unearthing
natural talents
One of the most prolific
authors and teachers on the
subject of discovering and
recovering creative gifts is
Julia Cameron, author of
The Artists Way: A Spiritual
Path to Higher Creativity.
Cameron, who has written
dozens of books, three mu-
sicals, four plays and one
Julia Cameron
film, agrees with Bolen’s in-
tertwining view of life and art. “Our art is supposed to be something we do in and
with our life, which is the larger container that holds our art,” she says. “Rather
than yearning to be full-time artists, we might aspire to be full-time humans. When
we do, art is the overflow of a heart-filled life.”
Cameron has a toolkit for unblocking the artist in everyone. One fundamental
tool is a daily uncensored writing practice—called Morning Pages—that brings
clarity, insight, and sometimes new directions and ideas before the business of
daily life kicks in. Other important tools of The Artist’s Way include weekly solo
Artist’s Dates (time spent observing, experiencing, sensing and playing for the pure
pleasure of it) and rambling walks, which Cameron herself credits with providing
guaranteed fodder for her creative fires. Worth their weight in gold to any creative
miner, these and other exercises from her books have helped thousands to recon-
nect with childhood’s playful state of delight.
“Picasso said that we are all born children,” says Cameron. “The trick is to
remain one, lean into our ease and enjoy the ride of our gift.”
Cameron’s metaphor for the Morning Pages—running a vacuum cleaner
around one’s consciousness to suck up the soundtracks that clutter the mind—re-
veals just a smidgeon of her natural talent for creating reader-friendly visuals.
“Writing stream of consciousness thoughts on pages frees up what I call alpha
ideas, like ‘Wouldn’t it be fun to…,’ or ‘Wouldn’t it be interesting to…,’ and ‘Gee, I
could let myself explore…,’” explains the articulate author.
Those nudges and inspirations, as well as insights and uncomfortable truths,
have shown up in Cameron’s personal Morning Pages for
decades. An Artist’s Date she took to a travel bookstore
turned up a tome on Ferdinand Magellan, which led
Cameron to pen an entire musical about the Portuguese
maritime explorer, the first to cross the Pacific Ocean.
discerning a new direction
Tama J. Kieves, another creative soul who enjoys a walk
to jiggle loose inspired thoughts, is the author of This
Time I Dance!: Creating the Work You Love. She also
works as a creative career coach, and founded Awak-
ening Artistry, an organization dedicated to fashioning
a global family of visionary minds, creative souls and
Tama J. Kieves
empowered leaders. This honors graduate of Harvard
Law School left a budding law practice to work as a professional
writer and speaker. Today, she gives emboldened hope to every-
one who may have suppressed a creative urge in their youth.
“It’s possible at any time to dust off the cobwebs that cover a
natural talent, resurrect a creative dream and breathe life into it,”
advises Kieves. “I know this is true because it’s what I did.”
Kieves, who says that creativity is anything but frivolous,
frequently wrote brilliant legal briefs that caused senior partners

September 2008
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