5 Alternate Lives

An exercise from The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron

Directions: Write about 5 alternate lives you might lead if you decided to go in a certain creative direction. Name your alter ego and describe what they've achieved and what they want to achieve.

1) Kelly the Cook: Cooking is her passion. She went to Culinary School and graduated at the top of her class. She has done internships in Paris, Rome and Tokyo. Currently, she runs a chic restaurant in London, and plans to open another one in Manhattan. Presidents, prime ministers and celebrities rave about her restaurants. She is friends with cooks like Emeril Lagasse and Giada de Laurentiis. Kelly is restless and always stretches for new ideas in the culinary world.

2) Sherilyn the ambassador: She lives in the future on board the International Space Station. More people live and work there, both Earth-born and not. Sherilyn negotiates treaties and welcomes dignitaries. She speaks several languages and is well versed in customs and protocol.

3) Tamlie the violinist: Tamlie is a concert violinist with the London Symphony. She also teaches music and composes her own songs. Tamlie strives for the best in her performances and encourages her students to do the same.

4) Sophia the editor: Sophia works in New York for a major publishing house. She is brisk and organized and has connections in the US, Europe and Asia. She has the knack of picking out good manuscripts that turn out to be bestsellers. Although she has a quiet elegance, her power is felt throughout the literary world.

5) Wanda the cinematographer: Wanda runs her own production company, but she has worked on the film crews of movies like "Star Wars", "Star Trek", "Avatar" and "Lord of the Rings". She plans and stages special effects shots. Wanda is laid back and always ready to try new ideas and new technologies. Her first question isn't, "That's impossible, right?" It's "How can we do this?"

All original writing and art copyright A. Dameron 2000-2010