The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity

“Do what intrigues you, explore what interests you; think mystery, not mastery.”

Cameron’s emphasis on mystery and wonder appeals to the artist’s inner child. This reinforces her message that art is about the process rather than the product, and the shifting away from a fixation on mastery will help artists accordingly move their focus away from their inner critic and toward a viable creative life.

“There, caught between the dream of action and the fear of failure, shadow artists are born.”

Cameron’s target audience includes those who identify as shadow artists in some way. Shadow artists aren’t lesser creatives but rather blocked ones, stifled by fear, perfectionism, and fantasy.

“Very often audacity, not talent, makes one person an artist and another a shadow artist—hiding in the shadows, afraid to step out and expose the dream to the light, fearful that it will disintegrate to the touch.”

This notion that the artists who’ve made it aren’t inherently more talented than those who haven’t may be comforting to shadow artists who are trying to break free from self-judgment and fear. This also affirms the importance of bravery.