, Julia Cameron's memoirs. I found it fascinating that she could be so creative and so tuned in to herself and her creative forces, while battling some fierce demons. She made the alcoholism sound almost easy compared to her other issues. That's only because her other issues (misdiagnosed manic-depressive episodes that I'm not quite sure ever got a name, love affairs gone wrong, etc.) might be enough to knock anyone else for a loop. Raising her daughter and still managing to live the creative life she needed took some courage and a lot of focus. Moving a few times between Los Angeles, New York, and Taos, each of which gave her some portion of what she needed was challenge enough. She's written multiple books (20 something), musicals, screenplays, had books of poems published, and much more.
The ending is a bit off... it just sort of trails off and is then over. I think that's because she chose to wrote these memoirs knowing her creative juices are still flowing. There is no end, because she's still quite alive, growing, learning, and producing. I really enjoyed reading how the workshops developed and flourished and paved the way for her book Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, and a few follow ups besides. I've also enjoyed The Sound of Paper
, which focuses on writing.
