Review of 'Walking in This World' by Julia Cameron

Aug 20, 2011
Susannah White

Walking in This World - Susannah White

This book is about creative growth. It encourages you to explore new techniques and to experiment with new arts in order to move on with your creative life

Julia Cameron is well known for her book The Artists Way which encourages you to use and explore your creativity. This book, Walking in This World, suggests new strategies and techniques that encourage creative growth, as well as reviewing some of the key ideas from The Artists Way.

The Tools of Creativity

In The Artists Way Cameron encourages you to use a tool she calls 'Morning Pages'. This activity involves writing three stream-of- consciousness pages at the start of each day. All you need to do is sit down, with a notebook, and write down whatever thoughts and feelings arise. Morning Pages are designed to siphon off negativity and to clear your mind of any worries. This tool is very similar to the concept of writing practice which is mentioned by Natalie Goldberg in her book Wild Mind. Goldberg agrees that it is useful to empty the clutter from our minds in order to become more creative.

Cameron also suggests a tool called 'The Artist's Date'. This tool encourages you to take an outing, on your own. Ideally you need to go on one date every week. Plan to visit any place that brings you personal inspiration. Cameron mentions one person who became inspired by looking around rug stores. Other ideas include visiting exhibitions, films, plays and beauty spots. Perhaps you could take a notebook or a sketchbook on your date and record any ideas that arise. These visits are designed to fire your imagination.

Walking and Creativity

In Walking in This World a new tool is introduced. This tool is called the 'Weekly Walk'. Cameron thinks that taking a walk, each week, encourages you to look at problems in new ways and to become open to fresh ideas. She thinks that the habit of walking brings people into the 'realm of larger thoughts and ideas well known to shamans and spiritual seekers'. She mentions a period in her own life, following her father's death, when she felt very depressed. During this period she used walking to help her find a new sense of hope.

Many creative people become stuck indoors as they wrestle with their artistic work. By going for a twenty minute walk, each week, Cameron thinks that you will be able to metabolize creative ideas more easily. She points out that you can sometimes become overwhelmed by life events and problems. The process of stepping out, into the world, allows you to 'walk into a new and larger identity'.

Experimenting with the Arts

This book also points out that experimenting with new art forms can be very liberating. If you are a writer then try painting, if you are a singer why not play the piano. Sometimes creativity is blocked because it is flowing down one narrow path instead of many wide ones. The walks, the dates and the experiments with other forms are all designed to help your creative growth. She views creativity as a kind of spiritual energy which is charged up by fresh experiences and new perspectives.