The Vein of Gold: A Journey to Your Creative Heart

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I credit Julia Cameron's Artist Way series with helping me work through my art block issues (stemming from my upbringing). It irritates me whenever I read negative reviews of her books. To other people I seem like the most confident and adventuresome person they ever met. But to those of us who want to follow a dream in the arts, we know finding our voice, our style, is a ton of WORK and is risky/scary/vulnerable even for people who grew up in environments that supported them! Julia is a mentor who can help you stay on track, or get back on track if you lose your way. She is basically sharing combined knowledge of our tribe to encourage us. There were other books that helped me along the way, but only Julia's books are heavily annotated and frayed to pieces from the miles of introspection and goal setting that came from reading them. I have gone from victim of other people's plans for my life in my 20's to trying art again at age 27 to folk artist and published illustrator by age 50 ( I raised 5 children- I didn't have much time to devote to art during my child rearing years). Thank you, Julia, for your part in helping me. I really appreciate it. I hope I can be as useful as you are in encouraging other people to try their dreams too.The Vein of Gold is appropriately named. This book seems geared toward helping artists find their authentic voice and their own stories, where the Artist's Way trilogy helps artists to name their dreams, to try, and to protect themselves and their dreams. In The Vein of Gold, she encourages us to use the same tools as her other books, adding new insight or stories, not just rehashing old material. I have read about half of the book so far. I love that she has many exercises mining our own memories and impressions, especially from childhood. I've always believed that those impressions are the gold of our voice and style. I did an exercise called The Blame Game where you turn your "If Only's" into possible actions and I decided to give myself the same opportunity that I have given to people I've mentored. It was a powerful exercise that ended up causing me to establish new partnerships with artists who are already thriving. That blessing is turning out to have major impact. I have no doubt that this book will help me along my continued journey as an artist.

Recently I felt the need to re-evaluate my life. I wondered who I really was, what I had actually accomplished in my life and what I would accomplish in the future.Having read Julia Cameron's "Artist Way" in the past so I chose to look through her other books to see if they might provide aid to my quest. First I chose "Walking in this World", but I felt the need for more understanding who "I" really was so I purchased "Vein of Gold".Within its pages I found many of the familiar tools that I had discovered in the other Cameron books I had read but, I have also discovered the "Kingdoms". Through them I have been able to recognize my original self, who I really am.I appreciate Julia's candid sharing of examples from her own life and the lives of others to illustrate what she was trying to get across as well as her easy to follow steps to nourish the artist spirit within and the necessary steps to help it to grow.The most important thing I carried away from this book was that I was able to rediscover myself.

I haven't finished this book yet which for me is proof that it was worth getting. I wanted a book that would give me creative ideas to sort of force me to stay creative. The goal was to pursue creativity despite a 9-5 demanding job. I was familiar with Julia's great work with the Artist's way so I didn't hesitate. So far the understandings have sometimes been shocking. I am reading the task and hand and I am cool. I do it and a full world of understanding comes up through my creativity. Julia warns us that this is pilgrimage . The only problem for me is that I cannot follow through due to many obligations for 2 years now. And I suspect it old have a big effect if one would omelette all chapters (Julia calls them Kingdoms) in a row

SORRY; I AM NOT AWAKE YET THIS MORNING; I WAS REVIEWING THE ARTIST'S WAY; it is really the first in the series; I haven't read Vein of Gold yet; however, it may be helpful to you to read the other book first, so here is its review:Wish I could have read this ages ago but I probably was not ready; really fits into my life; thank goodness for the large margins I am filling them up; the concepts parallel my own life even though I am not using it as an "artist" but rather as a "seeker"; We need a way to see God as an inspiration to create and not as a demander and this book helps; it helps me clarify my own concepts that I am developing; highly recommended for anyone who is ready to break out of the prison they are in; helping me in my journey to shift from a "religious" person to a spiritual person.

Though my favorite is still “artist way,” this was a very good complementary book to that. I wouldn’t have wanted to do this book before “artist way.” That being said it’s been a while since I’ve read “artist way” and don’t know how similar or how different this book is from that. It feels very similar but I also believe in inspired me in different ways.It reignited my passion for morning pages. I was in a rut and headed journaling and now I’ve come to really love it like I used to love to journal.

I worked through The Artist's Way this time last year. There was much in it that I didn't do/finish but I don't like going over old ground. The Vein of Gold summarises the main tenets of The Artist's Way and then cracks on with stuff that, at the moment, seems to be another dimension - although in the same 'vein' as the other book. I feel that this book is better than the former in that it seems to more concise - less wordy (but I am still only on p.57). Have bought another copy for my daughter who has far less time than I for this kind of thing - but has expressed an interest in it. I think she may be able to cope with this, fitting it into her busy schedule. Even if she only gets as far as I have at the moment, I feel it is still worth while as so much is concentrated within these first pages.

This is a life-changing book. My group of friends and I adored it, and learning so much from it as we worked through the book. It is one that I will re-visit over and over. This is packed full of wisdom and there are a lot of exercises to work through, but you can pick them to do as you become ready for them. I have read Julia Cameron's other books 'The Artist's Way' and 'Vein of Gold' too, and this one may be my favourite yet. Definately worth doing for those who are on their own journeys of creative or personal discovery. A heartfelt thank you to Julia Cameron.

Well, we are using it in our group., we previously used The Artist's Way and have moved on to The Vein of Gold. So far we have been telling each other our life stories each week, in 5 year chunks. Quite a useful thing to do. I havn't looked at the book much yet, but others in the group have said they think it's even better than The Artist's Way. I like the whole spiritual dimension side to these books, and I have had a more interesting life for the two years so far I've spent in our group, it's inspired me to try a lot of new things - or at least to follow my own heart and inclinations.

Working through the exercisesI loved the artist way and this is the continuation of that book - more in-depth to help awaken the inner child of creativity

I'm not through it all yet but the book follows brilliantly from 'The Artist's Way' which has carried me through the winter. 'Vein of Gold' takes the traveler on the next stage of creative pilgrimage. Very sound advice and full of lovely ideas and quotes. Thanks Julia Cameron.