When a Book Gave Me Permission to Begin
On reading the book “The Artist’s Way” at the right time
The Season I Picked Up This Book
When I first picked up The Artist’s Way, I knew nothing about the craft of writing. I knew instinctively that I loved writing and wanted to learn everything about it.
When I started reading the book, I had recently turned thirty, and for the first time, I paused and asked myself what it was I did that actually added meaning to my life, that I did purely, selfishly, only for the sheer delight of it.
Even though all my life I had written thousands of entries in my diary and journal and knew that I enjoyed writing, I never seriously gave a thought to how to proceed with learning the actual skill of writing. I was too distracted by the nitty-gritty of life.
In fact, it was during a conversation with a friend that I experienced this moment of enlightenment. She told me about another person who loved writing, who, due to his family’s conditions, had to choose a different career. She told me that after getting the job that he was preparing for, he planned to do a bachelor’s degree in Hindi literature.
That hit me hard. I was so inspired by this individual that I had never even met. He did not give up on his love for writing, as I had. He did not blame external circumstances for trying to take him away from writing, as I did. He held on to the thing he loved and cared about most.
My friend encouraged me to do the same. That was a life-altering lesson I learned that day. I questioned myself: when I really love writing so much, what is it that is holding me back from doing it?
I had a shocking realisation that the culprit was indeed me all this time. My friend, who was casually narrating all this to me, never knew how significant that conversation was for motivating me to join the PG Diploma in content writing course that I am currently pursuing.
This book did the same thing for me that my friend did. It did not teach me anything about the craft of writing, since it is not a technical book for learning to write, but a tool to permit me to move away from the excuses, believe in myself, and just start writing.
It taught me that creativity is innate, even spiritual. That this creativity should be nurtured indulgently and never wasted.
The Quiet Permissions It Gave Me
The Artist’s Way permitted me to begin imperfectly. Writing is a craft that needs a lot of our time and is definitely not easy. But all well-known, published authors were once beginners.
Even when we know that ourselves, we still dwell in the swamp of self-criticism and perfectionism. We all want to write a best-selling book immediately after starting to write.
Perfectionism is something that I struggled with, too. I set too many goals, packed my daily schedule like I was Bill Gates, and held myself to standards that a mere human would never reach. So obviously, just like in every aspect of my life, I tried to be perfect in my writing as well at first.
But neither writing nor anything else in life works when we hold ourselves to unbelievable levels this way.
The Artist’s Way told me that it is okay to stumble, make mistakes, and learn along the way, in writing or life. It helped drop my abnormal degree of perfectionism and acknowledge the fact that it is acceptable to be a beginner and to write in a raw and imperfect way.
What matters is that we are trying to find our voice and be true to ourselves.
This book also permitted me to create without an audience. In the book, author Julia Cameron rightly emphasises that we, as artists, are afraid of how our work is perceived. She encourages us to dispel this counterproductive way of thinking.
This point I really hold close to my heart because bringing it into practice has made me freer as a writer. Each of us has his or her own unique tone, and thinking about how the outcome will be received cripples us of our true style and dilutes what we really want to say.
Creating without performance pressure helps us stay authentic and in alignment with what we truly believe in. The book taught me that it is completely okay to let things be incomplete, awkward, and unclear.
One Practice I Kept Coming Back To
The practice that stayed with me and held my heart the most was the concept of an artist date. Artist dates are simply pre-planned weekly outings where we go out to spend time with ourselves simply for pleasure.
This time is not for productivity but simply to reconnect with ourselves, to fill our creative well, to find inspiration, to satisfy our curiosity, and to nurture our creativity.
I go on artist dates most weeks. My artist dates range from my favourite activity of browsing the bookstore, doodling lazily like there’s no tomorrow, to simply sitting alone in a dessert cafe with my favourite Belgian chocolate thick shake.
No matter what my schedule is like, I always make time for these creative dates. Just the act of slowing down, observing ourselves as well as others, and spending time doing activities that are not useful in the sense of the word but deeply invigorating gives us a sense of much-needed pause.
As someone who loves spending time alone, this book gave me the only validation I ever needed to keep enjoying my solo dates. I usually block Sundays as my artist date days, and the experience is so refreshing and relaxing that I have a newly discovered enthusiasm for Mondays now.
What Shifted Without Announcement
The Artist’s Way changed how I related to creativity. It showed me that each of us has an inner child, and the truest path to artistry is to indulge that child.
It showed me that art is not at all about the end product but about the process. I love every aspect of writing. I can spend hours together sitting and typing away at a computer, researching, seeing a particular topic through my own distinctive lens and presenting it in a way that only I can.
I enjoy expressing myself, sharing my thoughts and opinions, and experiencing difficulty in choosing a single topic to write about because there is just so much that I want to share with the world.
Notice how none of this has anything to do with the actual final written work. Before reading The Artist’s Way, I thought writing was all about the published blog post and the finished short story, but now I know that it is, in truth, about the quiet happiness we experience during the journey.
I was someone who had a harsh inner voice when it came to writing, pushing me to do more, making me feel like I was not spending more time studying, reading, or writing, all things that are supposed to make me better at my technique.
But the book has softened my inner voice. It taught me to be gentle with myself and that even my baby steps towards becoming a good writer count.
I do not feel guilty anymore when I cannot watch the video class from my curriculum because I had to attend a meeting at work, when I am unable to finish my word count for the day because of being too tired, or when I could not squeeze in an entire day of reading because I wanted to meet a friend.
Many times, we do not realise that we really are doing the best we can.
Earlier, I would question myself whether I can really start my own blog, write stories, or publish books, but The Artist’s Way changed my perspective from “Can I really do this?” to “I am allowed to explore this quietly.”
It helped me remove the hesitations and fears I had and replaced them with wonder and the simple pleasure in the process of writing itself.
Where This Has Left Me
The Artist’s Way opened my mind to the limitations, fears, and false narratives I had about writing and creativity in general. I now catch myself immediately when I try to compare my initial work to that of seasoned writers.
I remember to be kind to myself and to be proud of the effort I am making every day to become a better storyteller.
Another thing that the book gave me was a sense of significance in life, by showing that when we create just for the joy of creating, we have found one of our life’s purposes.
I can see now that the time I picked up the book mattered because I needed to know the act of nurturing the artist in me before I delved into the technicalities of writing and creating.
I sometimes go back and reread certain highlighted text and annotations I made in the book just to revisit those beautifully written lines that taught me what it truly means to be an artist.
If this resonated, you may enjoy my occasional newsletter on slow living and thoughtful growth.
Aishwarya Goud is a doctor and writer exploring wellness, personal growth, and intentional living through thoughtful, reflective writing.
She writes at a slow, intentional pace.