Creativity can be child’s play says author Julia Cameron

“I grew up in what you might call a relentlessly creative household,” says Julia Cameron, 65, author of the best-selling book on creativity, The Artist’s Way.

“We were given art supplies, music supplies... Our mother knew enough to get us started and then stand back and not meddle. My parents never said to us: ‘Don’t you think you’ll need something to fall back on?’ They acted as though creativity was completely normal. As a result, all of us seven children earn our livings by our wits.”

Cameron, pictured below right, is a novelist, screenwriter and poet who was married to film director Martin Scorsese. Published in 1992, The Artist’s Way has sold 4m copies. Would-be writers and artists swear by her methods, which include ‘morning pages’ — writing first thing as a daily meditation.

Cameron’s fans have pressed her to write a version for children. She has: The Artist’s Way for Parents: A Spiritual Approach to Raising Creative Children is published this month.

“When my daughter Domenica got pregnant, I realised I had more to say. I wanted to pass on to her a set of tools that would work. I wanted to let her have that creative lineage, to pass on what it was that my parents did, what it was that I tried to do when she was growing up, and what she might try to do with her own daughter,” she says.

The book’s exercises focus on the parent and then ease on to the child. “List five of your favourite interests. Now, list five interests your child has that you are unfamiliar with. Can you consciously let those interests be his alone and allow those interests to blossom?” I like this advice.

Clutter has a chapter. “Virtually every parent I have known, observed, and spoken to in the process of writing this book has mentioned the physical clutter that amasses and the struggle to keep up with it. I urge parents not to fret about it too much.”

But she advises people to spend 15 minutes a day (strictly, always) removing the clutter. “When we clear the physical space, we literally make room for clarity and inspiration.” Cameron grew up in a messy, but well-organised household in Libertyville, Illinois: “My father was in advertising. My mother had a masters degree in English. She was a stay-at-home mom. With seven kids, you practically had to be.”

She realises her childhood was unusual: “As children, we were very popular and people always wanted to come to our house, because our house was fun. Both my parents were committed to creativity and it showed up in their lives: My father played the banjo and double bass; before my mother was married, she taught English.

“We were all treated equally. The older kids took an interest in the younger kids, so, if we learned something, we would turn around and teach it to a younger sibling.” Her siblings are text-book creatives: Her two brothers are musicians, one sister is a painter, and her other three sisters are writers. Cameron passes on the freedom and space of her childhood to show parents how to recreate it. “The book is aimed at nurturing parents’ creativity and teaching how to pass that spiritual nutrition on to their children.” (She is big on spirituality and connecting to a higher power, whom she calls God, while acknowledging that this will annoy people).

Another tool is the ‘creative expedition’: The child chooses a place to go, like a museum or a park (not McDonald’s or a toy shop). Also, ‘highlights’: At bedtime, ask the child to tell you about their favourite moment of the day.

‘Highlights’ works best in our family. At first, I feel fake, asking, ‘what was the best thing that happened today?’ But it’s a simple question that is rarely asked and children are happy to answer at great length. (Be prepared for a guilt trip, too. My daughter, Vera, seven: “The best thing? When you came home from work.”) It sounds basic and it is, but Cameron is concerned that many people don’t spend even a minimum of free time with their children.

Creativity combines opposites: Connecting with a child and showing them that their ideas are interesting, but leaving them to their own devices. “We have a lot of pressures on children very young,” she says, “We have ambition. We over-schedule our children. We want them to have soccer lessons and violin lessons… I think children need to have at least an hour of fun a day.”

While Cameron’s methods have applications for children, the effects of childhood on creativity apply to adults, too. The book is as much about examining what sort of parent you are (and how creativity was — or wasn’t — encouraged in your own childhood) as it is about providing ideas.

Cameron has a disquietingly serene manner. Her zen-like tone belies what has not been the easiest life. In her memoir, Floor Sample, she writes about her struggle with alcohol, and about building an altar at home when Domenica was six. “Sometimes, I would ask for a quality: ‘God, grant me creativity’, ‘grant me joy’, ‘grant me sobriety’, ‘grant me serenity’. Domenica would copycat my prayers, although she didn’t know what some of the words meant. It tickled me to hear her asking for sobriety.”

Cameron still does ‘highlights’ daily with Domenica. Work-wise, she balances creative projects with teaching: She’s working with a New York director on a play.

“For the most part, I am just very happy,” she says. “The sentence that is said to me most often is: ‘Your book changed my life.’ I just think it’s much easier to commit creativity than it is to avoid it.”