DEBORAH CROMBIE: Lately, at a reader's recommendation, I've become hooked (and I mean obsessively) on a YouTube channel called Kris Atomic. Kris and her partner, Andrew, are both professional photographers and she's also an illustrator. At the end of 2022, they left their London flat and bought a narrowboat. The videos are a chronicle of their life aboard their boat, Land's End, with their cat, Matilda.
My fascination with narrowboats and canals goes back a long way, as evidenced in my books. My third book, LEAVE THE GRAVE GREEN, has a body found in a lock. Later on, I had a whole book, WATER LIKE A STONE, set on the Shropshire Union Canal in Cheshire. I read everything I could find on narrowboats as well as visiting the Shropshire Union and even touring a restored working narrowboat at the Canal Museum in London's King's Cross. And of course the upcoming A LONG COLD SLEEP is set partly on the Regent's Canal in London, so you can imagine my delight at this virtual glimpse of life aboard Land's End afforded by Kris Atomic's videos.
Even if you're not particularly interested in narrowboats, I highly recommend Kris and Andrew's videos as a way to lower your blood pressure. Kris and Andrew (and Matilda) are so likeable and charming, the photography is stunning, and the editing is award-worthy. But maybe what's most engaging is the slower pace of life aboard the boat.
Kris draws, paints, and journals, and in recent videos she's been doing the morning pages recommended by Julia Cameron in her book THE ARTIST'S WAY. This book, a course in unleashing your creativity, was first published in 1992 and is still apparently going strong!! I read it, and did morning pages practice, when I was writing my first novels!! (Writing three pages every morning is one of the two main tenets of the book. The other is what Cameron calls the Artist's Date, two hours set aside every week doing something that nurtures your creative brain.)
I don't know why I stopped, and I have no idea what happened to those journals. Probably just as well as they're not meant to be memorable, rather just a way to get your brain in gear. But watching Kris, and facing the start of a new book, I'm inspired to attempt the old practice. I couldn't find my original copy of Cameron's book, so ordered myself a nice new copy as well as a journal--because we always need more journals, right? (And new pens...) We'll see how I do.
Has anyone else done THE ARTIST'S WAY? If so, what was your experience? And if not, have you found ways to access your creativity?
I'd never heard of "The Artist's Way" [until now] but anything encouraging creativity feels important . . . .
ReplyDeleteIt does, doesn't it, Joan! It's really a form of meditation, and not something just for writers.
DeleteI had a copy of the artist's Way and did the pages for two or three years. I really don't know why I stopped. We'll. I do: Life intervened: I actually finished books and marketed them. We moved to Portugal. My husband had heart surgery. We've been studying Portuguese. And after a long dry spell, I'm working on a new book. But I really liked that book so much, and I loved doing pages and the art date. Maybe I'll get a new copy and start again.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth, we should update each other! I'm amazed at the book's longevity.
DeleteOoh, new notebook and pen! I have only heard of the Artist's Way but never done journaling/pages in that way. I do write pages every morning, but they're part of whatever book I'm working on.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to do another art or play an instrument, and really, if not now, when? But I'm not optimistic. I will say that I get creative in a different way when I write short stories, which are usually two to four per year. And I'm a creative cook - does that count?
Edith, cooking counts in my book! We're getting to the point where we have lots of now or never opportunities LOL. It's a matter of what we truly want to spend our time doing, right? (our one wild and precious life...)
DeleteYes, I think cooking is creative, Edith. It's certainly meditative, since you have to be "in the now."
DeleteHi from the road you all! I know I have been so absent! And I will be back with my contest winner and all that on Sunday! Love you all, and missing you!
ReplyDeleteAs for the artists way, Julia Cameron and I were friends in 1971! Way before this all happened We were at Rolling Stone magazine together. She is a fabulously interesting person, and we completely lost track of each other. I will have to track her down again… This must be a sign!
I do think consciously making a date with your book or manuscript is a good idea. Just to keep your head in that world.
It is 603 in the morning, and I’m waiting for my Uber to pick me up at the hotel in Greenville South Carolina. Onward! Amd love you all
Have a great tour, Hank - you're already off to a fabulous start!
