Online Book Club for “Walking in this World”

Our book club selection is Julia Cameron’s beloved Creativity book “Walking in this World – The Practical Art of Creativity.” 

This is our Reading Schedule:

Sep 19: Introduction + Basic Tools + Chapters 1-4 

Oct 17: Chapters 5-8 

Nov 21: Chapters 9-12  

Discussion Questions for Tuesday, September 19

We’re reading Introduction + Basic Tools + Chapter 1-4

Introduction + Basic Tools

• What did you find harder to do – Morning pages or Artist Dates? In my life, I’ve sometimes found morning pages harder (when I’m in an overthinking loop) and sometimes artist dates (when I’m feeling miserly with myself).   
• “The loneliness we fear finding in art is actually the loneliness of disconnecting ourselves from our creativity and our creator.” Have you ever felt this way – that letting yourself be creative means being lonely on some level? As you read this book & played creatively, did you experience any moments of feeling more connected with yourself? 

Chapter 1: Discovering a Sense of Origin  

• Julia C talks about how sometimes, we experience a sense of powerlessness because we don’t see what direct action we can take to change our feelings. “At times like this, we’d do well not to be so linear.” She suggests listing 20 small creative actions you could take. What did you think about this idea of non-directed action? Did it help you in any way? 
• “Art triggers abundance, but it triggers it in diverse forms. Our cash flow may not immediately increase, but our opportunity flow will increase.” Did you notice any “benevolent coincidences?” Were you able to receive any good things that happened? 
• How easy or hard did you find the “Express yourself” exercise? (List 10 positive adjectives that describe you & then create an ad). Would your current circle of friends or the people around you respond to your ad?    
• “For each of us, safety and rest come in myriad and very personal forms.” For Julia, one form is making pies. For her mother, it was playing the piano. What about you? Did you discover or rediscover something that makes you feel safe and rested? 

Chapter 2: Discovering a Sense of Proportion   

• “When we are surrounded by people who either cannot see us or cannot acknowledge what they see, our image blurs.” This has felt very true for me at different points in my life. Have you ever had this experience? Can you think of how your own self-image has either come into focus OR become blurred, depending on who you were surrounded with? 
• “Sometimes in the throes of an identity shift, we say in despair, “Sometimes, I don’t know who I am,” and we are absolutely right. Have you ever had an experience where you discovered a new interest or passion? (This is such a cool idea, that we are discovering new parts of ourselves as we live, and that we grow new “creative limbs.”)  
• Julia tells us about Michael, who had “quicksilver intelligence” but whose humor was viewed with suspicion in the academic circles he traveled in. Have you ever felt alienated because your environment did not match who you authentically are?    
• Change invites feelings of vulnerability. We may feel ungainly, “unfinished.” If you admitted to a new desire like wanting to paint or dance or write, you may be feeling BOTH more open and more vulnerable. Is there any small action you can identify to help you open to this new form gradually?  

Chapter 3: Discovering a Sense of Perspective 

• Julia says that most of us carry “word wounds” in a world that demonizes creativity & regards it as a chemical compound that can blow us up. She was called intense & hyper focused. I’ve been called too sensitive, shy, and too bookish. What about you? Have there been any labels that caused you to misunderstand yourself? 
• She says that creativity is medicine, and it’s repressing it that makes us feel crazy. And that “Far more than self-scrutiny or self-correction, self-expression may be the key to a much more synthesized and effective sense of self.” What do you think about this idea that self-expression helps us create more clarity of self? When I read this, I thought about how often I have used the wrong tool – overthinking – to try to figure out who my “self” is. 
• Julia says that “Anger sometimes signals not our immaturity but our maturity.” And “Rage at a bully or a bullying situation is actually a wonderful sign.” Did you discover any healthy anger that you may have been stuffing? Did you come up with ways to do something about it? 
• She talks about how we each have an “internal lens through which we view the world.” And that we must continually open our lens to take in new and wider realities. (Examples: She talks about a writer giving voice to her parents’ stories, an artist discovering new forms in a computer class). What new forms of art are you interested in exploring?   

Chapter 4: Discovering a Sense of Adventure 

• Julia says that “Adventure is a nutrient, not a frivolity” and that “deprived of adventure, our optimism fails us.” Artists/creatives are BOTH sensitives and also novelty-seekers. How important is exploration in your life? How often do you sacrifice it in the name of being “disciplined” or “adult”? 
• “Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” What did you think about this? Does this apply in all situations? In which situations can you start applying this? One simple thing I thought of is reaching out to an artist/writer you love and telling them how much their work means to you (even if you can’t do it very elegantly).  
• Do you worry about being original? “We” are what makes our art original. If we are always striving to be something more and something different, we dilute the power of what it is we actually are. Doing that, we dilute our art.” Is there a way in which you are diluting the power of what you actually are? Are you a short story writer trying to be a novelist? Or vice versa. Are you a mixed-media artist trying to do oil paintings. Or vice versa? (Sometimes, I do this by trying to write in a more “logical” way instead of showing the passion and emotions I feel underneath.)  
• What’s the dialogue like between the innovator part of you and the conserver part of you? Is one part stronger than the other? How can you advocate for the part that you use or maybe dismiss entirely?

These are all the questions for our first discussion. We are not limited to these, of course. See you soon!

Discussion Questions for Tuesday, October 17

We’re reading Chapters 5-8 (week 5-8).  

