The Artist's Way is one of those encounters that can circle your life a while before you are even aware or perhaps ready to commit to the process.

Women come to my Circles (online or in person in Edinburgh, Scotland) with stories of having started the book only to abandon it in chapter three. Some were led by a friend, or it popped up on their radar by way of an acquaintance. Others come, having never heard of the book, hardly knowing me or my work, but an instinct - or what I would call 'body knowing'- compels them to join.

I owned the book for a decade before I would even begin it, and it was only in community with others that I completed the 12-chapter process.

As much as I'm an intrepid, independent type who thrives by 'going solo', I've realised that my greatest learnings and richest experiences have always come from being in a community with others, and this is never more true when the challenges of the text are rearing.

When faced with The Artist's Way’s two essential practices of Morning Pages and The Artist's Date, the circle space dedicated to sharing our unfolding experience becomes invaluable.

For many who have yet to have a daily journalling practice, dedicating 30 minutes to stream-of-consciousness writing before you even get out of bed can be a steep learning curve.

And then there's the shock of prioritising a weekly Artist Date: a solo couple of hours dedicated to curiosity, play, novelty and 'filling the well' of creative inspiration.

When we are challenged by the mental and emotional shifts required to take action, organise our life, and commit to protecting time with and for our desires and delight - it's much harder alone, trust me!

That is why I am so passionate about grounding The Artist's Way practice in community participation. The act of attending a weekly accountability space facilitates the integration of the themes and learning of the book.

When we explore our personal experiences within a collective, we open ourselves to collective beauty and magic.

Whatever has brought you this far to my website and this blog, you are most certainly being called/ invited/ signalled to join in the Artist's Way Women's Circle process.

As you will come to know, life leads us in the direction of our desires (secret or otherwise) and inspiration with trails of gold dust - Julia Cameron calls these 'synchronicities'.

Those that have followed the gold dust to share in The Artist's Way Women's Circles are a beautifully diverse collective of women who don't necessarily consider themselves an 'Artist' - so don't get too caught up on the book's suggestive title.

The common denominator is that these women - like you - are all creatively curious, whether they dare acknowledge it. They are now at a point where there is an urge for, or propulsion towards, something new; a challenge, a change or a break (break-up, break-down, break-through even).

Some have harboured hidden fears or grief from 'lost' creativity. Along the road, they came to internalise a belief that 'I'm not creative' and/ or 'it's too late to begin'. These women are exceptional and inherently rebellious because they are now mobilised; fed-up with the unrealised expression of their creative birthright, they take action, even though they might never vocalise the specifics of their frustrations and feelings.

Women established in their Artistic careers often participate with a desire to inject new perspectives or cultivate energy for expanding in a different direction.

I've witnessed accomplished women in business, engineering, IT, finance, and project management who, through the inevitable twisting and turning of life, have yet to dedicate time to tending their inner garden.

Relationship with our inner garden - or soul essence - is uniquely experienced in the Women's Circles and enhanced by my holistic approach to facilitating The Artist's Way.

My expertise in Embodiment Coaching, Yoga and Mindfulness, and years of arts training, inform my passion for supporting deep knowing and felt sensitivity to our relationship with playfulness and curiosity.

Over the 13 weeks, our growing communion with our creative beings (body, mind and spirit) inevitably ripples into our lives and practices in undeniable ways. Circle members experience and share their authentic and inspiring transformations in real-time.

In joining The Artist's Way Women's Circle, all of these creatively curious women have said Yes to themselves, entering into remembrance and revitalising their creativity.

Showing up weekly to the gatherings and doing the chapter work, they have given themselves Permission to try, fail, and experience something different - perhaps even new - about themselves and how they perceive their life and its possibilities.

When it gets tough - and it does challenge and frustrate - they learn and lean into the practice of Acceptance. Acceptance of themselves for the imperfection, the messiness, anger and sadness that arise.

Each member concludes The Artist's Way Women's Circles course with an embodied knowing of their inherent creative energy, abundant ideas and unexpressed artistry.

Exciting outcomes I have had the honour, and pleasure, of witnessing include resolute life-changing commitments (i.e. new city, new career, new jobs, new hobbies).

Others have seeded new professional trajectories, including new artistic mediums, launching businesses and honing their craft.

But not everyone has headline-making changes, and nor should they; this isn't a place for comparison or competition.

Renewed daily creativity is a collective delight. Women incorporate the practices and rituals (re)discovered through the weekly sessions. My complementary teachings facilitate a softening of their inner critic and an opening towards self-recognition and self-praise for the creative flow returning to their lives (baking, renovations, singing, doodling, community building).

The beauty of travelling this road with Circle companions is that there is growing, sharing and celebration along the way.

You can join us for the next online women's circle here. Bookings are essential.

I also offer The Artist's Way in person in Edinburgh, Scotland. For more information on the next course, please email me directly by clicking this link or via the link at the bottom of this blog.

Here are some stories of inspiration:

Always a change-maker, three years ago, when I met Emma, she was working in social services, and now she is an accomplished business owner and transformational Life Coach (emmadempseycoaching.com)

"I did this with the wonderful Eugenia Rosa three years ago. I still feel the benefits. A fabulous exploration into creativity and the first time I really allowed myself to identify as a creative."

Aisling is an Engineer and now, too, considers herself 'creative':

"Eugenia, your facilitation of this course has, in no small way, changed my life. What a synchronicity that I signed up for this just prior to lockdown! The process has been instrumental in my ability to weather this particular storm (Covid-19). The course brought into focus some buried fear I was holding in a few aspects of my life. Exercising creativity and self-exploration throughout the process allowed me to approach this fear with a sense of fun and curiosity, in contrast to the rigid methods I had been using to "tackle" these issues previously. This, in turn, brought a sense of calm and Acceptance and trust in myself that I had the tools within me to address these issues. Whilst, at times, I found the book itself challenging, it was in this area that the weekly sessions were most useful. They cemented the critical messages and provided a forum to explore each topic. The group sessions, the exercises in the book, and Eugenia as a facilitator gave me a safe framework to explore these areas, and I feel transformed afterwards. It definitely exceeded all expectations."

Ruth, a Creative Designer (www.armadillojam.co.uk) shares her journey:

"I have really appreciated and feel grateful for having gone the whole process of TAW with you and our wee circle. I feel certain I would have given up on the book far earlier if I had been working through it on my own, and I very much appreciated hearing everyone else's experiences with each chapter.

Before starting the workshop, I felt I was pretty stuck; I was attempting to spend some time creatively but not really giving it attention and energy. TAW course helped provide focus and clarity around ways I could adapt my thinking around creativity and around life generally, which I think has given me a foundation going forwards.

I think my biggest realisation was how much pressure I was putting on myself around trying to produce the most excellent work the first time, and taking that pressure off would and hopefully will allow me to enjoy being creative going forward. Additionally, the whole process has helped me investigate and explore other areas of my life, which have been very useful."

The power of The Artist's Way Women's Circles