A Blank Page is a Gift
You know how when four different people tell you how great something is in the space of a week? That was the point at which I felt compelled to investigate Morning Pages – a practice recommended by Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way. You write three sides of letter paper (translation: A4) in longhand every morning immediately upon waking. This, it seems, is your most creative state, before you buckle on your ego and busyness for the day. (Turns out it’s also the state in which you’re most likely to forget to do something, until it turns into the habit that gets you out of bed even before you’re fully conscious.)
So I’ve been ‘doing’ Morning Pages for nearly two weeks now (with only one forgetful fail), and it’s been something of a revelation. I’ve discovered:
- my handwriting is rusty. Did I really used to be able to sit and write a legible 3-hour exam paper?
- it takes on average until the middle of the second page before the thoughts coalesce and I shift from a burble into purposeful flow.
I don’t really have anything to say on the first one, except thank goodness I don’t have to do exams any more.
But the second is more interesting…