Secrets for an artistic life

What I learned from The Artist's Way

For the last three months, I’ve been deep inside The Artist’s Way. For the uninitiated, the book is a program for creative recovery for “blocked creatives.” It draws from AA and oftentimes slips into talk about god and “the creator,” which turned me off from it when I first tried reading it a year or two ago. While that’s not something I connected with this time around either, I found that working through the book over the last 12 weeks was truly a transformative process and reignited my love for and commitment to writing.

For some background, a few months ago, I interviewed Elizabeth Kott about her work, and after our call we chatted about some of the creative frustrations and disappointments I’ve encountered in my career. When I saw that she was leading a Club Artist’s Way group this summer, I knew this was something I needed to do. For months I hadn’t been able to read much of anything and didn’t feel inspired to write—I needed to confront my frustrations head on.

Our group wrapped up our work together last Thursday, and for all those who might be skeptical about the book, I wanted to share what I’m taking with me from this process.

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Notes from the best Artist’s Way group

1. Rigidity is not my issue

I think writing advice is incredibly subjective and only really meant to give people different things to try. For me, the most helpful things have been establishing a regular time every day when I write, followed by a short walk to let the ideas marinate a bit more before I get to work for the day. Having implemented this writing advice from my teachers for years now, I know I can make myself sit down and dedicate time to writing. How that time feels is a different story.

2. The importance of an accurate budget

Week 6 of the program is all about money. While I’ve kept a tight and organized budget for a while, the book made me realize how poorly I was categorizing everything—cleaning supplies and essentials were lumped into the same category as anything discretionary. Making a small line item for me to do something creative every month has gotten me to break from my rigidly held routines and try new things.

3. Embracing an artistic life

I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that people seem to be embracing/discussing/writing think pieces on “millennial cringe” lately. The book made me realize that it’s okay to want to live a creative life. This is something I’d been doing organically—seeking out writing communities in Portland and New York—yet embracing this more decisively has been self-reinforcing: more breaks from routine, more conversations about writing, ideas, and art, more opportunities for surprise.

4. The power of an Instagram detox

Week 4 is based around a reading deprivation—what happens when you limit all of the stimuli and get a bit bored? For me, I cut out Instagram and suddenly had so much more time to do other things. It also made life online feel so much less immediate—texts and phone time can wait.

5. Moving matters too

One of my MFA professors told us to go for a walk without looking at our phones or listening to music after writing. I practice yoga daily, too, and with both of these, experiencing the world outside of your own head feels like it brings critical balance to the internal work of creating something.

6. Power of accountability

To the point of community, I also felt grateful to the group I met while working through the book. When I previously read through the book on my own, I sped through and didn’t take time to engage with any of it. Having a group, I wanted to show up more deeply and felt committed to this thing that I’d started.

7. And slowing down

Similarly, I appreciated how valuable it was to put on “do not disturb” mode and focus during our weekly group meetings. As a freelancer, I sometimes feel like multitasking is sanctioned by the need to hustle. Instead, devoting an hour each week to slowing down and listening to other people enriched the entire experience.

8. Choosing joy

Perhaps the most important thing I’m taking with me is the importance of seeking joy in the artistic process. I can grind for a word count and meet deadlines, but that all feels kind of pointless if it’s not fun. Writing offers so few rewards. If it’s not fun, what’s the point? During artist dates, I flipped through books I was interested in at a favorite store, walked through the Fort Greene Park farmers market, and checked out stoop sales in the neighborhood. While, sure, I think this is about “filling the well,” I also like to think about it more loosely—where can I seek joy in my day today?

Sign up for Elizabeth’s Club Artist’s Way here and receive a discount with code Michael50.

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Reference Section

• You can check out my full interview with Elizabeth here:

• Read of the week: Kaylie Saidin’s essay for The Assembly on public access and beach parking at Wrightsville Beach, which through its reporting opens interesting questions on class and local government.

Tensions over parking have emerged between the town and local beachgoers, particularly surfers in recent months. The dispute—which has also played out in other coastal North Carolina towns—is fueled by long-simmering class concerns in the Wilmington area, where some residents say beach access is eroding for lower-income people. Local leaders say they need the money to protect the beach and provide things like ocean lifeguards and sanitation services.

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