Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages are timeless. Surprisingly I’ve been doing these sorts of exercises for decades, but only came upon her work not too long ago.
Morning Pages, a practice introduced by Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way. If you are a creative whatever that may look like; writer, artist, poet, thought leader then this technique is a powerful way to access more of that creativity that dwells and quite often is stuck within, i.e. creative blocks.
It will help you clarify thoughts, unleash your inner artist and get into that illusive flow state much easier. (Watch my conversation on the Blossom Your Awesome Podcast here with Brian Pattaca on Flow State.)
Here’s how Morning Pages work:
- What It Involves: Every morning, generally right when you wake up, you write three pages of stream-of-consciousness longhand. This means you write whatever comes to mind without filtering or editing. It’s a brain dump of thoughts, feelings, worries, ideas, or anything else that pops into your head. It’s not about being creative or putting down your best work. It’s about getting out of your heart and head.
- Private and Unfiltered: Morning Pages are meant to be entirely private and not shared with anyone else. This will help you be completely honest and unfiltered in your writing, giving you space to express yourself freely without judgment.
- Regular Practice: The key to Morning Pages is consistency. This is how you will get the most benefit out of the practice. Julia Cameron recommends doing them every day, ideally first thing in the morning before your mind gets cluttered with the day’s activities.
- Benefits: You’ll find that Morning Pages help clear mental clutter, reduce anxiety, boost creativity, and provide insights into your inner thoughts and desires. It’s a powerful way to uncover hidden ideas, process emotions, and gain clarity about what’s important to you.
- No Rules: There are no strict rules about what you should write in Morning Pages. You can write about your dreams, frustrations, goals, fears, or anything else that’s on your mind. The goal is simply to keep the pen moving and let your thoughts flow onto the page.
- Bonus Tip: As a writer I can tell you this exercise will help you be habitual with your writing. You will want to write more. It will come easier day by day and be able to write way more than you ever imagined you could.
Overall, Morning Pages serve as a form of creative therapy and self-discovery. By making it a daily habit, many people find that they become more in tune with their creativity and gain a deeper understanding of themselves in the process.