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

Creativity can be unlocked, discovered, unleashed, and explored, but it cannot be forced. Cameron argues artists must surrender to the creative process to truly engage in the process by entering flow, connecting with the highest self, and letting go of expectations. Often, creatives measure success with the final product rather than the act of making it, but Cameron suggests this emphasis on product over process leads to those avoidant feelings:

“At the heart of the anorexia of artistic avoidance is the denial of process. We like to focus on having learned a skill or on having made an artwork. This attention to final form ignores the fact that creativity lies not in the done but in doing.” (139)

This focus on the end result can lead creatives to attempt to force creativity rather than surrendering to the process. This can be an unhealthy cycle because a sense of constraint and the logical mind is driving the creative work instead of allowing the artist to tap into a sense of play and wonder. This emphasis on the product is a consequence of living in a society that emphasizes the final product, particularly in American consumer culture. This focus on the end result can cause creatives to feel their work is selfish or fruitless if they don’t have anything to share, deliver, or sell.