What do you think? Do you think Julia Cameron is negative in Finding Water, and if so, how do you deal with it? Caroline has a great post here on her blog (please see the 19 comments) about how she is coping. Until I read her post and the numerous comments, I had no idea what she meant. I was really puzzled.
Of course though, I'd just finished reading Julia Cameron's memoir (read my review here). I think that I am just learning so much, and that all of this is so new to me, that when I encounter something that rubs me the wrong way, I just assume it's me. Say, for example, the chapter on support. Julia Cameron does have oodles and oodles of friends---maybe even hundreds of friends---who have gone out of their way her entire life to support her in big, big ways. Even her ex-husbands support her profoundly. I just look at myself---the introvert---and feel somewhat inadequate. I'm not great at maintaining my friendships and have the energy to maintain only a very few at that. I'd love to be like her, but I'm just not. And my ex's didn't support me in the marriage, and so now...well...let's just say that I don't have their support. So anyway, I just admired her and was reminded of the importance of my friendships...and wished that I was better at maintaining them and able to have even more.
The only place I really saw negativity was in her memoir. At first, whenever she'd move somewhere, she'd be enamoured almost beyond belief. All of her problems would be solved AND she'd be able to write as well in this new place. After six months, at most, she would have soured on her new residence, and "need" to uproot herself and her family to go to a new, more desirable place---all for her arts sake. But she did it! And was successful at creating for years and years and for that I really admire her.
I figure I can learn so much from her, and will continue to---her books are rich for me; however, I will now read "Finding Water" with a more discerning eye, and I am interested in what you all think.
5 comments:
ok, i just wrote a second long-winded comment over at caroline's, so i won't repeat myself here. but i think the dialogue is good. i enjoyed reading all the comments left after i visited, including yours! i agree that although cameron is far from perfect, there is a lot to gain from her processes and i find the work very helpful! :-)
Thanks, Leah. I appreciate your comment. It's great to have discussions like these, I think. In our FW group, whether or not people agree, they are always very affirming and kind, and that's very refreshing in the blogosphere.
Olivia I just came over to link to your review posting and then saw this - thanks for the link to mine!
I have decided not to carry on with FW that is the right thing for me - I do hope you carry on getting lots out of it!
Sorry to hear that you've lost your father-in-law - you wrote about him beautifully.
Thanks for the condolences, Caroline. Best wishes to you...it's good that you trust your intuition about what's right for you right now. I'll be visiting your blog :)
You're welcome, Melba.
As I've continued to read our Finding Water chapters with "a discerning eye" I find that I understand Julia Cameron more, but I also appreciate her writing more.
I guess I really don't see her as a negative person. The negativity comes up, just like it does with many of us, but she overcomes it, and deals with it, and creates despite it. That is true genius.
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