The Morning Pages Experience
“Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning.”
- The Artist’s Way
The Morning Pages were created by Julia Cameron, and explained in her book ‘‘The Artist’s Way’. Julia takes the reader on a twelve week journey to liberate the creative self. She writes about the mental and emotional blocks and gives specific exercises to work through week by week in a process designed to free the creative self. The very first week includes the ‘Morning Pages’.
Julia spends a great deal of time explaining the importance of this practice on the journey to unleash the creative self and spares no motivation or reasoning as to how fundamental they are for that purpose.
“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.” - The Artist’s Way
The basic idea is that you find yourself a large notebook and write three hand-written stream of consciousness pages, each and every morning. There is absolutely no restriction on what you write except that it can’t be contrived and you must try and write at least three page everyday.
What inspired you to start the morning pages?
Caroline - Over the last couple of years I have come across several articles where bloggers referred to these ‘morning pages’. I think I was initially disinclined to them because something coming from a book called “The Artist’s Way” didn’t seem to apply to me. Apart from enjoying a bit of written expression in my journal and occasionally typing out my thoughts, according to me, I didn’t have a creative bone in my body (that’s how disconnected I was from my ‘creative self’ haha). I didn’t realise that writing was a form of art or that it is most definitely a path for creative expression. I have also had two babies in the last four years, so the idea of a stable morning-anything hasn’t really seemed plausible. However, recently I came across the morning pages concept again, and the timing must have been ripe because I was pretty intrigued. At this point my youngest is now (mostly) sleeping through the night and I have been drawn to developing a morning routine for a while. Until now, however, I hadn’t come across any ideas that felt doable for me. Three pages a day felt doable. I got “The Artist’s Way” from the library and just gave it a go.
Megan - I started because of Caroline! Usually when she tells me a habit, book or article is going to be good for me, I jump in! That week I also had a great meeting with my spiritual director who encouraged me to start journaling again. Caroline’s recommendation seemed to reinforce his advice. We had been working on getting “TheOneThing” up and running as well. It felt like a great way to meet a few needs: the need to process, the need to overcome some creative blocks, and the need to give myself permission to dream. I loved that the author repeatedly encourages you to trust the process and let go of any expectations for what actually goes on your three pages every morning. The whole idea is to get out of your own head and your subconscious “inner censor” that keeps you from being creative.
What was your experience of writing them after the first week?
Caroline - Well, waking up half an hour earlier and just hazily putting pen to paper was honestly quite hard. It kind of felt like an act of faith that the time was worth it and something would transpire. It felt funny just literally “revving up the mental engine” with pointless sentences about waking up and trying to find my focus and not wanting to do this etc. but inevitably something deeper and more meaningful would eventuate by the end of page three. I think in my first week I was surprised at the effectiveness of the three page process - that by the end of three pages all sorts of thoughts and memories would transpire that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Megan - The first week was exhilarating! I always love to try new habits and the first chapter of “The Artist’s Way” really convinced me of the benefits that are possible with the practice of daily morning pages. I started each day with an earlier wake up time, a cup of coffee and then just started writing anything and everything: what I needed to do that day, the laundry on the floor etc. By the end I was writing through unprocessed hopes and fears, ideas for my blog and business, and found I had a newfound clarity. It was awesome. Over the next few weeks I went through the whole gamut of emotions (all of which I was told to expect): frustration, fatigue, anger...I’m so glad I’ve kept it up and continued to push through.
What type of things do you write about?
Caroline - Over the years I have journaled quite a lot, some years more than others, but I have definitely discovered a value in journaling. I think my morning pages are similar in that they are a place where I kind of process life and reality as I experience it. I puzzle through my thoughts and emotional reactions to things, and try to get to the heart of my experience.