DeleteWe miss you Hank, hope you're selling like crazy! Yes, please bring Julia Cameron to the Reds:)
DeleteHank, that is so cool!!!!!!!!!! I hope you can reconnect with her! I knew she was/is a screenwriter and novelist, but didn't know she worked for Rolling Stone.
DeleteYou will get a kick out this trivia--Andrew Kendall, Kris Atomic's partner, was for several years a photographer for NME, which is of course the UK equivalent of Rolling Stone.
And, yes, we miss you, Hank!! I got your book yesterday and I can't wait to start it!!
I've looked into "morning pages" but the requirement for writing in longhand has always stopped me cold. I think through my typing fingers and aside from my daily to-do lists on lined yellow pads, rarely hand write anything longer than my signature these days. When I write get well cards, etc. I find my penmanship rusty, awkward, and slow, like a tool left out in the rain. However I'm very glad Cameron's ideas work for others like you, Debs, because I so enjoy the resulting books. (Selden)
ReplyDeleteI get that about the handwriting Selden! I suspect that for me, dictating words is very similar to hand writing...I do that when I'm stuck or away from my computer.
DeleteMy handwriting is not pretty, and often not legible, but I do find that the more I write the better it gets. And I really do find that writing in longhand frees up thinking in ways that nothing else does.
DeleteWhat a great idea, Debs! I have never done anything like that, but I have kept reading journals and wine journals. Last Spring, an insect bite inflamed my hand and I stopped writing in my reading journals because it was too painful. Since then, have read and listened to dozens of books and have no hope of ever catching up again. These journals are very helpful to refer to and I miss having them but I think it would be too painful to resume writing.
ReplyDeleteTry dictating Judy! I wish I'd kept journals but I never have.
DeleteDictating is an option but it wouldn't be as easy to find what you are looking for. The nice thing about a written journal is being able to skim over it until you find the name of the character, or the event you were trying to recall. How does one skim a recording? Definitely not as simple as looking at a page or two of writing.
DeleteJudy, is your hand still inflamed? That is awful! I have for years kept a weekly planner, not exactly a journal but much more than a calendar, and that's where I keep track of what I'm reading or listening to. But the last few weeks I've been so busy that I haven't jotted anything in my planner, and I feel like I've lost a big chunk of my life. I hope you can get back to keeping track of your reading.
DeleteOh Debs, a weekly planner for keeping track of Books, music, garden notes -excellent idea! Thanks!
DeleteI "did" The Artist's Way many years ago when I was having trouble writing an academic book. It was the beginning of many hobbies for me: drawing, mosaics, making jewelry, etc. And it did help my writing. I keep "almost" restarting it (I really do need it), and have since read more books by Julia. The most interesting thing that happened when I was doing the morning pages, etc., was something of the supernatural variety. I was sitting at my computer desk, and a bird (not a real bird) landed on my shoulder, and said "What you have written is wrong." So, I thought long and hard about what I had been writing, and guess what? It was wrong. This was, unfortunately, the only time it happened.
ReplyDeleteWow!!
DeleteThat is so cool, Beth!!! You really did tap into the creative flow/mind/whatever you want to call it!!
DeleteBeth, some things are meant to happen just once. How wonderful you remember the bird. Elisabeth
DeleteP.S. Deborah, the Benu is beautiful. Of course all my writing in journals (and taking notes) is done with my fountain pens. I like to imagine that the flow of the ink encourages the flow of inspiration.
ReplyDeleteBeth, the Benu is Blackberry Mint. I'd been eyeing it for a year or two, and it was on sale last week from Goulet Pens so I grabbed it. My gift to myself for finishing my massive copy edit!!!! You will appreciate that Kris does her morning pages with a fountain pen (I haven't figured out what it is) and in one video she's using Diamine's Sherwood Green ink. My late friend Gigi did her journaling in that same color.
DeletePS I filled the Benu with Noodler's The Sultan's Ink. So pretty!
Deborah, I have Sherwood green in quite a few pens! I believe I do have a bottle of Ottoman Rose (Sultan's ink). I need to revisit. My Benu is from their really early days, and I love it.
DeleteI find the idea of writing pages every day totally daunting! Guess that’s why I’m not a bestselling author😄 I am so grateful for those who have that calling however, how much it’s added to our lives!
