hmm. I think that it's important to recognize that having too many ideas is a potent block. that people find themselves confused.

[00:15:23] They find themselves saying, I don't know which one to choose. Mm-hmm. And this is coming back to perfectionism and the idea that there is a perfect choice. And that if they were just smart enough, they would see the perfect choice. Mm-hmm. And what I say is feel free to choose imperfectly.

[00:15:49] Take the pressure off it and just what appeals to you immediately, just go with it for a while. Is that what you're saying? Yes, exactly. I'm curious what your take on this is. There are some writers who say you should just sit down and let everything just flow. Just let it go. Just let it go. And then there are other writers I know that say, no, you have to, in detail, outline every single thing to make sure it doesn't go off the rails.

[00:16:18] Which way do I go? I am somebody who believes in going with the flow. Yeah. I believe that when we write morning pages, we contact an inner river of creativity that is there for all of us to tap into. Mm-hmm. And when we tap into this inner river, we are led a step at a time, idea to idea to idea.

[00:16:46] And I think that over outlining, outlining can be useful if it's vague enough, if it's large enough to hold contradictory ideas. But I think the idea that I can outline perfectly is another one of those perfectionist blocks. Yeah.

[00:17:12] We're looking for a way to put a safety net underneath our creativity and to say, this is going to serve many people, not just myself. And when you do that, you neglect the fact that you are the person who has to be pleased. So I don't have to please everybody else?

[00:17:41] All these people that are staring at me to get the writing done? No. And that's another block, which is the fear of judgment. Yeah, definitely. When we sit down to write, we're afraid of being judged. And we never say to ourselves, judged by whom? Yeah. Yeah.

[00:18:06] And the answer is, if I'm judged by a nebulous somebody, it may not even exist. Yeah. All right. So when I sit down to write, I worry that, and worry is another one for me. Worry is another block, by the way. Yes, it is. Yes, it definitely is.

[00:18:33] I sit down and I think, well, I've got no chance in getting this book out there. It's one in a million that I'll find a publisher. Is it even worth taking that step? The odds, you talk about the odds are against me. What do I do? Well, I think if we say the odds are against me, we have to say the odds greatly improve if I do the work. Yeah, that's a good point.

[00:18:58] And if I'm worried about I can't have the book published, we haven't written the first page, which is the page that leads us forward. So I think that the idea of the odds, it's another potent block. And people say, what are the odds of my pulling this off?

[00:19:27] And again, this is where morning pages become so useful because they ignore the odds. Because you're not weighed down by final results. It's just the process. That's correct. All right. So I do the future tripping that you talk about in the book because I actually put my different thoughts in conflict with each other.

[00:19:54] Because one is that I'll fail in my writing and it doesn't matter. And the other is it will be so vulnerable and successful that it's too overwhelming. So I'm like borrowing from two different opposite futures and neither one of them is real. How do I approach that one? Well, we say to ourselves, what's real? What's grounded? What's specific? What's specific?

[00:20:25] And then we go forward a little bit at a time. And if we say to ourselves, I'm afraid of a terrible future, then we're guilty of a block called future tripping. Yeah. And future tripping is when we use our imagination in a negative fashion. When we say it'll never work out instead of it might work out.

[00:20:54] Do you ever worry about being too vulnerable in the work that you write? Like expressing too much of yourself? Well, I think it's important to say that we have a fear of vulnerability. Yeah. We're afraid to be vulnerable because we're afraid that people won't identify and that they'll poke fun at us. Yeah.

[00:21:19] And what I have found is that fear of ridicule is another potent block and that we are afraid to be vulnerable because we're afraid of being ridiculed.

[00:21:37] And what we do, again, I feel like I'm sounding like a fanatic when I'm suggesting that morning pages are a cure for the fear of vulnerability. Yeah. Because as we admit things on the page, we admit things to ourselves. As we admit things to ourselves, we become comfortable and self-accepting.

