What the Fuck is the Artist's Way

And gift subscriptions

Hello Friends,

Believe it or not, there are good things in store for Hermitage. I know we’ve all been on a wild ride the last year. I started this newsletter in October of 2020, as Gatherings. It’s changed and shifted and is still finding its voice, but I think I am finding my way towards what I want it to be.

I want to create a community for writers, artists, and creators of all kinds.

I have interviews planned and writing meet-ups in mind. I want to create an inspiring container where we can share ideas and explore why we create, what gives us joy.

This will all begin in the new year, with The Artist’s Way Exploration. I call it “exploration” because The Artist’s Way isn’t a book for everyone. Upon first glance it appears either invitingly earnest (with its liberal use of the word “spiritual”) or abrasively sentimental.

My grandmother gave me The Artist’s Way when I was just fourteen, after she had worked through it herself. She was a recovered alcoholic, a former drug addict, and a night-shift nurse who often brought me to AA meetings with her (I lived with my grandparents as a child). Being an overly sentimental and earnest person myself, I dove into the book, and have worked through it a few times throughout my life. It’s an amazing resource, and each time I’ve worked my way through it, diligently writing my morning pages before the sun rises, I’ve met myself at the end as a transformed artist and human.

I would have never called myself an artist before this book. And it took me years, decades, to call myself a writer without flinching.

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What is the Artist’s Way?

The Artist’s Way is a ten-week journey. Each week consists of assignments and exercises, with titles like “Recovering a Sense of Abundance” and “Recovering a Sense of Identity.” The traveler (ahem, reader) begins with a contract, committing to the ten weeks.

The backbone to The Artist’s Way is morning pages. Many people have practiced morning pages without knowing their origin. If you simply do morning pages, committing to them for ten weeks, you will emerged transformed in some way. Cameron urges the traveler to throw away the pages, to let them be trash, to write for no one.

Each week the artist goes on a date with themselves. A “play date.” Two hours of time set aside each week to explore one’s creativity.

Committing to these two things is nonnegotiable. Everything else is optional.

Why does it have to be spiritual?

It doesn’t. Cameron uses the words spiritual and god liberally throughout this book, but you don’t have to be spiritual at all. Don’t let this stop you from deepening your understanding of yourself as an artist.

That said, if you have any sort of spiritual practice, there is ample space here to expand that, whether you are witchy or Buddhist or Pagan or Catholic.

WTF will happen in the group?

Connection with others, or not. Connection with yourself, surely. Essentially, I’ll be creating a newsletter adjacent to this one (no need for another subscription), and all paying subscribers to Hermitage will have access. We’ll have weekly writing meetups, conversation threads, and share our journeys with each other. Here are some of the subjects we’ll be exploring:

• Working through the sense of scarcity and urgency many artists feel in our culture.

• Balancing your writing/art with the demands of work, school, parenting etc.

• Calling yourselves artists, without qualifying the statement.

• Making a tangible commitment to yourself and your process.

• Writing outside of commerce. Many of us write for a living, or for publication. Creating a space where the writing can simply be what it is, without the need for structuring and without the goal of being read is incredibly empowering.

We live in a capitalist society, and many artists (including myself) feel like their brain, their ideas, arise and immediately become commodified, even within ourselves. How can I turn this into something someone may want to consume? But stepping outside of that mindset liberates us. It’s magical. Really.

How do I join?

To join, make sure you’re a paying subscriber to Hermitage. The group will be created inside the container of this newsletter. We’ll meet via discussion thread in the first week of January— you have the option to join the thread live of post on it outside of the “live” window. I’ll be there to answer questions and chat with everyone when it’s live.

What was the best book of the year for you?

Let us know in the comments. I’m compiling a list!

Gift Hermitage!

Give the gift of Hermitage to a friend or family member, an aspiring writer or artist, or anyone in your life you think would love this newsletter.

I’ll be sending out a holiday issue on Sunday, all about how treacherous and beautiful the holidays can be.

With love,

Stacy