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The Sound of Paper: Starting from Scratch
Creativity expert Julia Cameron once again inspires the blocked artist in The Sound of Paper, a series of essays that serve as a roadmap to rediscovering the creativity that Cameron believes is the lifeblood at the core of everyone's soul. Designed for artists, writers, musicians, actors, sculptors, and anyone else whose desires lean toward the creative, Cameron's book reads similar to The Right to Write, another book of essays tailored more toward the impact writing can have on the creative life.Written during the summer months spent while living in Taos, New Mexico, Cameron begins each essay with a description of the weather, the landscape, or the culture of one of Taos, one of America's hotbeds of artistic inspiration. Cameron makes comparisons of the natural world around her to the creative lives of the individuals she seeks to help unblock. The essays are short, running on average two or three pages, and the initial paragraphs of explicit description of Taos and the weather can become frustrating after a while. Keep reading. Get past the mundane to the core of the essay, and you will find inspiring expert advice.Many of the concepts explored in The Sound of Paper are the same as in Cameron's best-selling creativity workshop, The Artist's Way. The Sound of Paper serves as outstanding supplemental reading for anyone undertaking The Artist's Way. Each essay is followed by an activity intended in helping the reader experience first-hand the concepts discussed. Cameron explores all aspects of creativity, from the root causes behind blocked artists to dealing with creative reawakening and even surrounding ourselves with supportive and encouraging friends. She takes things a step further by encouraging her readers to explore their deepest desires, imagining themselves as fulfilling their creative dreams and setting goals - both long and short term - to achieve them.Cameron discounts common stereotypes of artistic people, explaining that artists need not be loners, eccentric, alcoholic, or unhappy. So many of these stereotypes force individuals to shy away from an artistic life. Cameron explains creativity as the reason for life on earth, linking creativity to spirituality and a higher power she refers to as God, or the Great Creator. Her perspective is unique in that she asks her readers to consider themselves as conduits, or channels, tapping into the creative energy of the universe and bringing art to life. Cameron encourages the removal of the ego in the process of making art.A worthwhile and inspiring book for anyone seeking to get in touch with their creativity, The Sound of Paper will challenge readers to go outside of their comfort zone and take a chance on implementing a happier, more fulfilling existence. Aside from the often too details prose regarding New Mexico and the stretching comparisons, the book is filled with solid advice and inspirational stories of creative awakening.
The Sound of Paper: Starting from Scratch
For anyone who has read The Artist's Way, The Sound of Paper will simply be a reiteration of Cameron's philosophy on the writing life and how to unblock, using the same concepts put forth in her earlier work. The text is well-written, albeit there is absolutely nothing new here; as in The Artist's Way Cameron continually pats herself on the back and drops names. The Sound of Paper should be renamed 'The Sound of Money' as it is definitely funding the author's less lucrative creative projects by tapping into her cash cow.
The Sound of Paper: Starting from Scratch
What a ghastly let down ! Luckily this book was a gift and not a personal purchase. It seems to me that the author spends all her time writing books on how to write/be creative - without having produced much else at all. A really good writer writes books and maybe, just maybe, will write one guide to aspiring writers. I have not read any of Cameron's other works but the writing in this one is not a good advertisement for her at all. Her short 'essays' - presented to the would-be-creative-writer whose muse has gone on vacation are meant to be inspirational. I find them pedestrian at best; shallow and uni-dimensional in content and bristling with the shabbiest of clichés. An insult to anyone dedicated to meaningful, resolved writing. These short essays act as a prelude to a simple 'exercise' aimed at about Grade 5 level ( I am judging by what my children received at school here in Namibia at age about 10) which is meant to release one's creative spirit. To say that the book is steeped in mediocrity is almost too generous. I cannot recommend this to anyone who is serious about writing or accessing their creative spirit unless they are a teacher of pre-pubescent children.
The Sound of Paper: Starting from Scratch
I have liked some of Julia Cameron's earlier work, as well as one of her more recent (Walking in this World), so I looked through this one at a bookstore, but didn't buy. If she is so creative, why is she writing the same book over and over, year after year (or sometimes twice a year)? She needs to take her own advice: take some time for the well to fill up again. Hers has obviously run dry. It's getting to be rather sad, and embarrassing.
The Sound of Paper: Starting from Scratch
This book is like every book by Julia Cameron. In it, she once again ponders her life as a writer. She once again pats herself on the back for all of her wondrous accomplishments. She once again looks in the mirror and assures us that she is still a beautiful woman. She yet again comes across as terribly lonely and makes writing look like a pathetic way to spend one's life.
Thinkwell Biology
My husband is taking a class in biology this semester and one of the required "texts" is the CD collection, Thinkwell's Biology. Most of the educational CD's I've tried have been a great disappointment. The attempt at "interactive" formats has left much to be desired, and there were no lecturers at all. The Thinkwell work, on the other hand, is superb. The lecturer, George Wolfe, is enthusiastic, knowledgeable and entertaining. The table of contents includes evolution, organic and inorganic chemistry, cell biology, respiration, photosynthesis, molecular genetics, biotechnology, cell reproduction, Mendelian genetics and mutation, population genetics and evolution, evolution of life on earth, animal systems and homeostasis, plant systems and homeostasis, and ecology. With such a wide range of topics, the collection would be very helpful for students in earth history, geology, biology, ecology, and anthropology, among others. Furthermore, the lectures are simple enough in their content, design and presentation that I think that most junior high school students would find the material fully understandable. Each lecture is about 10 minutes in length, so there are frequent jumping-off spots to allow for other activities, and each is fast paced enough and topic focused enough to keep even the most hyperactive student's attention. I find that when my husband is watching the lectures, I join him and we spend an hour or more; it's better than TV.