This is my second week of doing The Artist's Way (a 12-week creative recovery course by Julia Cameron) and I'm already noticing subtle shifts in how I perceive creativity in everyday life.
The biggest lesson this week?
Being truly present unlocks creativity instantly.
If you're just joining, check out my Week 1 Check-in to catch up.
Morning Pages
I completed Morning Pages six out of seven days this week.
Compared to week one, I've been very resistant to completing them first thing in the morning and often pushed them off sometimes as late as 2 PM – despite having them scheduled in my morning routine.
This resistance comes from prioritizing business tasks or exercises first. By postponing, I often rush through the final pages, either:
Repeating words
Forcing poetry or lyrics
Scribbling to fill the space
For week three, I'm recommitting to doing Morning Pages in the first 2 hours upon waking.
Why Morning Pages Work
The magic of Morning Pages happens when your brain is rambling and suddenly produces brilliant ideas.
Without self-censorship, the writing flows freely, allowing more vulnerability and creativity. I'm already seeing potential:
Blog ideas
Song lyrics
Video concepts
Content snippets
This is exactly why Cameron insists on writing three full pages – the creative gold often doesn't appear until we have passed the halfway point in our pages.
Artist Date
With temperatures over 30°C, I swapped my street photography walk for watching films with an artistic lens.
I watched two films by South Korean director Park Chan-wook:
"Oldboy" (2003)
"The Handmaiden" (2016)
Oldboy particularly impressed me with its visual techniques. Even the opening credits sparked creative thoughts before any scenes or characters appeared.
Another striking visual technique was the director's use of leading lines to choreograph character movement within scenes.
Shifting between the rule of thirds and central lines creates a strong sense of depth, both between the foreground and background and side-to-side of the scene.
The most powerful demonstration of this was featured in a long corridor fight shot in a single side-view take, where the protagonist, Oh Dae-su, battles dozens of opponents moving from right to left.
These patterns became apparent immediately because I allowed myself the space to be fully present and attentive without any distractions.
Being Present Changes Everything
Chapter 2 emphasizes that quality of life requires staying mentally present rather than being trapped in the past or anxious about the future.
As soon as I set aside distractions and anxieties about pending tasks, inspiration immediately began flowing!
This mirrors my experience during the first Artist Date at the botanical gardens, where creativity seemed almost effortless once I was fully present.
Weekly Tasks
Imaginary Lives (Part 2)
After listing five imaginary lives in Week 1, this week asked for five more with a focus on incorporating elements into my current life:
Author → I can write regularly
High school teacher → I can teach what I know now
Coffee shop owner → I can perfect my home brewing
Real estate investor → I can start studying investment opportunities
Multilingual travel guide → I can spend 20 minutes daily on language learning
20 Things I Enjoy (But Rarely Do)
This task revealed activities I love but have neglected:
Fishing
Cycling
Weight lifting
Bodyboarding
Dancing alone
Taking photos
Visiting libraries
Watching movies
Getting massages
Going to museums
Playing video games
Building digital tools
Kayaking on a calm lake
Making homemade pizza
Visiting farmers markets
Dedicating a full day to hiking
Discovering new music albums
Making music with proper equipment
Building genuine in-person friendships
Setting aside an entire day to finish a book
The exercise aims to uncover deeper enjoyments from your past – connecting to your inner child rather than simple pleasures like "I enjoy chocolate."
Ten Tiny Changes
These tiny changes represent both creative and lifestyle shifts I want to make as my artistic recovery progresses:
Fix my posture
Visit New York and Texas
Master my morning routine
Take a solo weekend getaway
Buy my first property this year
Improve my communication skills
Buy a new couch for the living room
Look back at the end of 2025 with pride
Add more musical elements to my studio
Publish my newsletter consistently every week
I’ll be back next week with another update. You can also follow along with video updates on YouTube.
Thanks for reading! If you've worked through The Artist's Way yourself or are thinking about starting, I'd love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.
Keep going gang,
Drew Trott
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