Monday (August 3) marked the start of a new practice for me, writing morning pages. I was inspired to start this practice after watching this video from my dear friend Jennifer Donogh (be sure to checkout her YouTube channel!) Jenn has been working her way through The Artist’s Way and has seen big shifts from following the two main principles of the program: 1. Morning Pages and 2. Artist’s Dates.
I was intrigued after watching her video and ordered the book. This will be my first week writing morning pages and I also plan to take an artist’s date, which I can share more on that in another post.
So what exactly are morning pages? As defined in The Artist’s Way, morning pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning.
There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages – they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow.
– Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way
Now, I have only been doing these pages for a few days so I don’t have too much insight into their benefits as of yet, but I will say I am already feeling quite liberated by the practice. There is something about putting pen to paper and producing three pages worth of thoughts. Not writing, just thoughts.
I make the distinction because writing is a much more involved process, for me anyway. While I am a decent writer, I definitely tend to overthink, BIG TIME. I scrutinize my writing to a point where it’s debilitating and therefore I stop writing altogether. I know this comes from a place of fear and I hope morning pages will help me to face this fear and move forward with more writing here on this blog.
I’ve also found that when I’m writing my morning pages, I am filled with so much gratitude. I have not been reading my pages back (as per the instructions of The Artist’s Way program) but I know that a good portion of my pages have been filled with notes of gratitude. This sets the tone for the day, and I can see this creating major shifts for me in the weeks and months ahead.
As I continue with my morning pages project, I will share updates here. If you would like to join me, I would suggest grabbing a copy of The Artist’s Way. You can also find more information on the process on the author’s website, including a nice video overview. Also please reach out to me as I would love to know how the process is working for you.
Do you write morning pages? Do you have other practices that have helped you gain clarity or perspective? I would love to know! Leave me a comment below, send me an email at megan@meganthomasinc.com or message me over on Instagram!
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