a bit of bonhomie

One of the best tools at my disposal is something I learned from The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. It is a book that, perhaps, has an unfortunate name, in that it can put people off, suggesting it’s only for pretentious wankers who aspire to be artistes and are looking for the “way” or the light. You also need to translate some of it from the Californian, which can also put people off.

But at heart it is a very practical guide to organizing your life, getting the most out of your day, applying creative principles to the challenges you face. I forget now who originally mentioned it to me, but I know the copy I have was given to me by my sister. But I had been recommending it to my clients long before I actually got the book, so good was the word of mouth on it from people I respected, and it became the single most successful book I ever recommended in my practice.

My sister claims that most people never finish the book, and she may be right. But just before I left London, I went on a twelve-week course called The Artist’s Way at Work, which is based on this book, a version of the original adapted specifically for the workplace, for people who are not artists. I figured the only way I’d finish the book, which is structured in twelve weeks, like a workbook, is if I did it in a group. Athough I kicked against the business-speak of the adaptation at the time, as I had grand notions of coming to Tuscany and writing the great Irish novel, I’m very glad of it now. Now that I find myself well on the way to setting up a business, I find myself bemused by the serendipity.

The main technique is simple, as many good things are, and it’s called the morning pages. Every morning, write 3 pages of stuff in an A4 notebook. No more, and no less. The stuff can be rubbish, it’s not art, it’s doodling, it’s “To-Do” lists, it’s dreams, it’s venting spleen, it’s jotting down ideas, it’s dialoguing with yourself, it’s “pros and cons” about something you need to decide, it’s basically 20-30 minutes every day, writing complete bollocks if you want. The genius is in the repetition and the ritual. It was originally developed for screenwriters – Julia Cameron was married to Martin Scorsese, and she fine-tuned her techniques by working with people in that milieu, and only included the exercises that really worked in her book. Try the morning pages as an exercise, even if you don’t buy the book – just see how it goes for a couple of weeks and see what changes in your life. It’s a great centering tool, a meditative space, a way of easing anxiety about what needs to be done in a day.