You can't fail The Artist's Way

Read essays from people who fell off The Artist's Way wagon, and find community with others who didn't do it perfectly, but are still getting it done.

When I first tried The Artist’s Way I stopped about two weeks in after missing a few days of morning pages. Julia Cameron said to write every morning, and I had not, so I had “failed.” To get the full experience, I’d surely need to start again from the very beginning. It was an overwhelming task so I just put it away for good. By demanding I do it perfectly I had a great excuse never to try it again. By holding myself to an impossible standard, I conveniently had a way to throw in the towel.

It took a few more years to give The Artist’s Way another shot, and this time around I asked my newsletter readers to join me in the process to help hold me accountable. And it worked! I finished it, alongside so many of you, and grew and learned so much from the process. Did I do it perfectly? No. I skipped a day of morning pages here and there, but I kept going anyway. And I consider it a successful attempt, one that allowed me forgiveness and helped me finish the workbook without burning out.

Th…