Creativity, Rituals
How do you clear your mind of stuff?
Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way writes about Morning Pages as being a way to help clear your mind before you start the day. Julia has also called these a brain dump or “stream of consciousness writing”.
These Morning Pages are three pages of longhand writing- paper to pen/pencil done first thing in the morning before you have time to process the day. As she has written, there is no right or wrong way to do them. Just keep you hand moving across the page and write down whatever crosses your mind- anything and everything. She warns us ” not to over think” this process and feel you are writing a novel. Just put your thoughts down on the page and keep moving your hand across the page. I love this image of moving your hand across the page and leaving words and ideas and feeling left in its wake like a trail of bread crumbs into you mind-heart-soul.
Write three pages this morning and three pages more tomorrow and so on. I have found that when I consistently do them, I end up clearing the way in my mind. I am able to be more focused on what I need and want to do. What also happens is that new ideas and creative thoughts pop up and come to mind. My creativity is allowed more fully in now that there is more room for it to grow where before the chaotic thoughts were crowding it out.
I have filled up many composition books over the years writing these three pages on and almost daily basis. I have stopped and started lately and for some reason have gotten out of the habit. I find that my days have been full of stuff but I have not been getting things more constructively done. I know that I really need to get myself back on track.
Julia goes on to write that ” Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand.”
I think I need to go get a new comp book to write in and start my Morning Pages afresh and also a few colorful pens. Those sort of things always make me happy like new school supplies in the fall. If you want to be encouraged to write and play you need shiny things to get you started.
What tools help clear you mind and helps you focus?
2 Comments
Angela
I like to walk in the morning to clear my mind. I carry a notepad with me so if I have a thought worth remembering I can write it down. I like to be up and out as the sun is rising. That way there isn’t too much going on around me to be a distraction.
mschendel
Angela that sounds like a wonderful routine. Cheers Marilyn