“People frequently believe the creative life is grounded in fantasy. The more difficult truth is that creativity is grounded in reality, in the particular, the focused, the well-observed or specifically imagined” – Julia Cameron

A mantra has emerged for me as I have spent the last year and a half coaching women to unblock their unique creative voice and build the inner strength through contemplation and creative practices to put their work into the world. And here it is: The reward for attention is always healing!

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I wish I could take credit for this beautiful little tidbit, but it comes straight out of “The Artist’s Way.” So why, you may ask, has this phrase become so important to me? Simply because of this: I’ve seen it come true over and over and over again. When we slow down–when we get quiet, alone, focused and observant–we begin to heal. This is why I believe that contemplation and creativity are so well matched. They are inseparable companions on our healing journey.

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“As we lose our vagueness about our self, our values, our life situation, we become available to the moment.” -Julia Cameron

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One helpful tool I’ve found in “losing the vagueness” about our selves is to write a personal manifesto to put our core values/beliefs/truths on paper. In fact, we did this exercise just this week in my Artist’s Way Alumni Group and I wanted to share the process here with you!

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5 Steps to Writing Your Personal Manifesto:

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1) Write An “I believe” Statement

Set a 5-minute timer. Without self-editing or censoring, write in a stream of consciousness style for a few minutes (much like morning pages) starting your writing with “I believe …” Let anything come that comes up in your writing. You can always edit later. And remember, speed kills your inner censor, so write without letting your hand take a pause until the five minutes are up.

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2) Write An “I know this because” Statement

Set another 5-minute timer and write through why you believe what you believe. What specific experiences, family system observations and mindset work has led you to the above beliefs. Stream of consciousness write your ideas. Begin with “I believe” and let whatever wants to come up emerge on the page.

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3) Answer this question: “If I could help people learn/change/grow in only one area of their life, it would be …”

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4) Finish this sentence: “One thing that makes me/my work/ my perspective unique is …

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5) Now look back over what you’ve written. Highlight or underline the most pertinent or poignant ideas in numbers 1 and 2 as well as your answers from 3 and 4 and being to draft a statement. This can be as long or as short as you’d like. As you write, pay attention to any places in your writing where what you are saying is what you think people might want to hear from you vs. what you truly feel are your values and contributions to the world. Remember, this manifesto is for you and you will continue to add to it and refine it.

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As you work on your personal manifesto, here is the thought I want to leave you with …

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“Conditioned as we are to accept other people’s definitions of us, this emerging individuality can seem to us like self-will run riot. It is not. The snowflake pattern of your soul is emerging. Each of us is a unique, creative individual.” – Julia Cameron

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