Morning Pages: The Faster You Write, the More They Help | "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron

Why Morning Pages work and ways they can help you get to a better place mentally and emotionally, based on the book "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron
Chapters
0:00 Intro
0:52 How your unconscious mind works
3:11 The Censor in your conscious mind
5:26 How Morning Pages works
9:13 How Morning Pages helps heal what's broken
11:37 How Morning Pages helps us grow
15:18 What makes Morning Pages so important?
19:13 Coming up

[@INITIAL62]

I am a morning pages new adopter. Your perspective is helpful. One thing that might go into my morning pages tomorrow is how I was half listening to you while wondering if the door to the washer dryer was left open on purpose… cryptic message or maybe a cigar is just a cigar.

[@DearNiblings]

I'm don't quite know what cryptic message there might be... reminds me of John Nash in A Beautiful Mind, looking for messages in newspapers and magazines... Anyway, in this case a cigar is just a cigar. Congrats on starting Morning Pages - good luck!

[@Tinyteacher1111]

LOL!!! The old wandering mind!

[@Danielstoner]

I just finished my morning pages this morning. My mind was All over the spectrum while I was writing however at some point, probably close to the 25 minute mark, the focus kicked in.

[@DearNiblings]

Yeah, I've found I often make the most gains in the second half of my MP sessions. Kind of like workouts... I'm glad you're doing them, keep it up!

[@zaprude]

Thank you for this breakdown. An artist I knew a few years back, used this method and I could observe how transformational it was for him. But I forgot the name of the book, and I tried searching for it but without success. Now, several years later - your video popped up among my recommendations and I knew straight away - this is that book I've been curious about all this time. I am not an artist - but I always had a sense of the artist within me - and as someone who barely can write anything without overthinking and is an expert at internalizing things - I really want to try this out!

[@DearNiblings]

You're welcome, and I'm so glad you rediscovered the book! If you can make a daily habit of morning pages, hopefully you'll start seeing some real benefit in a few weeks or months. I just started a few days ago and will likely post a video in a few months on my experience.

[@Tinyteacher1111]

I just bought this book, but haven’t started it yet. Seems like there are a lot of take-offs on this technique, that’s actually been around for a long time (even when I was in college) and my high school English students journaled (not well! lol!). New subscriber here from MI❣️ Your comments seem like they will be very helpful because of a few reasons, but mostly because I’ve been sick with overlapping toxin-based illnesses for 21 years (and also in childhood). Then, about 5 years ago, when I moved to this house, since my gorgeous condo had mold which lowered my immune system, I got a live tick/borne infection (It’s exactly like malaria!) that’s horrific! I have become extremely interested in this type of thing and higher consciousness. Thank you for your channel. I look forward to delving deeper into this! ✨🩷

[@DearNiblings]

I'm so glad you found out about morning pages, and I hope they really help you work through the psychological stresses you've had!

[@roses321]

Great, one of the best comments on morning pages

[@DearNiblings]

Thank you!

[@stolidmortified]

Doing this class , we are now meant to lay out a vision for the future and get into morning pages: I’ve tried a few times already and what I keep noticing is a sort of clean room effect where every fantasy I’ve had about the future is suddenly emptied of its emotional charge and I can no longer tell if it would make me happy; even in meditations I can’t imagine that place, my life as I’d like it. When it comes go to morning pages what I keep feeling is “where are my thoughts that pour out like a stream through a broken dam every morning…this is too slow, you’re in your thinking brain” (and it’s not even 4am) I’m a little jealous of that guy in class who just acts like every step of the way he’s given the ultimate missing piece of the puzzle and everything fits and works straight away with effortless flow. I’ll keep trying,I just feel like my mind is trying extra diligently to put up walls here

[@DearNiblings]

This is my experience with, and view of, morning pages, and maybe it can help: I've found MP is useful for doing an unconscious mind brain-dump, mostly to dislodge all the negative garbage that is floating around in there that affects us daily but that we aren't necessarily conscious of. Thus the need for writing quickly - it's not (again, just from my experience) about using your thinking/conscious mind for planning the future, it's for getting rid of the rat's nest of negativity, self-doubt, and even some good stuff that might be in your unconscious mind. So I suggest just write quickly, stream-of-consciousness, whatever comes to mind, and don't worry about using that time for planning for the future - that's a conscious mind activity that isn't what I think MP is all about. As for envisioning your future, I've had a very significant experience that might give you a different perspective on that. In 2022, after a few years of intense reading, one day (like a bolt of lightning) I realized I had just fallen in love with reading and writing. After several months more of lots of conscious-mind slow thinking, I came up with the direction for how I can channel that love into something that I hope eventually will become meaningfully beneficial to people. I'm 48 and that happened when I was 47, and my whole life I had tried consciously thinking about what professional pursuit would make me the happiest, and I never found it through conscious thought. It only happened when it struck me out of the blue when I wasn't even thinking about it (in an interview on YT Jeff Bezos talks about how you don't find your calling, your calling finds you, and in my experience that's exactly right). I think the path to this realization is different for everyone, and what works for one person doesn't work for another, but my best and only suggestion is reading avidly, widely, and thoughtfully - I've found reading expands one's perspective more than anything else by far, and it might take months or years (and you might never get there), but maybe someday your calling will find you and you'll know *in that instant* that that is what you're supposed to do. I briefly touch on this in the first few videos I did for this channel, so maybe take a look at the first video or two. As far as the other guy in class, everyone is different and everyone's MP experience is different, so try not to hold your own MP experience to someone else's standard. Go easy on yourself, take your time, read avidly/widely/thoughtfully, and hopefully in time your calling will find you. Anyway, just some quick thoughts on this. I hope this helps in some way.

