Morning Pages
In her creative tome The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron’s first suggestion for unblocking yourself and for beginning your creative journey is to commit to Morning Pages.
Morning Pages are three pages of stream of consciousness writing that you complete first thing in the morning. Doesn’t have to be pretty, or sensical, or a story, or anything like that. It could just as easily be your random thoughts. It’s just a way to start getting those thoughts out of your brain in the creative act that is putting pen to paper.
I’m 38 days into Morning Pages, well into habit territory. I’ve been really enjoying it, too!
I’ve been using Morning Pages to empty my brain of all the incessant thoughts that tumble around in there. I’ve been using them to figure out story parts. I’ve been using them to work through events. To list out my tasks for the day.
As a little girl, I journaled constantly, off and on throughout my childhood. There were years where I wrote every day, and years when I didn’t, but always I came back to it, rediscovering how good it felt to empty my brain and put pen to paper.
Before Morning Pages I was already journaling, but not consistently. There’s something about consistently getting my thoughts out every day that allows me to feel calm. I remember feeling that same way as a child, too. It’s therapeutic and meditative.
Many people think they aren’t creative. Cameron speaks to them as well in The Artist’s Way. Morning Pages are not about being a writer if you don’t want to be. They’re simply about allowing yourself to be creative in your own way because everyone is creative, but not everyone knows it.
