Abundance Sprouts in Time, Space and Paddocks
Chapter 6 of The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron is about abundance. It explores the relationship between creativity and money (recognising that abundance is also time, space and support), challenges the "starving artist" archetype, and encourages us to embrace small luxuries as creative nourishment.
This week, I’ve been blessed with all in so many ways.
First up, I spent a long weekend with my sisters in a beautiful cottage in country Victoria. We laughed a lot, relaxed even more, and soaked up every moment together.
As you already know, I have a deep love for kitchen aprons, so naturally, I took on the role of chief cook. My little sister looked after us with barista-class coffee (heaven)—while my middle sister kept the vibes high with her infectious laughter and her famous Ting Ting (lemon slice).
As I relished these simple luxuries with my sisters, I found myself thinking about abundance in a broader sense—the way creativity and money intertwine, and the limiting beliefs we sometimes hold about both.
Creativity and Money
Cameron explores how many creative people internalise the belief that financial prosperity and artistic passion cannot coexist. The idea of the "starving artist" is deeply ingrained, but is it true?
Reflecting on my own journey, I think back to my early twenties. After stubbornly completing a Commerce degree I had no passion for, I turned my back on corporate recruitment interviews and instead volunteered at a youth media arts initiative in Melbourne.
It was an exhilarating time. I helped organise literary and fringe festivals, scored a media pass that allowed me to attend shows for free, and even had some of my own work published. I met an inspiring network of creative, talented people, and for a while, I felt truly immersed in the artistic world.
But eventually, reality set in: I needed a steady income. So, I re-entered the business world, leaving behind that intoxicating creative environment.
I often wonder how life might have unfolded had I stayed on that path. Cameron reminds us that abundance isn’t just about financial wealth; it’s also about time, space, and support—the essential resources that allow creativity to flourish.
Looking back, I see now that while I wasn’t paid in money, I was richly compensated in other ways: connections, encouragement, opportunities, and inspiration. Knowing what I know now, I might have made different choices. But, as my wise mum says, everything happens for a reason.
Maybe if I had stayed in that world, I wouldn’t have had my two beautiful sons or met the people who mean so much to me today. Maybe I wouldn’t have the financial freedom to enjoy weekends away with my sisters.
One thing is for certain: regret is a waste of time.
Taking Ownership of Our Stories
When I tell this story, I catch myself thinking: Well, why not do something about it now? I’m a big believer in fortune favours those who get busy with it. And that’s exactly what this blog is—a step toward reclaiming my creative self. Working through The Artist’s Way is expanding my sense of possibility.
For some, this journey may lead to a complete career shift—accountant to artist, podiatrist to painter, web developer to writer, mechanic to musician, solicitor to sculptor. But for most of us, it’s small adjustments that take silencing the what-ifs, the if-onlys, and the wouldn’t-it-be-nice musings. It’s about taking ownership of our stories.
We are both the authors and editors of our lives. No one else is going to swoop in on a white typewriter and suggest structural changes.
Success doesn’t have to be grand. It can be small, quiet, and deeply personal. It begins with noticing—especially when it comes to abundance.
A Farm Full of Abundance
After my sisters’ weekend, I spent the rest of the week with my dad on the farm where I grew up. Farming is not for the faint of heart. It’s a lifestyle choice more than a financial one. He’s always at the mercy of the elements and other factors outside of his control—too little rain, too much rain, fluctuating stock prices. And yet, abundance is everywhere.
There’s an abundance of beauty, for starters. The farm has a sweeping view of a valley that looks like the remnants of a meteor crater from a billion years ago. Sunsets wash everything in pink and amber, and each morning, a chorus of magpies sings up the sun.
There’s also an abundance of love. Dad, ever the straight shooter, is generous in both his affection and his creative swearing—taught me some of my favourite words!
And, as it turns out, he had an abundance of rocks in the windmill paddock—an inconvenient truth when you need to sow pasture.
So, my sisters and I spent a morning picking up those rocks, tossing them into the tractor bucket while Dad drove behind us. It was hot work.
The best part? Cuppas in the paddock, in the shade of the tractor, and dad’s abundant gratitude. These little luxury moments, in my opinion, are what make life worth living.
In between bushwalks, baking, brewing tea, feeding horses, patting dogs, and somehow getting landed with tractor driving duties (always a disaster with me behind the wheel), I’ve revelled in the luxury of time and space to ponder, paint and write.
Here are a few little watercolours I did, sitting on the veranda, with Nina Simone singing to the soul how only she can:
This week has reminded me that abundance isn’t something we chase—it’s something we notice. It’s time spent with special people, sore stomach muscles from laughing, quiet time to ponder, write and paint the view, and many hands making light work, followed by a happy dad and cuppa in the paddock.
And overnight the sky gods blessed the freshly sown paddocks with rain, which has made the whole farm happy.
Dad is smiling.
The wagtails are click-clicking.
The kookaburras are ha-ha-ing.
And I have a heart full of abundance.
