THE ARTIST’S WAY
What is the Artist’s Way?
The Artist’s Way is a twelve-week process that facilitates creative recovery. Creativity is our human birthright. By gently removing the blockages and embracing our essential parts, it’s possible to practice creativity with the same ease as breathing.
The process is contained in a book called The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron.
If you have any questions, please contact Cindy at freedompicturesllc@gmail.com
What are Morning Pages?
Morning Pages is a practice of writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness longhand writing daily upon waking. It is a practice akin to meditation. During this course, it is recommended that you practice morning pages every single day first thing in the morning. Julia Cameron has called this a psychic cleansing process.
What are Artist Dates?
Artist Dates are planned periods of time where we explore pleasurable solitary activities as a means of nurturing our creativity. During the course, it is recommended that you plan and attend an artist date once a week. I see it as taking your inner child on a date and letting them play without shame.
“I took up The Artist’s Way one miserable Christmas when I’d tried and failed for the umpteenth time to write a novel. There was something about the book, not just the content but the feel of it, the tone of it, how supportive it is, that allowed me to follow my creativity and unblock myself. I absolutely feel indebted to Julia Cameron for helping me get out of my rut.”
What are we doing together?
For twelve weeks, we will be meeting on Zoom once a week for two to three hours to process and share, as a group, a chapter in The Artist’s Way. The day and time is TBD.
I will provide a silent, hour long container every morning to write morning pages that serves as part-accountability and part-inspiration. These morning sessions will be held over Zoom. The time every morning is TBD.
Optionally, there might be time to share what we’re working on with the group during our weekly shares.
We will co-create a group forum to share resources and information.
“No matter what your age or life path, whether making art is your career or your hobby or your dream, it is not too late or too egotistical or too selfish or too silly to work on your creativity.”
Who are you?
You crave more creativity in your life.
You appreciate books, art, movies, etc., but you don’t know how to start creating for yourself yet.
You want to practice creativity as a means of self-transformation and personal development.
You stepped away from your craft and you’re finding your way back to it (and/or explore a new craft).
You are dealing with self-doubt and blockage and you yearn consistency.
You have a project and you need structure and discipline.
“Without The Artist’s Way there would have been no Eat, Pray, Love.”
What is the commitment?
We are committing to…
…reading the book The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. This might look like reading the book 15-30 minutes a day.
…writing morning pages each day.
…going on an artist date each week.
…meeting with the group once a week for 2-3 hours to share where we are and how we are doing.
“Just as blood is a fact of your physical body and nothing you invented, creativity is a fact of your spiritual body and nothing you must invent.”
What is Cindy’s role?
My role as the facilitator is to guide us through the twelve-week process by holding structural space with an emphasis on time, psychological safety, and logistical container. However, I am also an active participant and peer, and will be prepared to share my own material and take creative risks. As artists, there is no hierarchy in our group.
“It completely changed my life.”
What are the logistics?
Starting on Monday, January 1st, 2024, we will share a space every morning for an hour to write our Morning Pages together over Zoom. We will share space every morning until the last date on Sunday, March 24th, 2024. This is an optional space meant to motivate your individual Morning Pages practice. The time is TBD.
We will meet on Zoom every Saturday for two to three hours starting on January 6th, 2024. Each Saturday, we will go through the check-in questions at the end of that week’s chapter, discuss what has shown up in our practices, and explore next steps. We might have time on these days to individually share the art we are working on. The time for these sessions are TBD. If you cannot make these sessions, they will be recorded and circulated only within the group. Saturday dates and corresponding chapters will look like this:
6 January / Week 1: Recovering a Sense of Safety
13 January / Week 2: Recovering a Sense of Identity
20 January / Week 3: Recovering a Sense of Power
27 January / Week 4: Recovering a Sense of Integrity
3 February / Week 5: Recovering a Sense of Possibility
10 February / Week 6: Recovering a Sense of Abundance
17 February / Week 7: Recovering a Sense of Connection
24 February / Week 8: Recovering a Sense of Strength
2 March / Week 9: Recovering a Sense of Compassion
9 March / Week 10: Recovering a Sense of Self-Protection
16 March / Week 11: Recovering a Sense of Autonomy
23 March / Week 12: Recovering a Sense of Faith
Investment: on a sliding scale of $126-$153 USD for the entire twelve-week course.
To register, please fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/Nrv6X451rESNTRWM6
Please either send money through Venmo @CindyRiach or through paypal.me/relationalops to finalize your registration. In the memo, please write: the name of the participant, the email address to which you’d like to be communicated with, and “Artist’s Way Group Winter 2025”.
If you have hardship, please reach out to me at freedompicturesLLC@gmail.com
Throughout the course, if you find that you have blockages that you would like to resolve, please consider coaching with me. I am a Master NLP Practitioner, and I can help remove and resolve what might be stopping you from fulfilling your potential.
“In order to have a real relationship with our creativity, we must take the time and care to cultivate it. Our creativity will use this time to confront us, to confide in us, to bond with us, and to plan.”
About Cindy
In the late 2000s in San Francisco, Cindy was an early participant and teaching facilitator of the authentic relating movement. She traveled around the world coaching and teaching workshops based on values of personal development and creating community.
Along the way, she gained skills and practices in the fields of depth psychology and trauma, as well as transformational neuro-linguistic programming (a powerful form of NLP).
She helps others explore and resource all of the parts that are no longer serving the present version of them.
The human beings she works with are committed to growth and transformation. They are often courageous, hardworking, and are artists of their own path.
Cindy is a personal narrative essayist, filmmaker, and actor. She’s been writing morning pages since 2010, and studied with Julia Cameron in person in 2019.
If you’re curious about Cindy’s coaching, visit www.relationalops.com/coaching.