what are morning pages?
October 03, 2017
Morning pages have been featured on countless blogs and YouTube channels in the past couple of years. I learned about them through FemmeHead and Lavendaire, two women who I aspire to be like, so I decided to give them a try.
But what exactly are morning pages?
Morning pages are a concept created by artist Julia Cameron, who wrote about them in her book The Artist’s Way. The idea is that each morning after you get up you write three full pages of longhand, stream-of-consciousness writing. Write them even if you have nothing to write about; in fact, you can write three full pages of I have nothing to write about, but that likely won’t happen. Through this exercise, you start to work through some of the things that are weighing on you – and some things that aren’t really weighing on you at all, but that you need to get off of your mind. By doing this, you start to open yourself up to more freedom and creativity.
Three pages of longhand writing is tough, believe me. It takes me about 45 minutes to finish my pages each morning, but the benefits have kept me coming back (on and off) for the last year. And you’re probably wondering what the benefits are, right? Aside from opening myself up to that creativity and freedom (which, really, shouldn’t that be benefit enough?) I have learned so much about myself. I’ve learned in what ways I’ve been holding myself back and why, and pinpointed moments in my life that have affected me negatively. After making these discoveries, I’m able to work through them through my writing and let them go.
It’s not foolproof. There are some things you can’t just let go of. But this process is sort of like free therapy; it takes time and effort, but you do see progress.
What do you need to start? Are there any rules?
All you need is a pen and paper… and maybe a little bit of willpower to get up about 45 minutes earlier. There is no wrong way to do your pages and there are no real rules. There are, however, some tips aimed at helping you reap as much benefit from the exercise as possible.
It’s also helped me spiritually, I feel, in that it has really helped me find my voice again and start following the path I want to be on. I have found inspiration through this, as well as motivation and a greater sense of creativity. Even if you don’t do the full three pages, try doing some stream-of-consciousness writing occasionally and see if it helps you discover anything.
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