Hey Everyone!
We just finished our orientation on Zoom for The Artist’s Way. For some of you, the Sunday meetings aren’t ideal for your schedule and you have decided with your group to meet on another day. This is a great adjustment so you can commit to the entire 12 weeks.
Below are some suggestions I have found from Julia Cameron’s website and others who have run their own groups. This is how I will be running the Zoom meetings and I would encourage you to follow a similar approach.
1. The Core Structure
The Twelve-Week Process: Commit to meeting once a week for the full twelve weeks, covering one chapter per gathering.
Time Commitment: Allocate around two hours for each meeting to allow everyone space to be heard without rushing.
Brave Talk: You can use your preferred video conferencing app like Zoom, FaceTime or WhatsApp for your meetings. Brave Talk is a free tool that works the same as Zoom and is free for up to four people for an unlimited amount of time and number of meetings. Check it out here!
The Size of the Circle: While your total group can be larger, when it comes time to share exercises, try to break into groups of four. Five can become unwieldy, and three often doesn’t provide enough contrasting experience.
2. Guidelines for the Heart
No Gurus: Every person is an equal part of the collective. Facilitators must also do the morning pages, the artist dates, and share their own creative risks.
Listen Without “Fixing”: We are intended to witness, not control, one another. When someone shares, go around the circle without commenting or trying to “help” them. Each group’s “song” is unique; let it be.
Morning Pages are Private: Do not share your morning pages with the group. They are between you and God/The Great Creator/Divine.
3. Running the Meeting
A successful meeting flows through connection and reflection:
The Landing: Start with a brief “check-in.” Ask, “How are you feeling?”. Allow each person a minute or two to speak their truth. Whether they feel “hungry” or are experiencing a “creative breakthrough”.
Chapter Reflection: Instead of reading the chapter aloud, discuss what resonated. Talk about your self-discoveries, your confusion, or even your disagreements with the text.
The Exercises: Do the exercises from the chapter in order during the meeting. Everyone, including the facilitator, answers the questions and then shares their responses within their small cluster.
4. Supporting the Journey
Expect Change: Not everyone will finish the twelve weeks, and that is okay. Be prepared for “Creative U-Turns” around week eight to ten, when the fear of the group ending might make people want to pull away. Face this truth together to stay strong.
Be Kind: Relapse is part of the process. If you miss a day of pages or a week of tasks, relax and be self-loving.
5. If Someone Misses a Meeting
Life happens, and creative recovery is not about perfection.
No Big Deal: If a member misses a week, they should simply continue with their individual morning pages and the next chapter’s tasks.
Stay Connected: Use a group text or email to share “ephemeral moments” or photos from Artist Dates between meetings to keep the momentum alive.
I will also be putting out a post each week for everyone to collectively share their comments and moments of inspiration or adventure.
Have fun, be compassionate and enjoy the journey!
Graham
Thank you so much for encouraging us not to give up. I’m someone who tends to demand a lot from myself, and that sometimes makes me a little anxious. But all of this brought me more calm. Thank you! 🙌🏻
Thank you Graham for sharing this information, it is very helpful for our Down Under group as we may not all be able to meet at the scheduled Monday morning meetings . We will most probably schedule afternoon meetings whenever we can.