[00:22:07] This gives us a platform from which to risk. And I think that our fear of risking diminishes again as we do morning pages. Well, there's one more that I want to bring up. And anyone you want to pick out that you want to highlight or whatever, there's, I think there are 52 in the book. So, you know, there are a couple of blocks in there.

[00:22:37] I sometimes wonder, you know, is it too late for me to engage in this? Is it silly for me to put pen to paper and write this stuff? Is it too late? How do I get beyond that block? Well, I think this is a potent block called It's Too Late. Yeah. And what we need to do is marshal to our defense some of the people who have had success late in life.

[00:23:04] So, for example, many of us love reading Raymond Chandler. Yes. But he didn't publish until he was in his late 40s. And there's another writer I'm fond of named Sophie Burnham. And Sophie Burnham is in her 80s. She recently published a book on the wonder of aging. Oh, interesting. The wonder and joy of aging.

[00:23:34] Hmm. And that's a good book to read when you feel like it's too late for me. What do you feel inspired by right now? What's kind of giving you that juice that you look for? I'm writing a book of guidance. Oh, interesting. Okay. Tell me. I'm about halfway through.

[00:24:00] And it's a book that says guidance is possible in all arenas of our life. And by guidance, I mean going directly to the universe for a source. So we say, what about X? And we listen. And we inevitably hear, all will be well.

[00:24:28] And then we think, are you listening to me? I'm in a dire strait. How can you say all will be well? Yeah. And the answer is, in the long run, all will be well. Hmm. And do you get these, I guess, responses, like internally during meditation? Or is it mostly in the pages when you do the pages that comes through? How do you receive that?

[00:24:58] I do it in handwriting. Okay. Not in my morning pages. It is sort of separate place. Okay. Where I say, what about X? And then I listen. And I write down what I hear. And sometimes it sounds whimsical or far-fetched. And I say to it, tell me more.

[00:25:26] What do you mean by that? And I try and pinpoint guidance to be more specific. And when it's more specific, I find myself saying, I don't know if I can try it, as they suggest a risk. And the risk is something that moves toward me as I move toward it.

[00:25:53] So that engagement, in a sense, you're taking effort towards the universe. And it's coming to meet you there. Is that what you're saying? That's exactly what I'm saying. Interesting. Let me ask you about writers and the community of writers. I always wonder the creative impulse with a group of writers when you're all wanting to do your work.

[00:26:18] It's good to be online together or be in person together and just sit there and write near each other. What do you think about classes where you offer critiques to one another? Is that something we should be doing? Or is that helpful or not? Well, my first instinct is to say, oh, my God, no. Well, it's very helpful to write side by side.

[00:26:47] And it's very helpful to write in groups with a time limit of, say, 20 minutes. For 20 minutes, we're going to write freely. And when we ask for criticism, we're asking to hear a negative. How do we know that our writing is any good?

[00:27:11] The desire to know if our writing is any good is, again, something that's fought with by morning pages. With morning pages, you're saying to yourself, all parts of me are welcome here. All ideas are valid. So that openness is what's important. Yes. And a potent block is a lack of openness. This episode is sponsored by Unity.org. Ready to let go of what's weighing on your heart?

[00:27:41] Our forgiveness workbook from Spirituality and Health offers a supportive path to release resentment and rediscover inner freedom. Get your copy today at go.unity.org forward slash forgiveness. Are you still at all pulled towards writing fiction and poetry? I know you've written some screenplay work and some plays and that sort of thing. Does that figure into your experience right now?

[00:28:12] Well, I'm delighted that you asked me this question because I was writing for guidance in the morning saying, I have no ideas what to do next. What should I be doing next? Should it be fiction? Should it be a play? And guidance said, you will focus on poetry. And I thought, oh, no.

[00:28:41] I have written poetry for 20 years. But I thought maybe there'll be 20 poems out of 20 years that are worth publishing. So I showed my poems to a friend of mine named Brian Thomas, who is himself a writer and a critic. And he said, these are good. They have promise.

