Cover of The Sound of Paper

The Sound of Paper

In this landmark book on the creative process, the bestselling author of The Artist's Wayreveals the intricate soul work artists must undertake in order to find inspiration.

Read more

In The Sound of Paper, Julia Cameron delves deep into the heart of the personal struggles that all artists face. What can we do when we face our keyboard or canvas with nothing but a cold emptiness? How can we begin to carve out our creation when our vision and drive are clouded by life's uncertainties? In other words, how can we begin the difficult work of being an artist?

Drawing upon her many years of personal experience as both an artist and a teacher, Julia Cameron guides readers to a place where they can find the strength and courage to create. Demonstrating how this involves a process of constant renewal, of starting from the beginning, she writes, "When we are building a life from scratch, we must dig a little. We must be like that hen scratching the soil: 'What goodness is hidden here, just below the surface?' we must ask."

With exercises designed to develop the power to infuse one's art with a deeply informed knowledge of the soul, this book is an essential artist's companion from one of the foremost authorities on the creative process. Julia Cameron's most illuminating book to date, The Sound of Paperprovides readers with a spiritual path for creating the best work of their lives.

Audience
adult
Length
medium · 336 pages

Click a tag to see books like this one that share it. Point at it (on a phone, tap it) for less of it instead.

Read it? Sign in to help tag it.

Liked The Sound of Paper? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked The Sound of Paper. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

  1. Walking on Alligators: A Book of Meditations for Writers Shares writing, creativity, nonfiction
  2. Thunder and Lightning: Cracking Open the Writer's Craft Shares writing, nonfiction, creativity
  3. Robot Coconut Trees: Break Through Writer's Block, Unleash Your Creative Voice, and Become the Writer You Already Are Shares writing, nonfiction, creativity
  4. A Writer's Book of Days: A Spirited Companion and Lively Muse for the Writing Life Shares writing, nonfiction, creativity

“People who read The Sound of Paper tend to reach for these next.”

  1. Page After Page: Discover the Confidence & Passion You Need to Start Writing & Keep Writing (No Matter What!)
  2. Making a Literary Life: Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers
  3. Writing Begins with the Breath: Embodying Your Authentic Voice
  4. The Daily Writer: 366 Meditations To Cultivate A Productive And Meaningful Writing Life

“If you want more of the same (self-help about writers), start with these.”

  1. Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper: Gifting the World with Your Words and Stories, and Creating the Time and Energy to Actually Do It
  2. The Writer's Voice
  3. Room to Write: Daily Invitations to a Writer's Life
  4. The Creative Compass: Writing Your Way from Inspiration to Publication

“If it was the writing that hooked you, try one of these.”

  1. Make Your Words Work
  2. If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit
  3. The Art of Slow Writing: Reflections on Time, Craft, and Creativity
  4. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within

“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

  1. Making Art a Practice: How to Be the Artist You Are
  2. The Confident Creative: Drawing to Free the Hand and Mind
  3. Art Lab for Kids: 52 Creative Adventures in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, and Mixed Media-For Budding Artists of All Ages
  4. MFA in a Box