[@grannysgotballs8897]

Best review of The Artist Way which is to be delivered this week.

[@DearNiblings]

Thank you!! I hope you get a lot out of the book and Morning Pages.

[@maharezk7914]

Thank you very much for your explanations and your thoughts 🙏🙏😇😇

[@DearNiblings]

You're welcome!!

[@valeriacarvallo7345]

Love this video! Very interesting subject

[@DearNiblings]

Thank you!

[@djahyeahh]

You spoke about something that I’ve been battling for decades as an artist. Around the 7 minute mark, you mention the conscious mind pre judging, and this is a phenomenon that I’ve always experienced although never understood what was happening. Is there a book or a source of information that could help me understand this in greater depth? I did listen to the audiobook version of The Artist Way but I don’t remember finding anything on the subject. Perhaps I should give it a second listen. I really appreciate you making this video.

[@DearNiblings]

I'm so glad this was helpful! In the chapter called The Basic Tools she talks about what she calls the Censor - our pre-judging conscious minds. Also, I think I mentioned this in the video (it's been a while), but I read three books on psychology which helped to give me a basic understanding of how our minds work - The Body Keeps the Score, Strangers to Ourselves, and Thinking Fast and Slow. I've done videos on each of these, but definitely worth reading/audiobooks to get your own understanding/perspective. I've also done a few videos on my (rare but powerful) "breakthrough" sessions with morning pages. If you haven't done morning pages regularly, it really is a powerful practice not only to get past your pre-judgment, but also to help clear out a lot of the really negative stuff in our unconscious minds.

[@djahyeahh]

Thanks so much for replying, and thanks so much for the useful information! I'll definitely stick to morning pages now that I understand how they work. If it wasn't for you I would have continued struggling and probably given up. Thanks again! @@DearNiblings

[@DearNiblings]

You're welcome

[@J.Foss_Oaxaca]

My morning pages often turn into more of a dream journal, since that’s what’s on my mind when I wake up,. I feel like it sort of defeats the idea (goal) of the morning pages, but does check the boxes for trying to help me get closer to lucid dreaming. Both ‘’exercises’’ are best done when one first wakes up, and I’m not sure how to navigate journaling both.

[@DearNiblings]

I'm thinking dream journaling would be much faster since we often don't remember much of our dreams, so maybe you could do that pretty quickly and then go on to morning pages?

[@J.Foss_Oaxaca]

I actually do remember quite a bit of my dreams, and the more I write, immediately upon waking, the more details that come back to me, Maybe the universe will fuse this dilemma together on its own and the dream elements will begin to appear in my art. Thanks for the input, anyway, and for your thoughts about morning pages in this nice video! I’m always interested in other people’s take-aways of this exercise.

[@patriciakuzmicz4456]

🌸

[@DearNiblings]

Thanks :)

[@Ajt17c]

Thanks for reading the book! Really appreciated your perspective on it. I feel like it builds upon Psycho-Cybernetics. I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on Psycho-Cybernetics as well.

[@DearNiblings]

Thanks, ajt! I hadn't heard of it but I just read the description on Amazon and it sounds like it might mesh with think and grow rich - I'll check it out, thanks!

[@Danielstoner]

I just discovered you. Just what I needed today and at this crossroads in my career. You have a nice perspective, an uncomplicated approach and the vids are short enough for an ADD/artist to to watch :-) thank you for taking the time to post these. I’ll share them with others. Have a good day.

[@DearNiblings]

@Danielstoner I'm so glad it was helpful, and thanks for the kind words and for sharing with others who might find these helpful!

[@starlingswallow]

Strangers to ourselves~ who's the author? There's a few books by that same name. Thanks!!❤❤

[@DearNiblings]

Timothy Wilson - a good book!

[@michaelcutler6118]

I do not know if this counts or not the concept is the same none the less. How about voice recording yourself and video recording yourself. I have found my niece in abstract drawing or art whatever you want to call it. I will add use a memo pad and writing utensils both at work or any chance you have to write in it and art whatever in it.

[@DearNiblings]

In my experience, there's something unique about actually writing the words with pen and paper that isn't quite the same with audio or video recording. Maybe it's that it keeps your mind focused on the act of writing, which requires more concentration than just talking, so your conscious mind can't censor your thoughts as easily. Also, my thought is that there are things that might be easier getting out on paper (silently) instead of voicing them out loud, even if you're the only one who hears them - again, this goes back to the conscious mind censor which might more easily prevent you from saying things that would otherwise be easier to write. That said, this is only my experience and, really, whatever works for you is the way you should go.

[@michaelcutler6118]

@@DearNiblings Thank you for replying and honestly, I like doing both. I am not sure if you are aware of what commonplace books are or if you have heard of them and the concept of making them.

[@DearNiblings]

I've heard of them but never really looked into it - I'll have to see what they're about and how they compare to morning pages, thanks.

[@Tinyteacher1111]

I’m interested in your comment! I think it would be great for both! I wish I remembered my shorthand, because my mind absolutely works faster than my hand! Can you imagine printing the journals? That’s what the kids will have to do, but I don’t know how old you are. I suppose typing would be the best. I’m a former English teacher, and I want to find out what commonplace books are, too. Thanks for making me think!

[@GloxGlox-nl4cd]

Your content seems to be helpful but for a station called the artist way, I suggest you put a screen or something more visually appealing behind you.

[@DearNiblings]

Thanks for the suggestion - in recent months I've actually stopped talking at the camera altogether and using images and video instead, which I think is better for the direction I want to take the channel (it's actually called "Dear Niblings" - The Artist's Way is the book that I reviewed in this one video).

[@anastasia10017]

so repetitive.

[@DearNiblings]

True, true :)