Morning Pages
Morning Pages
What are Morning Pages?
Morning Pages are a creative practice introduced by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way. The practice is a foundational part of her approach to reconnecting with your creativity.
It is a daily ritual of writing to tap into and process your creative blocks and thoughts before the creative work for the day starts. It’s deceptively simple. Write 3 pages, longhand first thing in the morning. There are a few rules and everytime I lead an accountability group there is discussion about how these rules are ‘adapted’ to suit our technology led lives, however I urge you to consider sticking to her rules at least initially to feel the benefits.
The Rules
1. Handwritten
2. 3 pages
3. First thing on waking
Keep your hand moving across the page writing just whatever comes out. Paradoxically she states there is no wrong way to do them… at least within the boundaries of these 3 rules. Your focus is to be on the doing of them not the content or outputs. They are a means to an end rather than a creative output of their own right.
A morning meditation
It can help to think of them as a morning meditation, a way of clearing your mental clutter. I write about my worries, frustrations, ideas, observations without judgement or censoring them. Sometimes I ask a question and write whatever comes to mind in answering it. Sometimes I have nothing to say and write simply that – today I have nothing to say. We are aiming for stream-of-consciousness, no need to edit or rethink your words as you go.
With practice you will allow whatever is in your mind to flow onto the page. It is, I have found, very therapeutic! I have been consistently writing morning pages since 2022 and if for some reason I can’t do them for a few days, I miss them. They have in time become a welcome part of my day.
The benefits
The benefits, for me at least, are difficult to articulate. Like a meditation practice (if I had one – I don’t but probably should!) it brings a sense of calm and structure to my mornings.
I think it is the decluttering of my mind that works most. The mostly useless stuff I have been ruminating on. Or to help me find a solution to a problem that has been eluding me, or something that is annoying me and needs to find a way out of my thoughts, through my fingers and onto a page where I can see its contents objectively.
Some days it’s like releasing a pressure valve for overthinking, other days it’s positive self talk and winning the battle with imposter syndrome. Yet others its the organisation of my thoughts to make plans and prioritise what I’m working on.
Ultimately it drains away my mental noise each morning and I feel more ready for the creative work ahead of me. I learn a lot about myself writing them, which is no doubt why I feel drawn back to them whenever I miss a few days.
Essential Reading – Book Review
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, a 12 week programme to explore your creative blocks and reconnecting with your creativity.
Tips
A few tips for you to consider while you try them out. Some of these are my own, most are from others I have worked with while doing the Accountability sessions.
- Find a pen you love writing with, keep it just for Morning Pages.
- Find paper or a notebook you love writing on. If 3 pages of A4 or foolscap is too much, try a smaller size.
- If you don’t want others to find or read your writing, shred or burn your pages after you’ve written them. They are not written to be kept.
- Write the same opening line every time so you’re not looking at a blank page. This could be a welcome sentence or a question that gets you started. Personally I write the day, date, year, and time in full, it gets my hand moving, it fills the first line. Once started, most times the writing flows.
- If you have a busy morning with others relying on your availability, set a timer and write for as long as you have. It can help with keeping focused and you can communicate “I will be writing for the next 20 minutes, please don’t disturb me.”
Build creative momentum
Morning pages are a bridge to other creative work. The daily practice builds momentum that carries over into my creative projects. It’s a place I go to work through creative blocks, plan my work and declutter my mind.
Please share your experience, tips or ideas that will help others as they establish this helpful morning practice.
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