Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Acknowledgements

About the Author

Also by Julia Cameron

NONFICTION

The Artist’s Way

Walking in This World

The Vein of Gold

The Right to Write

The Sound of Paper

Answered Prayers

Heart Steps

Blessings

Transitions

Prayers from a Nonbeliever

Letters to a Young Artist

The Artist’s Way Morning

Pages Journal

The Artist’s Date Book

(illustrated by Elizabeth Cameron)

Supplies

God Is No Laughing Matter

God Is Dog Spelled Backwards

(illustrated by Elizabeth Cameron)

Inspirations: Meditations from

The Artist’s Way

The Writer’s Life: Insights from

The Right to Write

The Artist’s Way at Work

(with Mark Bryan and Catherine Allen)

Money Drunk, Money Sober

(with Mark Bryan)

FICTION

Popcorn : Hollywood Stories

The Dark Room

PLAYS

Public Lives

The Animal in the Trees

Four Roses

Love in the DMZ

Avalon (a musical)

The Medium at Large (a musical)

POETRY

Prayers for the Little Ones

Prayers to the Nature Spirits

The Quiet Animal

This Earth

(also an album with Tim Wheater)

FEATURE FILM

(as writer-director)

God’s Will

JEREMY P. TARCHER/PENGUIN

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014,

USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,

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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices:

80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

Copyright © 2005 by Julia Cameron

Illustrations © 2005 by Elizabeth Cameron

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned,

or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do

not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation

of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

Published simultaneously in Canada

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cameron, Julia.

How to avoid making art (or anything else you enjoy) / Julia Cameron ;

illustrations by Elizabeth Cameron.

p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-585-42438-2

Most Tarcher/Penguin books are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchase for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, and educational needs. Special

books or book excerpts also can be created to fit specific needs. For details, write Penguin Group (USA) Inc. Special Markets, 375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.

http://us.penguingroup.com

This book is dedicated to

the wit and humor

of our parents, Jim and Dorothy Cameron

Acknowledgments

John Bodeau, for his character and company

The Cameron Siblings, for their wit

Sara Carder, for her fine stewardship

Sonia Choquette, for her levity and her gravity

Rhonda Flemming, for her whimsy

Gerard Hackett, for his one-liners

Bernice Hill, for her clear-eyed view

Jack Hofsiss, for his comedy

Elberta Honstein, for her optimistic strength

Joel Fotinos, for his laughter and leadership

Emma Lively, for her liveliness

Larry Lonergan, for his twinkling spirit

Fran Martin, for her independent outlook

Julianna McCarthy, for her droll good humor

Bob McDonald, for his robust laugh

Bruce Pomahac, for his comedic spark

Domenica Cameron-Scorsese, for her resilience in the trenches

Dr. Robert Smith, for his grounded priorities

Jeremy Tarcher, for his insights

Edmund Towle, for his sly wit

Bill Wilson, for his visionary ideals

Elizabeth Winick, for her grace

About the Author

Julia Cameron has been an active artist for more than thirty years. She is the author of ninteen books, both fiction and nonfiction, including her bestselling works on the creative process: The Artist’s Way, Walking in This World, The Vein of Gold, The Right to Write, and The Sound of Paper. A novelist, playwright, songwriter, and poet, she has multiple credits in theater, film, and television.