Morning Pages (AM Pages)
For the next 4 weeks, i will be sharing tools on this podcast that will help you, me, us, all during this time of uncertainty—and, hopefully, beyond.Â
From today until May 1, 2020, each podcast will cover one of four tools i use EVERY day as part of my morning ritual which i will talk more about in week 4.Â
This first episode in the Tool Kit For Trying Times series is: Morning Pages. Or as i like to call me AM Pages (because sometimes it’s not necessarily morning when i do them but somewhere in the “AM” period ;)).
But before we get it into the how and why of Morning Pages, i want to share with you WHAT these pages are. The concept of morning pages is from Julia Cameron’s book The Artist Way.Â
i bought this book in 97/98 right before i moved to Austin but i didn’t read it or work all the way through it until this past March. So if that says anything about the artist journey, it’s that it takes as long as it takes. Sometimes it’s instant. Other times it takes decades, lol.
Here is Julia Cameron’s description of Morning Pages taken directly from her book:
“What are morning pages? Put simply, the morning pages are three pages of longhand writing, strictly stream-of-consciousness … They might also, more ingloriously, be called brain drain, since that is one of their main fuctions.
There is not wrong way to do morning pages. these daily morning meandering are not meant to be art. Or even writing. Just write three pages … and wirte three more pages the next day.
i started doing AM pages around 1999 and have dived in and out of them since. But it wasn’t until this past year (kinda like the book) that i really understood—and felt their value.Â
What they do for me (and what they will do for you too if you let them) is provide a space for you to just let it all out—bitch. Admit you’re scared. Cry. Laugh. Plan. Dream.
These morning pages are a safe place to get all that crap that runs through your head throughout the day OUT, right before you even start your day.Â
This is SO important in times like these where there is so much change in our world and lives. The daily ritual of these pages creates a sense of consistency within ourselves and our day that most of us are desperately missing. Kina like, a little hub to get away and lost in.
But even if you are working harder now than you ever have because you are 1st responder, these pages—and just getting all the fear, thoughts, crud out of you—will help you stay focused and sane.Â
i didn’t believe it until i did. And it took a lot of doing, a lot of leaving and returning to this practice, to unearth their healing potential.Â
Today, don’t overthink it.Â
Just pick up a notebook, start where you are and just write.Â
Write a page. Write 2. Write 5. The number doesn’t matter. Just use today as a day to get all the shit out that’s been piling up. Shit it ALL out.Â
And tomorrow, wake up. Make your coffee. Kiss your partner, your kid or nunu (what i call dogs), find a quiet space, and start writing your 3 pages. Before you turn on the news. Before you pick up your phone.Â
Write. And when you’re done. See how you feel.Â
Wake up and do it again.Â
Again.
And again.
Side Note & Show Notes:
i’ve been thinking about doing a video companion to this tiny podcast on my YouTube channel, BTV, to delve deeper into each tool.
Check back here later this week for a video where i will be sharing a few helpful tips on how to incorporate these pages into your day and life.Â
And make sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel, HERE.
Show Notes:
The Artist Way Book
BTV (my YouTube Channel)
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