The Artist’s Way Gatherings
We are all creative beings, and humans need a place where they can share their inner weirdo, received with care and encouragement. It's spaces like these that bring a higher level of consciousness to the world. That’s why I love going through The Artist’s Way.
What Is The Artist’s Way?
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron is a guidebook to get you through creative blocks so that you can live your life more fully. It’s structured like a 12-step program and is laid out as a 12-week course that you can do on your own or with a group. Each week focuses on a particular theme with guided exercises and builds on the previous one. These guided steps make the process feel manageable and give you time to process it all.
Is the Artist’s Way just for artists?
You don’t have to consider yourself an “artist” to read The Artist’s Way. We are all born natural creators and each of us has the ability and internal drive to make things. This could be cooking meals, building bikes, making paper airplanes, gardening…you name it!
The book is based on the idea that we all have an inclination to create but various things get in our way and cause blocks. Over time we can get disconnected from this innate creative drive and it can be damaging to our wellbeing. When we get in touch with our deeper creative intelligence, we can live more grounded lives of integrity.
““In a performative monetized culture, it helped me to stop looking over my shoulder and instead start to look and listen to what was always within.””
Why Read The Artist’s Way With A Group?
The 12 weeks of The Artist’s Way lead us through discoveries and help us uncover truths about ourselves that can at times be surprising. We dive deep, and it is comforting to have company on that journey and a space to discuss things openly. As Lisa Yoder, a participant from this past year’s group, shared, “Doing The Artist's Way with a community under Jo's guidance was a totally different experience. It added a layer of accountability and care to the experience… and it became a highlight of my week.”
This group structure also creates a supportive space to hear diverse perspectives. Sometimes, as Tony Isreal, another participant, noted, it can even shift how we look inward: “In a performative monetized culture, it helped me to stop looking over my shoulder and instead start to look and listen to what was always within.”
Additionally, committing to 12 weeks of reading and self-care is hard. With so many things pulling us away from taking time for ourselves, going through The Artist’s Way as a group helps us stay accountable and keep going with the encouragement of others.
Celebrating the journey!
Here’s our incredible group from this past year, gathered to honor the accomplishment of completing The Artist’s Way together.
The 2025 Artist’s Way Gathering
In January, we will begin a new group and work through the weeks together into the spring. The group will meet on Fridays at 9am at The Candy Factory in Lancaster, with the option of joining via Zoom. Registration opens November 18th. Join us for this unique experience. It’s through personal growth that we have the best chance of advancing our world, when we grow in community, the impact is tenfold.
