The artist's way. Week 1 of madness and creativity.

🌸Come With Me on My Journey Doing The Artist’s Way – Week 1 (aka My Spiritual Awakening is kicking my ass!)

⭐️Tuesday – The Day I Signed My Soul Away

So, I finally did it. After two failed attempts, I am fully committing to The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. No half-assing it this time. Full ass.

For those unfamiliar, The Artist’s Way is basically a 12-week boot camp for unlocking your creativity, but instead of push-ups, you do deep inner work that makes you question everything. It’s like therapy, but with more journaling and fewer copays.

Day 1 started strong. I cracked open my brand-new journal, sipped my coffee ☕ like the broody writer I am, and started my first set of Morning Pages—three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing, every single morning.

I was expecting enlightenment. Instead, here’s a direct quote from my first entry:

 "Why am I awake? I hate everything. My dog is judging me. Is three pages too much? Who hurt Julia Cameron? I should buy more candles. OMG, do I have undiagnosed ADHD??"

Off to a fantastic start.

 ⭐️The Artist Date Disaster

Julia tells us that every week, we must take ourselves on an Artist Date—a solo outing to nurture our inner creativity. Sounds simple, right? HA.

I decided to take my inner artist (who I now imagine as a chaotic Victorian child locked in an attic) to an artsy café and sketch whatever inspired me. How romantic! How creative!

Here’s how it actually went:

Spilled coffee on my notebook ☕.

Tried to sketch a cute aesthetic window. Drew what can only be described as a crime against perspective.

Made aggressive eye contact with a barista, who now probably thinks I was flirting or plotting a heist.

I left feeling emotionally unstable, but hey, my inner child got out of the house, so that’s a win.

🫠The Emotional Gymnastics of Week 1

Here’s what I wasn’t prepared for: this book drags you. Julia makes you write down all the mean things people have ever said about your creativity. Oh, you thought you had moved on from that teacher who told you you’d never be an artist? SURPRISE! YOU DIDN’T.

Then, she makes you name your inner critic—that mean little voice in your head that whispers “You suck” every time you try something new. I named mine Aspasia Tourlou. Aspasia is a menace. Aspasia  is also LOUD.

But guess what? I’ve started talking back.

"You’ll never be a real writer!" – Shut up, Aspasia. I have a blog and write books on Wattapd and I have 2 publish short stories in books out in the world.

"No one cares what you create." – Liar. My dog cares.

"You should give up." – Absolutely not. Julia Cameron would personally hunt me down.

🌸Morning Pages: The Unexpected Therapy

I’ve actually been doing Morning Pages for 1.5 years, but doing them properly—with intention—hits differently. Instead of just dumping my stress, I’ve started listening to myself. Turns out, my brain is a messy, hilarious, brilliant place. Who knew?

🙂Final Thoughts on Week 1

Morning Pages? Life-changing. Even if they sometimes feel like screaming into the void.

Artist Dates? Harder than expected. Apparently, I forgot how to have fun alone.

Inner critic work? Brutal, but necessary. Debbie is sweating.

The overall process? Kicking my ass, but in a good way.

I used to think self-help books were cringe, but this? This is different. It’s part spiritual awakening, part creative rehab, and part me crying in cafés over my own brilliance (or lack thereof).

So, am I sticking with it? HELL YES.💪

Will it break me before it builds me? Also yes.😭

Stay tuned for Week 2, where I probably discover even more emotional baggage I thought I had buried forever.

You can find the books and the workbook on:Amazon link