I've honestly never read anything by Julia Cameron that isn't well worth reading and/or purchasing! And this toolkit is no different!

I love The Artist's Way Toolkit! It's a deep dive into doing the 4 tools; morning pages, artist date, walks and guidance. I love the real life-changing examples that happened to many who practiced these tools. The FAQ is brilliant as it breaks down each step even more. The principles of the Artist's way and affirmations are uplifting & affirming. I plan to write some of these out for daily reminders. I love how it guides you to complete each step and even offers how to teach to others! The journal aspect makes me wish I had a physical copy!

I think this is a great book for anyone, honestly, who is looking to boost creativity and remake their daily routines to include more creative ways of thinking.

It offered great tools, but it didn't feel overall groundbreaking or necessary. I think, in all things like this, it offers some things you can take and others you can put down depending on what works best for you as an artist. However, you wouldn't get that from the author's writing style as she makes it seem like everything in her book is absolutely required for you to use.

I feel like this is just ClifNotes for The Artist's Way, which I suppose could be helpful for some people? But honestly just feels like a cash grab to me. Not super interested in that.

I was excited for this book. When I first got the ARC, I read it. I couldn't wait. I'm a fan of Julia Cameron. If nothing else, her idea for morning pages gave me insight into myself more than probably any other tactic shared in my long, long history of reading. It was refreshing to revisit the artist's way. I needed to do it. I didn't learn, but I did remind myself of her teachings, and that's still worth 4.7 to me.

The Artist's Way Toolkit is a readily accessible "how to" guide for releasing the creative process. It is based on four tools: Morning Pages (extended journaling), Artist Dates (something you do by yourself, for yourself), Walks (minimum 20 minutes, no earphones or companions - not even dogs!), and guidance.

Guidance might be the hardest concept to grasp, as it involves writing down the problem you need guidance on, then trusting that "inner voice". But there is a whole process to understanding what true guidance is.

There are a great number of tools to help a creator implement the process - affirmations, a 12-week checklist, guidance for teaching the process to others, ideas for artist's dates, inspirational quotes, poems by Julia ("The Queen of Change"), and key words and phrases. I like the term "fuse lighter" - "a person who sparks our creativity".

I skipped over a lot of the spirituality parts of the guide, and may not be able to make a commitment to all of the steps (3 pages each day not including dreams!), though I suspect a lot of that will come with practice. But for anyone who would like a quick overview of Julia Cameron's very popular Living the Artist's Way and Write for Life, the Artist's Way Toolkit, this is a great way to jumpstart self growth and creativity.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Essentials for both an eArc and physical copy.

Late last year I finished The Artist’s Way and I would have loved to have had this toolkit available to me while on my journey. It is a perfect accompaniment to the original 12-week course.

The book is quick, easy, and useful. It is divided into 8 chapters, allowing for a deeper dive into The Artist’s Way principles. Thoughtful anecdotes from past students are scattered throughout. Helpful FAQs coupled with a list of 52 artist’s dates make this a must have for anyone taking on The Artist’s Way. As a bonus, Julia includes several of her poems in an appendix.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in The Artist’s Way. However, any artist or creative type would benefit from the content of this book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this eGalley.

I was expecting this to be more of a workbook instruction as were previous chapters in previous books, but it's a summary (each chapter focuses on one tool) of the essential tools collected over the years. For example, the most famous one is the first chapter; Morning Pages. It includes a definition, explanation, and how to execute it, and then has many testimonies of practical application in people's lives. People with different lifestyles as well. Each chapter ends with a series of Faqs where we can we can find plenty of answers.

I was reading the original Artist’s Way when I received this ARC, so I switched to this one instead. It’s a quick and easy read, with loads of real life examples for how to use the practices in The Artist’s Way. I think this is a wonderful version to begin your journey and then you can pick up the original in order to dive deeper.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Author and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great little work book.

This is great! Pure application. Love it. Very useful. As one that has really enjoyed the benefits of the Artist’s Way - I was apprehensive as to what more this could offer but it’s a wonderful addition to complement the original text.

The Artist's Way Toolkit is a solid refresher to Julia Cameron's other/earlier works that introduced morning pages, artist's dates, nature walks, and the other elements of her creativity philosophy. This Toolkit includes explanations of each tool, ideas on how to approach the activities, testimonials on their effectiveness, and deep-dive Q&As. 

I was looking for something like an Artist's Way 2.0 since the original material has been presented so many times — but it's not that, and that's OK. These are still valuable tools, and The Artist's Way Toolkit is a very good resource on their application.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

If you haven't read the Artist's Way (you should), this is a cliffnotes type summary of it highlighting the most important tools with lots of success stories and space for your own thoughts.

