Daily Pages & the Artist's Way

About a year and a half ago, I wrapped up a thirty-plus year career in public education with a plan to pursue writing and art and creativity full time. And following my heartfelt get-together with friends and colleagues from the school and English department where I worked, a colleague came into my office and gave me a wonderful parting gift. She is one of the creative writing teachers at the school, as well as being a writer herself, and she said it was time for her to pass on to me a gift given to her on her writing journey: The Artist's Way: a Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron. 

For a writer and writing teacher, I was pleasantly surprised, both with the gift that has been a meaningful part of my journey, as well as the fact that I had never read nor really heard of this book before. The book is more than thirty years old now, and it has been a valuable contribution to the craft for so many people. I've been intrigued by the results of simply Googling the book, as so many writers have personal stories to share about their experience. Like this piece from Lauren Gonzales:

Eight summers ago, I found myself in a D.C. yoga studio sitting in a circle with several other women. No one was in a downward dog position, and hardly any of us were wearing stretchy pants. Any curious passerby might have assumed we were part of a support group of some kind, and in some ways, we were. We were a motley group of struggling creatives practicing The Artist's Way.

The Artist's Way is a 12-week course that helps people unlock their capacity for creativity — whether in art, at work, or in life. At its core, it's a great practice to access more delight, curiosity, and creative inquiry within your daily life. But for me, The Artist's Way grew to mean more than just a fun summer project or a tool to overcome writer's block. It helped me face my fears around trying new things, and gave me a better framework to live with the vulnerability and uncertainty that comes with life. I will gab about it to anyone who lets me in on their secret desires to pursue their artistic dream — be it tiny or grand.

One of the foundational aspects of the book, and one which people mention most frequently, is the simple practice that Cameron calls "the Morning Pages." The basic premise is grounded in two important aspects of the creative process -- clearing the mind and making a daily habit of production. Cameron's advice is to sit each morning before doing anything else and fill three full pages of handwritten reflection. I've appreciated this smooth explanation from Leah Lavelle of the Urban Wild Studio:

What are morning pages?

Imagine it is the early hours of the morning, you’ve just arisen and the world outside is still relatively calm and quiet. You pour a cup of coffee, and with a pen in hand and a blank page before you, you begin to write. Three pages of unfiltered thoughts, flowing freely from your mind onto the paper (or laptop). This is the essence of morning pages – a stream of consciousness daily ritual that holds the promise of self-awareness, and the potential for transformation and renewal.

In short, morning pages are (in the words of author Julia Cameron herself):

• 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
• Capture your cloud thoughts; can be whining, grumpy, petty. Can be cheerful, pleasant, enlightening
• Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand
• Do not overthink Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page...and then do three more pages tomorrow

What are the benefits of morning pages? Why is this practice so powerful? Again, in Julia Cameron’s words, morning pages help:

• Clear your mind
• Become acquainted with all the corners of your psyche
• Put your negative thoughts on the page so they aren’t floating around your consciousness during the day
• Meet your shadow and take it out for a cup of coffee
• Farewell to life as you knew it, and an intro to life as it’s going to be

Now, I will be honest in that I have tailed off the artist's way a bit since I began in the summer of 2024, and I don't even do the morning pages in the full expectation of the practice. However, I have continued the practice of daily writing reflection in the early morning, and it remains a meaningful part of my day and my creative practice.