Julia Cameron
Julia Cameron has had a remarkable career, which in turn has given remarkable help to others. Julia has published 30 books, highly praised short stories, award-winning essays and hard-hitting political journalism. Her credits range from Rolling Stone to The New York Times. A novelist, playwright, songwriter and poet, she has distinctive credits in theatre, film and television.
Despite her extensive film and theater credits, which include such diverse work as Miami Vice and the prize-winning romantic comedy God’s Will, which she both wrote and directed, Cameron is best known for her hugely successful works on creativity.The Artist’s Way has sold more than two million copies worldwide, and her followup bestsellers The Vein of Gold, Walking in this World and The Right to Write are likewise flagship books which are taught in universities, churches, human potential centers and even in tiny clusters deep in the jungles of Panama.
Credited with founding a new human potential movement that has enabled millions to realize their creative dreams, Cameron eschews the title creativity expert, preferring instead to describe herself simply as an artist. “Artists have always mentored, I just do it on a wider scale.”
“My books are not creative theory,” she explains. “They spring straight out of my own creative practice. In a sense, I am the floor sample of my own tool kit. When we are unblocked we can have remarkable and diverse adventures.”
She knows of what she speaks. A writer since the age of eighteen, Cameron has published highly praised short stories, award-winning essays and hard-hitting political journalism. Her credits range from Rolling Stone to The New York Times. As a teacher, she has taught everywhere from The Smithsonian to Esalen, The New York Times to Northwestern University where she served as writer in residence in film.
"Most of us have no idea of our real creative height. We are much more gifted than we know. My tools help to nurture those gifts."
This musical aspect of her career began in her mid-forties and she laughs, “I have only myself to blame for suddenly sprouting a new career. If you teach unblocking, you do get unblocked!”
Cameron recently published the long-awaited sequel to The Artist’s Way. EntitledThe Complete Artist’s Way, it is a trilogy containing “further adventures along the trail” with Walking in This World: The Practical Art of Creativity and Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance serving as extensions to Cameron’s original work. Cameron also recently published her memoir, Floor Sample.
“I wanted to step out from the role as teacher and mentor, and give a detailed picture of my creative life as it has unfolded.”
Julia Cameron lives in Santa Fe with her two dogs.