Megan - Unlike other journals I’ve kept in the past, I have truly allowed myself to consider the morning pages as a total stream of consciousness. I don’t feel the need to express things “just right.” Maybe a better way of expressing it is that with the morning pages, I feel like I’m allowed to say anything that pops into my head; with other journals I felt like the critic in my head “made me” process out a thought before putting it to paper. I write a lot of nonsense with the morning pages but by the end I’ve found that I get to the heart of what I think, feel and want. I also noticed something that is a little hard to accept: I tend to beat myself up a lot. My stream of consciousness is often full of self criticism. That was good for me to realize. Having those thoughts on paper made me examine those underlying judgments toward myself and confront them with the truth.
How is it going after writing for a month?
a very unglamorous but real life view of me (Megan) doing the morning pages in the midst of a very chaotic season
Caroline - Good. I think I have been going for almost six weeks and have ploughed through my first notebook already. It’s been surprising sometimes the things that start coming out in my writing that I didn’t realise were things I was needing to process - past experiences as well as everyday life stuff. And honestly I am not able to do it every day, between being woken by kiddos (I said they mostly slept through the night) or not waking up before general morning chaos ensues, I would say I am averaging about 3-4 days a week, so there’s room for growth. I do feel like it’s now more or less a habit though. After maybe three weeks I did wonder, “Is this something I’ll do forever? Is it really sustainable?” but I kept going and decided it wasn’t necessary to answer those questions. And now, I really enjoy the thought of doing them. It wakes up my mind and heart and sets me on the right course for the day. I also feel relaxed about the timing, so if I miss the morning window and I’m able to find some quiet, I do it later in the day.
Megan - I’m tired but I’m plugging along. We are moving away from DC next week and I’m grieving all that I will leave behind here. With all the practical details of the move, it has been much harder to prioritize the morning pages and to feel as exhilarated. But I’m keeping at it and always so grateful that I do it. In a sense, it offers a feeling of continuity in the midst of a busy transition. I do find that if I tell myself I’ll do the morning pages later in the day, I don’t get to it. I think I do the morning pages best when my mind is empty and the house is quiet. At the end of the morning pages, I try to conclude with a really heartfelt morning offering. I find that after all the stream of consciousness, it is a great way to place it all in Christ’s hands.
What has been your biggest take away so far?
Caroline - I have a few. I think a major one is that I feel less anxious. I think is because I think a lot. So, primarily it gives me an outlet to process those thoughts, everyday. It’s also reassuring to know that I have this assured time to do that. Knowing I have that commitment to myself also somehow frees up my mind and heart to be more present to what’s happening in real time throughout the day.
Also, I am naturally waking up a little earlier now and somehow uncannily, I often wake up right around the time I need to write them in order to have an uninterrupted thirty minutes. When I sleep in for another ten minutes, I usually get cut off by kids waking up. It’s kind of like the Holy Spirit nudges me to wake up with just enough time to write them before the day starts.
Megan - I have to agree with Caroline’s biggest takeaway. I feel less anxious overall. I think putting any and all thoughts on paper without any “pre-judgment” allows me to process things with more objectivity. There’s a common theory in psychology that suggests you have to name and externalize your anxious feelings in order to overcome them and be more at peace. I think this is absolutely true.
My other takeaway is simple but worth saying: my day is simply better when I’m up early and spending it in this way. It sets a good mindset for the rest of the day. I feel a sense of accomplishment and clarity after I do the pages, even on my hardest days. Long term, I’d love to end the morning pages with 20 minutes of dedicated creative writing/blog time...but I’ll give myself grace for now and wait for that until after our move! I’ll keep you posted on how my morning routine develops in Texas!
Will you keep going?
Caroline - Yes, I hope so. They have been a great tool for my own mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. They are a great way to go against my perfectionist tendencies - there is no planning and no perfection, they are just about showing up and being present.
Megan - Yes! Especially if I have a buddy in Caroline encouraging me with her good example! Friendship is the best reinforcement of good habits! I also think that TheOneThing Blog would not exist today without the habit of doing the morning pages. It allowed me to break through many creative blocks and get started. It’s exciting to think of what might develop and what other creative projects might come to life if I stay consistent!
