What Are Morning Pages by Julia Cameron (The Artist’s Way) and Why They Are Amazing

Even Tim Ferris writes morning pages

Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash

I have a daily practice of three longhand pages done first thing on awakening, hence, “Morning Pages.” The pages clear my head and prioritize my day. I think of them as a form of meditation. There is no wrong way to do the pages. You simply keep your hand moving across the page, not pausing. — Julia Cameron

I am sharing my thoughts on morning pages because they have become a staple in my daily routine and could even be considered a form of self-care.

I think we could all benefit from some morning pages. Let’s go!

My morning pages experience

I’ve known about morning pages for years. Tons of people swear by them. I’ve heard about them in blogs, youtube, podcasts… Yet, I never fell for this type of journaling/writing. I was already journaling every morning. I didn’t need morning pages.

Or did I?

I usually write about a particular problem or some sort of gratitude in my journal. I basically always journal with a prompt or purpose. That’s most of us, right?

I thought this was all good and fine until I listened to a Marie Forleo podcast where she interviewed Julia Cameron, the creator of morning pages and author of The Artist’s Way. This was the first time I heard Julia in an interview and I fell in love within two minutes! She is fun and zippy, even at her age. As I listened to her talk about the benefits of morning pages, I was sold to at least give it a try. Listen to the interview here and you might fall for Julia and morning pages too.

I further read on Tim Ferris’ website about how he writes morning pages. This is all I needed to hear on the subject from him:

Morning pages don’t need to solve your problems. They simply need to get them out of your head, where they’ll otherwise bounce around all day like a bullet ricocheting inside your skull. — Tim Ferris

Both Tim Ferris and Marie Forleo are at the tip top of my mentor list. I listen hard to what they recommend!

The next morning I opened my journal and started with two words: Morning Pages.

I proceeded to write with no purpose as I sat in my cozy bedroom with dim lights. Just light enough to not strain my eyes, yet keeping with a nice quiet, calm atmosphere. I believe that atmosphere is very important when doing any sort of writing.

I let my thoughts flow however they chose. And, wow — I found it to be a breath of fresh morning air to write freely with no prompt or purpose. I would end up writing about a struggle or a joy that was happening in my life, but surprisingly, I also found that this free purposeless writing opened up my creativity too. I started having more ideas unfold on paper for my coaching program, blog posts, social media, productivity, solutions to problems, etc… Anything and everything flowed from my mind, and I felt empowered.

I usually write in my journal for about 20 minutes. With morning pages, I craved writing for longer and longer each day. The possibilities in my mind (on most days) felt endless. I smiled and laughed as I wrote. Sometimes I cried. Writing without a prompt or purpose gave rise to so much more than I was previously writing in my journal.

Thank you Julia Cameron! Why didn’t I buy into morning pages earlier in my life? The freedom of this type of writing/journaling gave me clarity that I didn’t know I was missing. I believe it truly opened up my creative mind.

Since I started morning pages, I have started to publish recipes and healthy living articles on multiple writing platforms. I have found creativity and more confidence.

An added benefit I found from writing my morning pages was less stress and more excitement. The ideas that flow out of my mind when I am writing morning pages get my blood pumping and excitement surging. Problems seem less problematic and solutions are easier to come by. In essence, this form of writing is my therapy.

Photo by Jess Bailey on Unsplash

What exactly are morning pages? The technical stuff

Morning pages are a daily writing exercise that involves writing 3 to 5 pages in the morning before you do anything else. It’s basically like keeping a journal, but with no limits on what you write about or how much time you spend doing it.

The idea is that by getting all your thoughts out onto the page, they’ll cease to clutter up your brain and leave room for clearer thinking. We could all use some of that! It worked for me.

If you’re experiencing writer’s block, this exercise might be just what you need!

How to do morning pages

• Write first thing in the morning. The best time to write is when you are fully awake, so early in the morning is ideal. This is because we are most vulnerable in the morning — the good and the bad of the day haven’t started yet.

• Write for a minimum of 15 minutes. Start with this amount and adjust it as needed. I like to give myself 20–30 minutes if time allows. I usually crave more time to write!

• Write about anything and everything that’s on your mind without censoring yourself or judging what flows onto the page as “too personal” or “not interesting enough.” Anything goes!

• Use whatever medium works best for you (although Julia recommends pen to paper): pen and paper; computer keyboard; smartphone keyboard…whatever feels most comfortable in the moment! Just get those words out into some format where they can exist outside of your head while still being easily accessed later.

A few benefits you might experience from morning pages

• Morning pages help you get unstuck — goodbye writer’s block.

• Morning pages can be a form of meditation.

• Morning pages help your creative mind open up.

• Morning pages help you find your voice.

• Morning pages help you find your purpose.

• Morning pages help you get in touch with your emotions.

• Morning pages help you find a solution to a problem.

• They’re great for when life seems overwhelming — and let’s face it, we all experience times like this from time to time!

Writing morning pages is an amazing way to care for your mental health and bring more creativity into your life.

The bottom line is this: if you’re looking for a way to add some creativity to your life, try morning pages. They may not seem like much at first glance (that is how I felt at first), but they can be an incredibly powerful writing tool. They can help you cope with stress, improve your well-being and even achieve your goals!

Have you tried morning pages yet?

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