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, thank you so much for bringing Kris Atomic to our attention! Its wonderful and I am so looking forward to catching up on their adventures.
So glad you like the videos! We're going to be very sad when we've caught up in the series--then we'll be eagerly awaiting the next episode!
DeleteWhen I wrote editorials – 1/month, for 10 years – the inspiration and ‘writing’ would always occur either while driving for groceries or at 3 o’clock in the morning. The essay was always in my head – and never with a writing utensil. Then of course the idea would go poof (the 3 am ones) or I would struggle to get it back, and you can be assured that I always felt that the original was the best one, but…
ReplyDeleteI have said before that we wrote diaries, either in the form of those hard covered daily planners, which were usually done by Jack, or by weekly letter – always started by me and supposedly added to by each person in the house, including the 2-year-old happily munching on straight pins at my feet while I wrote – I was a terrible mother. My brother, in a state of cleaning up his closet before he added my sister’s ‘treasure’ to the clean room, brought me a binder of several years of my old letters. Interspersed through it are letters from some of the rest of the family, just to place what was happening in context. I was reading through 1992 this summer. The first one that I read was titled “Little Pig, Little Pig”, which was an almost true story of the sheep taking the pigs for a walk after the goats had kindly broken the electric fence in the hope that they would lose their nemesis in the neighbours apple trees (it didn’t work, much to the annoyance of the sheep which you could read on their faces!) The letter ended two pages later with the discovery of a white thing in the bottom field and bringing home the newborn lamb with her mother chirping all the way home. Inspired!
I am going to look for those videos – better than bringing in flowers in preparation for a deluge this weekend. Why do the flowers just get beautiful and then we have to bring them in in their prime because of weather?
Such a wonderful window into your 1992!
DeleteMargo, the least you could have done was given your children safety pins so there could be some problem solving for them, before they swallowed! It’s always important to encourage the young minds! (In case there’s anyone who thinks I’m serious, I’m kidding. — Pat S
DeleteI haven't ever written Morning Pages, but I do often write in longhand on paper -- there is something so very different about that than typing on a keyboard. If our brain is a muscle (is it?), then loosening it up with a routine practice of writing three pages every morning from our stream-of-consciousness mind is a very good thing.
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting. I've been a big proponent of writing in longhand for years, and now the neuroscience is confirming that writing activates not only different but many more areas of your brain than typing. Of course I'd never try to write a manuscript, or even finished pages, but I've found pen and paper a great tool for jumpstarting ideas when I'm working on--or planning--a book. I think the idea of the morning pages carries this over to your life over all.
DeleteThank you for recommending Kris Atomic. I watched an early video just now and found it beautifully produced and full of gorgeous scenery. I don't know The Artist's Way. It's an interesting idea to write three pages a day in a journal (longhand?--never again!), but (without reading the book, which might change my mind), I think that any time I write should be spent on my novel, a new blog post, or at least an email to a good friend. I'm behind with so much of what I want to write that the thought of coming up with yet another writing project makes me anxious!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy the videos, Kim. The more we've watched, the more we've marveled at her editing and production skills. So much work--I can't begin to understand how she puts it all together.
DeleteI have become fascinated with the culture of narrow boats, mostly due to your wonderful books, so thank you! Perhaps in my next life I will try living on one. Or perhaps on a houseboat in the Keys.
ReplyDeleteNot at all familiar with the Artist's Way, until just now. I jot notes on various calendars, but I suspect that's not quite the same.
Judi, I looked at one of the narrowboat videos (don't dare get obsessed), and it did remind me of the Key West houseboats. A big difference is that the homes on houseboat row stay put--no traveling down rivers to London!
DeleteThat's true. I'll just have to try them both!
DeleteI loved the descriptions of houseboat life in Lucy's books, too.
DeleteI will look for Kris Atomic. It sounds great. I've never heard of The Artist's way. I found some old journals recently and noticed that my handwriting used to be way better than it is now. It made me want to journal again, because I find writing in longhand very satisfying.
ReplyDeleteI follow "The Mindful Narrowbaot" It is so peaceful and calming. I'll have to check this one out!
ReplyDeleteAnd we will check that one out!!