[00:29:09] And I thought, promise of what? But I looked at the poems with a new eye, courtesy borrowing his opinion that they held promise. And I found myself thinking, well, this one isn't half bad. And then I thought, I'll go through my morning pages books where I have recorded the poems.

[00:29:37] And I'll count them up and I'll see if I don't have 20. So I started going through my morning pages books. And I discovered that I had written 271 poems over 20 years. Wow. Which sounds like a lot, but it's actually only a little more than one a month.

[00:30:05] And I showed it to my literary agent. And I waited for her response. And she said, I think they're good. I think we should publish them. And I said, oh, my God. Because I was coming up against the block of vulnerability. Yeah.

[00:30:30] And I found myself saying, these poems are my secret life. Where I record how I actually feel. Where I step out from behind the veil of teacher. Yeah. And say, I have unrequited love. Yeah. I have a fear of mortality. I have a desire to write freely.

[00:31:00] So I said to her, you really think they're good? Because I was used to feeling confident about my prose. I'd written 40 books. And so I feel like my prose is kind of tried and true. But poetry was a whole new risk. And I finally said to her, okay, go ahead.

[00:31:24] And she sent the book to a prestigious poetry press. And I waited with bated breath to hear what they had to say. And they took an awfully long time. And I was getting more and more impatient and more and more frightened. And then she said, you have to remember that the press has multiple readers.

[00:31:54] And I thought, this is not comforting. If one reader doesn't like the book, then that'll scotch the whole sale. So she said, just trust. And why don't you work on your guidance book in the meanwhile? Right. And so I started working on the guidance book and tried to ignore the fact that the poetry press was quiet.

[00:32:25] And then they called. And they said, we're interested. And I said to my literary agent, interested. What does interested mean? Right. And she said, that means they want to publish it. Oh, that's great. So March 2nd of this coming year, I have a book of poems coming out. And I named the collection My Secret Life.

[00:32:54] I find it encouraging, Julia, that you are able to be vulnerable to admit that you get these blocks sometimes too. You're not necessarily perfect all the time in your writing. And I appreciate that. I think it's possible for people to be positive. But I think it's a learned skill.

[00:33:16] And I think when I look at the book Blasting Through Blocks, there are 52 separate blocks that I was able to identify. And they are blocks that I many times had experienced and found myself fighting against. And that's where the solutions came from. It's so great to have you on. Thank you for coming on Big Universe again.

[00:33:45] And you can come on anytime you want and talk about creativity and your journey. Because I know that journey helps a lot of people, including me. So thank you for coming on Big Universe again. Well, you're very welcome. Julia Cameron is the best-selling author of more than 40 books, fiction and nonfiction. A poet. Her new book is coming soon. A songwriter. A filmmaker. And playwright. Commonly referred to as the godmother of creativity.

[00:34:10] Her book series starting with The Artist's Way has sold millions and millions and millions of copies. Check out our latest book, which we talked about here, called Blasting Through Blocks, An Artist's Way Guide to Unleashing Your Creativity. And make sure you go to juliacameronlive.com. Hey, once again, subscribe to this Big Universe podcast. Tell your friends. Thanks, everybody. I'm Jim Lefter. We'll talk to you next time on Big Universe.

[00:34:38] Thanks for joining us on our Big Universe podcast. For more info, check us out at mindbodyspirit.fm and search all of the episodes at biguniversepodcast.com. Keep exploring the truth. It's a big universe. I'm Laura Worcester, host of the Intuitive Life podcast. As an intuitive medium and teacher working with the world of spirit, I love to share the peace that comes with the awareness that our departed loved ones are still with us.

[00:35:08] And I also love to help people explore what it means to live an intuitively led life. Start listening now on mindbodyspirit.fm or wherever you get your podcasts. Thank you.