It's never too late to begin again: discovering creativity and meaning at midlife and beyond

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
TarcherPerigee, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
Publication Date
[2016]
Language
English

Description

“The book you hold in your hands is the distillate of a quarter century’s teaching. It is my attempt to answer, ‘What next?’ for students who are embarking on their ‘second act.’” —Julia Cameron   Julia Cameron has inspired millions with her bestseller on creativity, The Artist’s Way. In It’s Never Too Late To Begin Again, she turns her eye to a segment of the population that, ironically, while they have more time to be creative, are often reluctant or intimidated by the creative process. Cameron shows readers that retirement can, in fact, be the most rich, fulfilling, and creative time of their lives. When someone retires, the newfound freedom can be quite exciting, but also daunting. The life that someone had has changed, and the life to come is yet to be defined. In this book, Cameron shows readers how cultivating their creative selves can help them navigate this new terrain. She tells the inspiring stories of retirees who discovered new artistic pursuits and passions that more than filled their days—they nurtured their souls.  This twelve-week course aimed at defining—and creating—the life you want to have as you redefine and re-create yourself, this book includes simple tools that will guide and inspire you to make the most of this time in your life: -  Memoir writing offers an opportunity to reflect on and honor past experience. This book guides you through the daunting task of writing an entire memoir, breaking it down into manageable pieces.  -  Morning Pages—private, stream-of-consciousness writing done daily—allow you to express wishes, fears, delights, resentments, and joys, which in turn, provide focus and clarity for the day at hand. -  Artist Dates encourage fun and spontaneity. -  Solo Walks quell anxiety and clear the mind.This fun, gentle, step-by-step process will help you explore your creative dreams, wishes, and desires...and help you quickly find that it’s never too late to begin again.

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Contributors
Lively, Emma author
ISBN
9780399174216

Table of Contents

From the Book

Introduction
Week One : Reigniting a Sense of Wonder
Week Two : Reigniting a Sense of Freedom
Week Three Reigniting a Sense of Connection
Week Four : Reigniting a Sense of Purpose
Week Five : Reigniting a Sense of Honesty
Week Six : Reigniting a Sense of Humility
Week Seven : Reigniting a Sense of Resilience
Week Eight : Reigniting a Sense of Joy
Week Nine : Reigniting a Sense of Motion
Week Ten : Reigniting a Sense of Vitality
Week Eleven : Reigniting a Sense of Adventure
Week Twelve : Reigniting a Sense of Faith
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Index.

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Published Reviews

Booklist Review

Creativity guru Cameron of The Artist's Way (1992) fame, whose most recent book is The Creative Life (2010), adds to her impressive output 30 books about art, spirituality, and prayer, as well as fiction, plays, and poetry and stands as living proof that a lifelong quest for expressing one's self can be rewarding. Cameron, with coauthor Lively, addresses adults well into life here, suggesting ways to reignite one's senses in order to embark on life's second acts. She begins with one principle: Creativity is the natural order of life. For best results, she reemphasizes her well-known discipline of writing Morning Pages and delineates 12 redevelopments of our emotions and circumstances: of wonder by recalling childhood experiences, of freedom with the increased independence of retirement, of connection with people we actively choose, and, most importantly, of faith. Organized into a 12-week program designed to help individuals define and re-create their lives in middle age and beyond, Cameron's guide offers useful assigned tasks (warning: these include fill-in writing exercises), making this a must-read for all hoping to enhance their creativity in all aspects of life.--Scott, Whitney Copyright 2016 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

With her usual enthusiastic, motivational tone, Cameron (The Artist's Way) encourages individuals who are closing major chapters of their lives and moving into retirement to embrace the adventures that these years bring. With helpful sections on topics such as reinvigorating a sense of wonder, adventure, and purpose, Cameron offers a 12-week course, providing four basic tools for each week. She recommends writing three pages of longhand every morning in a private journal, letting the mind wander. Cameron also suggests making an "artist date" once a week, attending an event alone and exploring what delights your inner artist. As part of this course, she also recommends working on a memoir-a weekly process that allows readers to revisit different periods in their lives-as well as a twice-weekly solo walk to open space in the mind. During each week, Cameron provides questions and reflections that help guide the process. While Cameron's repetitious and simplistic method may put some people off, her sincere spiritual cheerleading will likely motivate many individuals to find the creative sparks to light up the next phase of their lives. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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Booklist Reviews

Creativity guru Cameron of The Artist's Way (1992) fame, whose most recent book is The Creative Life (2010), adds to her impressive output—30 books about art, spirituality, and prayer, as well as fiction, plays, and poetry—and stands as living proof that a lifelong quest for expressing one's self can be rewarding. Cameron, with coauthor Lively, addresses adults well into life here, suggesting ways to reignite one's senses in order to embark on life's "second acts." She begins with one principle: "Creativity is the natural order of life." For best results, she reemphasizes her well-known discipline of writing "Morning Pages" and delineates 12 redevelopments of our emotions and circumstances: of wonder by recalling childhood experiences, of freedom with the increased independence of retirement, of connection with people we actively choose, and, most importantly, of faith. Organized into a 12-week program designed to help individuals define and re-create their lives in middle age and beyond, Cameron's guide offers useful assigned tasks (warning: these include fill-in writing exercises), making this a must-read for all hoping to enhance their creativity in all aspects of life. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.
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Publishers Weekly Reviews

With her usual enthusiastic, motivational tone, Cameron (The Artist's Way) encourages individuals who are closing major chapters of their lives and moving into retirement to embrace the adventures that these years bring. With helpful sections on topics such as reinvigorating a sense of wonder, adventure, and purpose, Cameron offers a 12-week course, providing four basic tools for each week. She recommends writing three pages of longhand every morning in a private journal, letting the mind wander. Cameron also suggests making an "artist date" once a week, attending an event alone and exploring what delights your inner artist. As part of this course, she also recommends working on a memoir—a weekly process that allows readers to revisit different periods in their lives—as well as a twice-weekly solo walk to open space in the mind. During each week, Cameron provides questions and reflections that help guide the process. While Cameron's repetitious and simplistic method may put some people off, her sincere spiritual cheerleading will likely motivate many individuals to find the creative sparks to light up the next phase of their lives. (Apr.)

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