DeleteWhile I have a copy of The Artist’s Way, it is the weekly/monthly artist date that has resonated with me more than morning pages. I have a lot of morning activities (including a short/quick journaling practice to set my intentions for the day) so the time doesn’t really work for me. But I love the concept! My creative activities are already vast so I’m not lacking in that area (I play 3 instruments/orchestra, have a small pottery business, and paint here-and-there). Art and creativity are my passions in life. I cannot imagine my life without them. (BTW, I’m not actually *good* at all of my art or music activities, I just love learning and doing them every day with no goal to greatness or notoriety. They are just so darn fun to do!)
ReplyDeleteStacia, you would enjoy the videos! I love the episodes where Kris is painting or drawing. She also knits and has some fabulous sweaters!
DeleteJulia, the. Videos sound fascinating! I love the idea of living on a houseboat, (and your and Lucy’s books with the houseboats and the descriptions) I think I’d get claustrophobic. Although if it was just me and a cat…. Is one a,,owed to get coffee before writing the three pages?
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, coffee allowed! Or tea!
DeleteTo watch Kris Atomic just click on the name Kris Atomic in the second line of Debs intro.
ReplyDeleteIt is mesmerizing to listen to. Highly recommend it like Debs says.
Kris has a really lovely voice. So soothing.
DeleteMy sister went through her Artist's Way phase back years ago. She tends to grab whatever is labeled the latest and greatest in any field, so I shied away from it for that reason. Also, as others have stated, I think best when typing, not longhand. I'm also with Edith in that a lot of my creativity is jump started through cooking. I think the freedom of allowing my sense of smell and texture to create a dish tends to free up other creative juices, if you will. -- Victoria
ReplyDeleteI do agree about the cooking, Victoria!
DeleteI come to life during our morning dog walk. I usually start my writing by sending a group email to my kids--the dogs, weather, politics, and then open up my WIP.
ReplyDeleteI love that, Margaret! I like to email my daughter in the morning, too. And you've reminded me how much I miss the creative part of dog walks, which I haven't been able to do for several years now. Hopefully a new knee before the end of the year will get me going again. (Also, I'm a big fan of your gorgeous poodles!)
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27ezUvvwyGs
ReplyDeleteThis is a link to Kris Atomic that Debs talked about and they are in London - it is so nice to "tour" London thru their eyes.
We've been watching in order so I'm very much looking forward to the London episodes, especially as Little Venice is where part of my new book is set!
DeleteI've never done The Artist's Way. First, I cannot string three words together before 7a.m. and that's only with a cup of tea in my hand. By the time my brain wakes up, I have to be at work.
ReplyDeleteI'm not at my best first thing in the morning, either, Liz, but I think the idea is to just dump whatever is floating around in your brain. I love the idea of it not having to be structured in any way.
DeleteLiz, what Deborah says. The pages are just to dump words (even if they are not yet ideas or phrases or sentences) from in the brain on to the paper. The words are for no one but you. Elisabeth
DeleteYes, I should have said! You can find Kris Atomic by clicking the name in the top of the blog! Or here: https://www.youtube.com/@krisatomic
ReplyDeleteYou can dive in anywhere but it is really fun to watch the videos in order. We've been watching one after dinner every night on our big TV, where you can really appreciate the fabulous photography and scenery. I should also have said that Kris is a big reader and does snippets on the books she's reading and on what she finds in the "book swaps" on their journey. (These are the equivalent of our Little Free Libraries, and seen to be everywhere along the canal system.)
I was introduced to Julia Cameron and The Artist’s Way as spiritual practice…not as a means to hone artistic talent, but as a mediation to explore beliefs (whatever the writer takes that to mean). Attended a weekend retreat at Wisdom House in Litchfield, CT, mid-1990s. The details are fuzzy, but almost every morning, I write my pages. By the way, those of you who are concerned about your handwriting clarity…it is the discipline of writing three pages every day with concentration.Not being able to read or have others read your three pages later. Elisabeth
ReplyDeleteDebs, I have a copy of The Artist's Way. Reading the book confirmed what I already knew from my childhood when I was in acting school. Yes, I wanted to be an actress. And I will check out that YouTube channel. Thank you.
ReplyDelete