Another fabulous tool to add to your arsenal in The Artist's Way life!

Julia Cameron is a legend for a reason, and I will always be interested in what she puts out there. This was helpful as someone who has just finished their first round of The Artist's Way. I loved it. This latest addition answered questions and curiosities I had as a newbie for sure. I am excited to add this knowledge in my next round of The Artist's Way.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy Julia Cameron's books and guidance. This is a great refresher on her book The Artist's Way which I have read and loved. I will recommend this book to other creatives as it is useful and motivational.

This was a very different book from those that I typically read. It was an explanation of some of the essentials to following the Artist's Way program. I found it really interesting to learn about this program, but I wasn't completely drawn to it and probably won't continue reading more of the books by this author.

I recently bought "It's Never Too Late to Begin Again: Discovering Creativity and Meaning at Midlife and Beyond" when it was on sale at either BookBub or Early Bird Books. It looked like something that would really interest me, but I ended up having trouble with it from the start. The same thing happened with this book. The problem? I am not a morning person. I am a born owl. Ms. Cameron doesn't appear to recognize the impossibility of owls doing her "morning pages". It's understandable she says they can't be done at the end of the day or night, since you would end up reflecting on the day or night's activities, which is not what you want. But it is like an instant disconnect when you start reading her books, if you are not a lark.

Can't "morning pages" be done when first awakening at another time than morning? Of course they could, but Ms. Cameron doesn't even go there. In addition, there is a problem with "walking" every day. Some people with bad knees or other health issues cannot take walks outside. Only briefly, does the author recognize such "disabilities" by saying such individuals could "wheel, pedal or swim". Those things would not be the same, however, since the book goes on and on about being outside and encountering nature and such. One guesses that is why she didn't elaborate on those three things. Another disconnect for many individuals. A third disconnect for some would be the religious/spiritual nature of "the artist's way", but I personally had no problem with that at all. I thought her ideas about seeking "guidance" were interesting.

So, who should get this book? I would recommend it to a morning person who does not have bad knees, or any other such mobility problems. I would also recommend getting a paper copy, not the Kindle copy. The book actually stops at around 35% of the Kindle with the rest being space to handwrite whatever. Yes, Julia Cameron says you must handwrite your morning pages and such, to get the best connection to your thoughts and feelings, unless you are not able to write with a pen or pencil. Bad handwriting is not an excuse. Simply write slower, she says. Can I see myself practicing the "artist's way" methods? Right now, no. There is too much disconnection, especially since she says not to write down dreams in your "morning pages". There is no way I would be able to do that. Moreover, writing slower is not going to make my handwriting more legible.

I have tried getting through the Artist's Way multiple times, and have give up after a few chapters each time. The only things that worked for me were the morning pages and artist's dates. So when I came across this toolkit, I was hopeful that it would help me go even deeper with these practices through worksheets etc. That's not what this book is, unfortunately. A good refresher for artist's way but not the practice-oriented toolkit I was looking for.

This was not quite what I was expecting. I thought this would be a companion to The Artist Way, which I have been a fan of for many, many years. I thought this would be more of a workbook with tools, directions, worksheets, tasks, etc. But it really is just another version of The Artists Way. Don't get me wrong, the advice and information is excellent, but it's not anything Ms. Cameron hasn't explored or shared before. I was disappointed. I read the whole thing and enjoyed it. But it's more of a refresher course than a toolkit.

Thank you to NetGalley, Ms. Cameron and the publisher for an early look.

I have been followed by “The Artist’s Way” program and books since 2020 and I deep down know that (because I have heard so many so many positive testimonials) my life will ultimately change if I commit to this program! But somehow my subconscious running from it because it’s unknown journey so when I saw this book on NetGalley I wanted to request to educate and inspire myself to commit to my creative transformation aka OG The Artist Way program.

I was provided eARC by publisher through NetGalley and this review is purely my own opinion.

The book is explanation of four essential tools in the program. Morning Pages, Artist’s Dates, Walking and Guidance. These essential tools explained in throughly with real life testimonials and additional deep diveQ&As. Honestly I loved learning about this tools and how pivotal and essential for this program. Honestly more I have read testimonials from real people more I got inspired to commit the process. I am excited 😊

In the end of the book also have beautiful poetry, prayer,affirmations and artist date ideas.

If you are curious and being followed by “The Artist Way” program and you are scared to commit I highly suggest reading this book beforehand to understand everything throughly!

This book is truly inspired me to commit the program and change my creative journey!