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Old Mar 22, 2013, 08:45 AM
Syra Syra is offline
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Hi
I've just finished reading (auditorily speaking) REFLECTIONS ON THE ARTIST'S WAY with Julia Cameron. She is quite insistent that evening pages aren't morning pages done at night. It doesn't work at night. she's tried it.

I'm wondering what other's experiences are.

NOTE: originally I wrote a longer explanation of why morning pages made sense, but.... and then decided I should just try doing morning pages, and evening pages, and see what works for me (sometimes I'm very slow at thinking of the obvious. I have a part that is very compliant, and a part that is a rebel and it takes them a while to speak to each other).

I decided to keep the question - I'm still curious about people's experiences with Morning Pages.

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  #2  
Old Mar 22, 2013, 11:44 AM
Fartraveler Fartraveler is offline
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I'm a big fan of morning pages, they've always worked for me, just the way she says. And I think they do work better when you do them first thing in the morning, right when you wake up.

I find them useful even if I do them later, but they are more powerful if I do them when my brain's not cluttered with daytime stuff. I get to more of my core issues if I do them first thing. And more story/creativity ideas show up in the morning, too. They're also better if handwritten. Doesn't work for me if I do them on the computer.

They take a lot of time, tho. I can't do them in 30 minutes -- it takes me at least 45. And it's hard to find the time. Especially because I also want to meditate and walk in the mornings! Hard for me to choose, those are all so useful to me.

But the mornings pages are great -- I've been doing them off and on for probably 20 years. Doing them the way she says has always worked best for me.
Thanks for this!
Syra
  #3  
Old Mar 22, 2013, 11:58 AM
Anonymous43207
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I think morning pages are great too - love Julia Cameron - I do mine sometimes in the morning, sometimes throughout the day, to me the time of day matters less than the actually DOING it, I can tell if I go a few days without doing them at all. So I fit them in as I can, like if I have to go into work early, I'll do them during a break or sometimes even one or two sentences at a time when I have time. Just the fact of DOING them is what's important to me. I have notebooks full!

I also do the artist's date she talks about - not every week, but once a month at least. I'll go to the park and sketch, or browse a flower shop and just take in the scent of the flowers and all the beautiful colors, or go to my favorite craft store and walk around the yarn aisles feeling all the yarn textures and enjoying the colors (i'm a yarn harlot lol crochet and knit), go to the Poetry center here in town and read read read, anything that feeds my creative soul.
Thanks for this!
Syra, winter4me
  #4  
Old Mar 22, 2013, 11:59 AM
Syra Syra is offline
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20 years!! That's impressive.

One thing I've been telling myself is I should do it before I get out of bed. BEcause once I get out of bed I'm thinking about what to wear, so I'm thinking about my day, and things start cascading. But in bed is not ergonomic and my body is starting to fight me when things aren't ergonomic enough.
Does it need to be first thing?
  #5  
Old Mar 22, 2013, 02:11 PM
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BonnieJean BonnieJean is offline
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I'd never heard of that. Had to look it up.

Morning Pages | Julia Cameron Live
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-BJ

Thanks for this!
Syra
  #6  
Old Mar 22, 2013, 02:24 PM
Syra Syra is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BonnieJean View Post
I'd never heard of that. Had to look it up.

Morning Pages | Julia Cameron Live

Sorry about not being clear. I was in a tunnel. thanks for providing the link.
Thanks for this!
BonnieJean
  #7  
Old Mar 22, 2013, 02:48 PM
anonymous112713
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Syra View Post

Sorry about not being clear. I was in a tunnel. thanks for providing the link.
Ive never heard of this either...its pretty cool. Thanks!
Thanks for this!
Syra
  #8  
Old Mar 22, 2013, 02:50 PM
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unaluna unaluna is online now
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You inspired me to get out my artist's pages notebook. One entry, nine months ago. Oh well. This morning I wrote 5 pages. Thanks@
Thanks for this!
BonnieJean, Syra
  #9  
Old Mar 22, 2013, 02:52 PM
anonymous112713
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Originally Posted by hankster View Post
You inspired me to get out my artist's pages notebook. One entry, nine months ago. Oh well. This morning I wrote 5 pages. Thanks@
Your inspiring me.
Thanks for this!
BonnieJean, Syra
  #10  
Old Mar 22, 2013, 04:35 PM
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archipelago archipelago is offline
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I love Cameron too. You try reading Writing Down the Bones by Goldberg as well. Anyway, I do morning pages I guess. I use journal writing all the time, but especially when I first wake up. I rarely write at night.

The other thing that Cameron talks about is an "artist's date" by which she means once a week trying to make time to do something a little different, usually alone if you can. It can be very simple. The point is to open yourself to a short period where you are out of habitual space. I admit I don't regularly do it, but think it is a good idea and when I have done it, it's made a difference.

But those dumping out pages in the morning are great. They clear your head and let you move forward through your day. If you write later on, you end up writing about lists and do-tos and other things that are preoccupations that often make you more anxious about all the things you have to do. But then I've switched from being a night owl to an early morning person so I like that quiet time before things get started up to take time out for myself. I used to never go back and read them, but lately I've been more curious and things emerge that have told me things I wasn't fully aware of at the time, but later on proved to be very important. It has told me that I often have hunches in advance of things that might happen with me. So I've started reading the day before just to see the differences or continuities. All a process, but that's the real point.
Thanks for this!
BonnieJean, Syra
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