What's the deal with Morning Pages?
Several years ago I learned about Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way, a book designed to help people harness their creative talents and skills.
I heard people rave about it, but was working at a bank at the time, and wondered if it would be too ‘woo.’
Was it just for painters and dancers and those people who wear the ‘artist’ label as their identity?
Could people in the corporate world benefit from it, too?
I was curious.
It was when reading about The Artist’s Way that I discovered Cameron’s process called Morning Pages.
Cameron has plenty of artists who laud this practice, but I also discovered she had plenty of fans from the business world. People like Tim Ferriss, and other entrepreneurs, and business leaders.
The concept sounded so simple.
You get up in the morning – before checking your phone or tuning into the news – and you write.
About anything.
You fill three pages in a notebook (about 750 words) and then stop.
That’s it.
So I decided to do an experiment.
I bought a set of A5 Moleskine notebooks and started getting up 30 minutes earlier.
Instead of starting my day checking the news, I started my day writing.
I had a ritual of making a cup of tea, then sitting down at the kitchen table to write.
My goal was to finish writing my three pages before I was interrupted by one of my young children.
I succeeded maybe half of the time.
BUT – a year later, with a stack of notebooks filled, I noticed something else…
What happened?
Through writing Morning Pages:
I came up with new ideas.
I made interesting (and unexpected) connections.
I felt better ('lighter') as I went about the day – as I was able to clear my head first-thing in the morning.
Some days I was surprised with the thoughts that I poured on the page or the ideas that popped into my head.
Other days, I might write about nothing particularly interesting.
But I learned that’s OK – it’s about the practice.
You just need to keep at it.
You don't need to be a writer to get the benefits from it.
And, although the idea is to make Morning Pages a daily discipline, you don’t have to do it everyday to enjoy the benefits.
Want to give it a try?
Morning Pages is a great way to strengthen your creativity – and all it takes is a notebook and a pen.
Give it a try. Start writing and see what happens.
*Check out my one-page overview about Morning Pages for more details.
Happy writing!
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Beth Collier helps people improve their communication, creativity, and leadership skills through private coaching and team workshops.
She brings global corporate experience, Midwestern practicality and enthusiasm – and an endless supply of pop culture references to keep things fun!
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