Chapter 5: Discovering a Sense of Personal Territory 

• Julia Cameron tells us to: “Stop being “Nice”, “Be Honest.” She says that our value systems are as individual as our fingerprints, and that when we violate our true selves, we soon start feeling worthless & undeserving. How are your values unique to you? Do you sometimes dismiss your own values because others don’t “get” them?
• Without boundaries (no calls after eleven, no work on Saturdays etc.), Julia says, both we and our creativity suffer. Sometimes, it’s almost as if we’ve turned ourselves into a food source for others. What are some boundaries that you’ve set in the past? What kind of boundaries do you struggle with? 
• How can you invest in yourself energetically? Is it something like “get more sleep” or is it more of the “Take a life-drawing class” example that Julia gives. Or something else entirely?  

Chapter 6: Discovering a Sense of Boundaries 

• “The first rule of magic is containment,” Julia says. She tells us that many of us stop practicing our creativity because we share our creative plans with someone who rains on our parade. Or show a creative project to someone who only finds fault with it. What did you think of this & her suggestions to instead work with the God Jar & identify believing mirrors? 
• We live in an overstimulating world where our deeper selves are “muffled, overtaxed and overextended.” Julia says that we are creatively blocked often because of “too much inflow, not too much outflow.” Are there ways in which you can quiet the noise or create a metaphorical room of your own to stop the distractions? 
• Modern life is restless & unrooted. How do you “commune with your community?” Are there ways in which you participate in your local community regularly – such as going to an independent bookstore, a farmer’s market or a historical society? 
• What did you think of the idea that day jobs can provide us with not just obstacles, but opportunities & connections? How true did this feel for you?  

Chapter 7: Discovering a Sense of Momentum 

• Julia says, we often say “I’m so stupid!,” when the actual problem is that “I am so smart!” Instead of discounting our creative anxiety or labeling it, Julia suggests we use it as creative fuel. What did you think about this idea? 
• Julia urges us to think of what we’re attracted to through questions of geography: What culture other than your own speaks to you? What spiritual tradition intrigues you beyond your own? What foreign cuisine do you like? What were your answers? Did anything surprise you?   
• We are often not good at counting or celebrating all the things we’ve learned in our lives. Julia tells us to make a list. What are a few things on your list that you’ve learned as you’ve gone along? (She says: Making spanakopita, learning Spanish well enough to communicate, etc)  

Chapter 8: Discovering a Sense of Discernment 

• Julia talks about how sometimes we can get fixated on how our creativity is received in the world. She urges us to “make something for someone else, not to be somebody.” Can you think of a time when something you made or created (maybe a recipe book, holiday celebration, or something else) helped you get in touch with why your creativity is important? 
• As creative people, we are very open. Julia says that “this openness to creative possibility can also make us open to creative exploitation.” What do you think about this idea? 
• Can you name your creative saboteurs (privately, to yourself)? Did you like the “exorcizing the creative demon” exercise (if you did it). Did you come up with what your creativity totem might be?

Discussion Questions for Tuesday, November 21.

We’re reading Chapters 9-12.

Chapter 9: Discovering a Sense of Resiliency 

• Julia says: “The more active – and even more negative – your imagination is, the more it is a sign of creative energy.” What we sometimes call “neurotic” in ourselves is actually the result of our unchanneled imagination. What did you think of this idea?  
• Do you make yourself available to your “oddball, harebrained, nonlinear” impulses & hunches? Or do you talk yourselves out of them? What stops you from living a more experimental life?
• Julia says that if we allow ourselves to be a little more “selfish,” it makes it easier to be “selfless” later. What has felt too selfish for you?     

Chapter 10: Discovering a Sense of Camaraderie  

• How have other people responded to your creative energy? Has someone been a positive catalyst for your creativity? Or have you had experiences where you felt the need to be very self-protective, or even experienced the “hermeticism” that Julia C talks about? 
• Many of us are not very good at counting what we’ve done, or counting how far we’ve come. Did making your Ta-Dah list help? Were some things easier to count than others? 
• What are some qualities you identified in your creative fuselighters – creative friends, colleagues, and champions? Can you name the warning signs that will help you flag the people who put a dampener on your spirit? 

Chapter 11: Discovering a Sense of Authenticity   

• What did you think of the idea that “as artists, we routinely tap an inner well, and that well is fed by our spiritual condition.” What does spirituality mean to you, whether or not it’s rooted in a tradition? Do you find that your spirituality feeds your creativity? 
• It’s easy to get discouraged. Julia says: “If we are to ‘take heart’ and go on with our work, then we must take our heart seriously.” We must celebrate what brings us joy. Julia says her “heart loves” include red-winged blackbirds, homemade rice pudding, and lily oil. What are some of your favorite, specific loves?     
• What does “integrity” as a creative person mean to you? Can you think of a creative person you admire who feels in integrity with their authentic self – who doesn’t seem divided against themselves or craving validation?   

Chapter 12: Discovering a Sense of Dignity    

• What grounding practices support your creativity? What creates a safe anchor, so you can take creative flights? 
• Can you think of examples – from your life or someone you have witnessed – where creative work was made in the spirit of service, of communing with the greater whole? What did this creative offering look or feel like? 
• Did you let yourself collect “artist toys” during the course of reading this book? What more small delights can you offer yourself as we say goodbye to this book (for now 🙂 )?  

Thank you for being part of this creative circle!