Why making art is more important than ever

A review of ‘The Artist’s Way’ and thoughts on creativity’s place in an increasingly fractured world.

Hello! I’m Celine and I write about books, cooking, gardening and surviving life in the city with a wild heart. Subscribe, for access to exclusive content like this. Very happy to have you here, either way.

“Who has the time for art?”

It’s a question you’ve probably heard. In a world where we’re told, repeatedly, that the humanities have no value, that art is pointless and you’re just too busy to spend time on such frivolous things, you may have even thought this yourself.

How can you prioritise art, prioritise creativity, when there are just so many other things to do?

And why should you?

If you’re a regular reader of this newsletter, you’ll know that part of its mission has become focusing on ways to embed creativity in everyday life.

To prioritise art, no matter what medium may speak to you. To seek inspiration from nature, or get creative in the kitchen, as cooking can be so much more than just a chore; it can be a form of art too. You’re literally creating something from scratch and if that’s not artwork, I don’t know what is.

Art gets you out of your head, out of the world presented to you by your phone. It forces you to look around. Observe. Think. It makes you curious. It strengthens your empathy. Tools that could prove to be useful, in these frightening times.

Art asks questions. Art demands more, demands better. Not just for artists. For everyone.

And it’s incredibly hard to be an artist, to justify making art at this point in history. Ask yourself why this is.

And to be clear, my definition of artist does not merely cover painters, sketchers, sculptors, etc. Anyone who creates, using their hands and their brain, is an artist.

Learning how to oil paint a few years ago. Have never had such fun before or since.

The missing piece

Why do so many intensely creative people end up in industries such as teaching (still noble) or marketing (ehhh)? Why don’t we value creativity? It’s said to increase wellbeing, build self-awareness and resilience, and even help strengthen all the ‘soft skills’ that employers claim to value. Or do they just value people who are happy to maintain or even enforce the status quo? I’ll leave that one with you, to ponder over.

I’m not saying art is going to save us all. But maybe it’s a good place to start.

I regularly get feedback that I’m a busy person. It’s not that I like being busy, or want to be productive. I just want to prioritise the things that are important to me, while recognising that I also have to pay off my mortgage, look after my dog, be a somewhat competent daughter, sister, aunty, girlfriend and friend, exercise my mind and body and not live in a total pigsty. And somehow also carve out time for rest and meditation.

It’s a lot and then I don’t always have a lot of time left over for things that might seem selfish, but are still important to me. My hobbies. And it’s so important to prioritise your hobbies. They add colour to a life that can often exist in shades of grey, or worse, in black and white. And people with hobbies are endlessly interesting to talk to.

For years, I’ve struggled with re-engaging in two hobbies, two different arms of creativity that came very naturally to me when I was a teenager and in my early twenties.

Two creative pursuits you don’t just get good at overnight – you have to work at them, and carving out the time to do so as an adult can be difficult, causing you to ultimately give up.

The first is creative writing.

The second is drawing or sketching.

And after months wanting but struggling to dedicate time to these pursuits, I feel like I’m some ways there. Creative writing has been a bit easier to tap into, as I can trick my brain, which is in recovery somewhat from years of productivity hacks and over-optimisation, that I’m engaging in this practice for work, for accolades, for some sort of monetary benefit.

Hehe, not so brain. We’re doing this for fun.

Sketching however, I wish to do simply for pleasure and so, it’s a harder one to justify spending time on. Silly, but true.

I thought I’d need a little extra help. And so, I downloaded The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron.

First ever wet felting attempt, as part of art boot camp.

Can The Artist’s Way truly help with creative ‘unblocking’?

An author, filmmaker, composer and poet, among many other things, Cameron first self-published this book in 1992, after no publisher wanted it. Of course, it went on to become a runaway best-seller, selling millions of copies worldwide.

Within the book, Cameron maintains that we all have creative inspiration within us, but we can be ‘blocked’ for whatever reason – by ourselves, by the people around us, by events that happened in our childhood. I know for me, a certain nasty high school art teacher comes to mind.

She believes art comes from a divine source. You can call it God, if that’s helpful, or anything else that hits home for you. I’m simply going to refer to it as a spiritual connection.

And when we tap into this connection, that’s when we make great art.

TAW is essentially a self-help book, presented as a three month course. Week by week, you’re given homework; questions to answer that are aimed at ‘unblocking’ you.

The homework is not boring, although it can be time-consuming. The questions are interesting, and introspective, in most cases. You’re tasked with writing ‘Morning Pages’ – essentially waking up, sitting down and getting whatever is on your mind down onto a page. A form of cleansing, if you will. It’s not too hard of a practice to engage in, especially if you already keep a journal.

The other main activity Cameron advocates for, is a weekly ‘Artist Date’. This is where you take yourself out on solo ventures that feed the creative soul.

This can look like anything. Trips to the cinema, art galleries or theatre. Taking yourself out to dinner. Time alone in nature. The point, I believe, is to find comfort in being on your own, without the distraction of a screen. And maybe even start to enjoy your own company, see it as a necessary addition to a rich and full life.

We’ve developed into a society that cannot seem to abide silence – who cannot sit with their own thoughts.

Does that frighten you as much as it frightens me?

So, question is. Does The Artist’s Way work? Will you find yourself creating great art after completing the three-month long course?