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Quite a book. L'Engle is an articulate woman who believes in Jesus, who is an artist, who is an intellectual, who is widely read, and who is still humble. A wonderful and challenging book. L'Engle, who is both an artist and a Christian, was asked to lecture about what it means to be a Christian artist. Thoughts from that lecture went into this book, as well as many others. If I was a person who highlights in books, probably 1/3 of this book would be bright yellow .. but I'm not. So I'll just plan to read it again in the near future. L'Engle connects a variety of images and ideas -- theology, advanced mathematics, stories of herself and her family, classic literature, various branches of science -- to ponder and reflect on what the differences and distinctions are between Christian artists and secular artists, between artists and Christians, between sinners and saints and those in-between.

I'd like to think that my perspective is similar to L'Engle's, although she is much more articulate than I am. From her writing, I suspect that I want to grow up to be like her. As someone who is unafraid to face challenges and the unknown. As someone who takes time each day to BE without needing to do and to be busy all the time. As someone who can see what is usual and old in such a way that others can see the newness and beauty of it. As someone who doesn't have to write (or dance or draw) about things which are Christian because her character simply reflects it. All that said, how refreshing it is to read a solid book by a solid person .. as opposed to a good book by a person whose life I wouldn't want to imitate. Haven't yet read anything by L'Engle that I didn't enjoy and wouldn't mind reading again.

Title:	Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art
Author:	Madeleine L'Engle
Date published:	1980
Genre:	Nonfiction, Creativity
Number of pages:	227
Notes:	Borrowed from Lisa E.

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Julia Cameron's "artist's way" is a twelve-week workbook that aims at recovering, or discovering, your creativity. This book has been around for long enough-- and successful enough-- that some of its fixtures have become familiar to artists who are not acquainted with the book itself-- namely, the "morning pages" (write 3 pages every morning-- it doesn't matter what about, just write) and the "artist date" (take the time to do something fun and frivolous, to feed your creative side).

In some ways, working through this book was a very challenging and time-consuming experience. For each chapter there are tasks, and it would take a great deal of commitment to do all of them, plus morning pages and artist dates each week, which I never quite managed (although often our failures are as enlightening than our successes, if not more so). The book wasn't exactly what I expected; most of the content and the exercises are more about becoming a healthy person, and having good, healthy attitudes about art and creativity--which, certainly, are important. I thought there would be more in the way of artistic assignments to get you started, doing something in whatever media you like to work, or trying new ones (that might be the case in a few instances, although saying so might be a bit of a stretch). Perhaps the book just aims to get you in a place where you are willing and able to make the time for yourself to be creative, and to follow through on your own ideas and dreams (and there are some tools and helps towards this); but you still have to take the actual steps yourself.

There is also a spiritual component to Cameron's views on art; she challenges her readers to think of their "higher power" as a creative being, and one who values creativity-- and who gives us dreams and abilities for a reason, and wants to see us flourishing. Sometimes, with the language Cameron uses, it's difficult to tell what kind of background she is coming from-- what she says tends to sound a bit like New Age stuff, but this might be a result of trying to write it in terms that will be acceptable to people of a wide variety of beliefs. Also, I've been exposed to a lot of views and theories about art, and I'm not sure how much stock I put in her view... but I have to admit, her vision may be one that is more likely to encourage and stimulate acts of artistic creation, so it may be a pragmatic one in some ways.

This is an interesting and challenging book, and there is a lot of value here. It is worth going through, and probably worth doing more than once.

Title:	The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity
Author:	Julia Cameron
Date published:	1992
Genre:	Nonfiction / Creativity / Spirituality
Number of pages:	229
Notes:	Worked through over 12 weeks with 3 others.

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