The Artist’s Way at Work: 12 Weeks to Creative Freedom

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in a bit of a funk with my VA biz.

I am fortunate enough to have a full virtual assistance practice with wonderful clients, which I am SO grateful for, and I’m proud of the work we do together.

But, it’s been hard for me to be consistent outside of my client work. I never seem to find the time to work on my own business. This is a problem for all sorts of reasons! Especially since I am someone whose core values include joy and creativity. So! I’m cracking open a book I’ve had on my shelf for quite a while now: The Artist’s Way at Work: 12 Weeks to Creative Freedom by Julia Cameron, Mark Bryan, and Catherine Allen.

Maybe You’ve Heard of The Morning Pages…

This is a daily writing practice developed by Julia Cameron and explained in her book The Artist’s Way. This is a practice that changed me. Truly. I am still amazed that it worked so well. For those of you who haven’t heard of the Morning Pages, this is a practice of writing three stream of consciousness pages by hand each morning, as quickly as you can without stopping.

This practice helped me to relieve my anxiety and cleared my mind of the junk to make way for better work. I’ve been practicing for a few years now, but I admit the last year or so, I’ve been cheating a little – I take longer, I don’t do all 3 pages, etc.

So! Since Julia’s work was so transformational for me back in 2015/2016, I’ve decided to try following her 12 week program for work/business: The Artist’s Way at Work: Riding the Dragon – 12 Weeks to Creative Freedom.

Care to follow along? Or even jump in yourself? I’d love to have you join me!

Here’s The Plan

• Practice each section of the book’s exercises daily
• Report back here weekly
• Share the exercises I did and my experiences doing them
• Share any results I notice when applicable
• Repeat until the book is complete!

The First Assignment: Entering The Gate

The very first assignment in the book is to write down all your fears about completing this book’s program and seal it away for future reference at the end of the 12 weeks, so that’s just what I did.

My Fears About Working on This Program:

1. I won’t find/make the time to complete it
2. I will not be consistent with the homework
3. I’ll do the work but I won’t feel any differences
4. This project is taking away from work that could be more impactful and useful

Okay, so here we go. I hope you’ll join me and get something out of this too as I embark on a mini adventure to find more creativity, connection, and authenticity in my work. 🙂 

Have you ever done anything like this before? What workbooks have been the most helpful for you? Let me know!