For 12 weeks, a group of 40 recovering artists joined together and read Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way ready to confront their creative blockages and feed their inner artist's desires. We gathered in the Index NYC space with an additional group joining in remotely. Ella, our lovely guide, would stand up in front of the class and give an introduction to each chapter. We would open up the floor to conversation and sharing according to the week's focus.
The first few weeks were a mixture of confronting what the book describes as our 'censors' or the inner thoughts and feelings that get in the way of creativity and making. We often talked about what struggles we were having and what our wishes were. Sometimes people would chime in and give advice, or simply relate to one another having similar feelings.
Throughout the whole journey, one constant was always present: synchronicities. The things that happen in your life that feel just too meaningful and directed at you and what you have been thinking about. Ella would ask if anyone experienced synchronicities each week. This seemed to fuel exciting conversation and inspiration, giving meaning to the magic or alchemy aspect to the course.
As the course progressed, we collaborated together to come up with a plan for personal projects to get out of our creative blocks. A memorable moment was creating moodboards together and sharing them all as a group. We then set out to make progress towards a collective zine.
Everyone had different goals and challenges. Some people just wanted to complete morning pages everyday, some people had a specific project they wanted to get off the ground. We shared all our synchronicities, ideas, struggles and sometimes went on outings in the city.
The most important aspect to taking this class was the magic of community and gathering. Our focus was more on progress rather than reaching ambitious goals by the end. The experience was truly transformational and a memory that everyone will hold dearly.