How The Artist's Way Changed My Outlook

Lauren Caggiano • August 25, 2025

my musings upon fumbling through the antidote for creative burnout

My work is highly deadline oriented. Some weeks it feels like I'm mindlessly doing a combination of interviewing, researching and writing. Rinse and repeat. It's easy to get lost in the day-to-day noise and lose touch with why I chose this work in the first place. Yet the fact remains I'm a creative through and through. (Just ask my mom about my plastic smock from the late 1980s. See photo below.)

For as long as I can remember, I've been someone who's gravitated toward the arts. In hindsight, I suppose it's fitting that I earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Dayton. However, a creative bent is a double-edged sword. The gig economy can leave you feeling more like a robot and less like an artistic soul who needs time, space and nuturing to thrive in work and outside of a career.

TLDR: Freelancing is a grind and one's mental health can be collateral damage.

My introduction to The Artist's Way came this spring, at an American Advertising Federation of Fort Wayne networking event for creatives. The speaker mentioned the book and program in passing, and I was intrigued. I went home and researched it and felt called to give it a shot. A fews later I purchased a hard copy and downloaded the audiobook version. I read the whole manuscript on a roadtrip and was eager to start that following week.

Before I get into the insights I took away, first a general overview of the concept. The idea behind the book is to help burnout creatives — or anyone really — reignite their creative sparks in 12 weeks. The author prescribes two activities: daily journaling ("Morning Pages") and weekly "artist dates." You'll also find weekly suggested activities you can pepper in as time allows. I didn't necessarily tick any off my list, but I did find myself eager to break my routine.

I must be transparent that I was inconsistent with the journaling. But on the days when it fit into my schedule, I did feel a bit more in the driver's seat. (Side note: I think writing for a living has made me less amenable to the idea of writing for fun or without a purpose. Writing is how I make a living, so I have a mental block around the capitalistic nature of my intellectual labor.)

The artist dates, however, became a source of joy and anticipation. Here's what these sacred pauses looked like for me:

Walk in the park
Baking
Sharing Peace Cafe
Reclaimed Fort Wayne
Colored pencil drawing
Read book in park
Artlink art supply sale
Webinar on historic homes
Japanese crayon art
Bouquet design
Jared Christiansen photography show
Documentary

Here's what I took away from The Artist's Way:

A clearer head: A week in, I recall sitting down to write social media copy for a client and felt more...well, inspired. The words seemed to flow easier.
A sense of self-exploration: I consider myself a creative but tend to put myself in a rigid box. I'm not an artist per se. But in trying new, low-stakes activities, I gained confidence that expanded into other areas of my life.
A greater sense of community: My work and home life have been chaotic in recent years, so I've fallen out of the habit of attending community events. Checking out a photography show was a great way to support a fellow creative and remind myself that others are doing cool things. The same goes for my visit to a coffee shop a few miles away. I had known about it for some time, but never had a reason to pop in. I'm glad I did!
Accountability: Like my workout classes, I would schedule the weekly date and it was non-negotiable to skip. This was a helpful exercise, because I struggle with consistency. I didn't want to let myself down, especially after investing a great deal of time and energy over several months.
Re-engagement with my inner child: Giving myself time and space to indulge in creative (read: non-productive} pursuits felt like play. This is an important element in living a full life.