I first read Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way back in the early 90s. I still have that original copy and freely admit how one part of it transformed my life for the better. Because of Julia, I started writing, by hand, three pages of random thoughts each and every morning and continue today nearly 25 years later. Those Morning Pages, as Julia calls them, have helped to make me not only the writer I am today but the person I’ve become. So when I discovered Julia had published a new book titled, It’s Never Too Late To Begin Again—Discovering Creativity & Meaning at Midlife and Beyond, I bought it and prepared myself to be re-inspired and potentially transformed.
Julia’s new book puts Morning Pages front and center once again. Certainly, the consistent action empowers anyone who wants to embrace the artist or writer within. But Julia also finds them to be perfect for anyone at or nearing retirement. Calling them a “spiritual radio kit,” Julia believes those pages connect us deeply with what lies inside us while at the same time allowing us to hear what the Universe wishes us to know. When a person approaches them as an “active meditation,” they provide a daily window into what we truly think and believe about life, ourselves, and everything else.
I’ll confess that I don’t typically try every suggestion, or even do most of the exercises, but when I first read about Morning Pages something clicked. Julia insists that Morning Pages be done by hand because the very act of handwriting slows down our thoughts and forces us to think at a pace that is far more introspective. As with meditation that can’t be rushed, slowing down also allows us to get in touch with ideas and to feel emotions lurking below the surface. Likewise, she asserts that morning pages are private and not for public consumption. After all, how honest can you be with yourself if you have even the tiniest hesitation about how someone will view what you write?
Morning Pages taught me something else as well. They showed me that even if I don’t feel like I’m in the mood, even if no one ever reads my writing, or even if I never receive a dime for anything I write, I am still a creative being at my core. Once I began to get in touch with my inner creative self, I was gradually able to accept myself as a writer and hone the creative gifts I wanted to offer to the world.
How do Morning Pages help those who don’t care about being writers? Again, the daily connection to what’s going on inside connects people to their inner creative self. And yes, Julia believes we are all creative. We all have something to offer the world, and it is that that makes us uniquely special. Regrettably, most people block their creative nature until something like Morning Pages awakens it and makes it impossible to ignore. Maybe that’s why Julia calls Morning Pages “spiritual chiropractic.”
In the same way, that The Artist’s Way offered ongoing tools for transformation, Julia offers three more in her new book.
- Artist’s Dates—a once a week solo-expedition doing something that interests and entrances you.
- Walking—Julia admits that the very action of walking can stimulate us into movement and is an exercise in “receptivity.”
- Work on a Memoir—by slowly taking the time to develop and work on a memoir of our life we discover and revisit many of the things we knew but forgot along the way.
With the major tools at hand, Julia’s new book takes us through a series of topics over a recommended twelve-week period. Like taking a workshop, Julia provides us with exercises and ideas that offer us the benefit of gradually awakening our creative nature. Again, like with her first book, I found myself skimming through the commentary and only occasionally doing the actual work involved. If you’re anything like me, you might best benefit by doing it in a group or ongoing workshop.
But make no mistake, this new book offers insights into the creative life that make it a worthwhile read. With a focus on those who are near or in retirement, Julia is convinced that this process is as valuable and necessary as ever. Some of the key takeaways I discovered are:
- No matter what age, we all need to connect with that inner sense of wonder and the timelessness we had as children. At that core is a wealth of creativity.
- As we age, our inner-censor usually gets stronger and more crafty at making us doubt ourselves and anything we create. Through undertaking conscious techniques, we can learn to silence that voice and continue to offer the world our gifts.
- Skepticism is another issue that grows as age. The way I understand it, skepticism is the way we view the world and others around us. That returns to the ongoing Einstein quote, “Do we believe we live in a friendly supportive Universe or the opposite?”
- Structure and discipline are necessary for the creative life. Julia believes that ongoing routines quiet and focus our mind, allowing inspiration to come forward.
- Boredom is often a sign that we are stifling our creativity. Even better, it asks us, “What am I doing (or not doing) with my life and what needs to change?”
- One of the most empowering things we can ever do is to be honest and authentic with ourselves and resist the urge to create, write or do anything to please others.
- Self-doubt festers with inactivity. The more doubt you have, the more you need to get busy and do something!
- Crazymakers are people we invite into our lives to make us doubt ourselves and to distract us from our goals and creativity. Let them go!
- Julia believes that the biggest block to creativity is a lack of humility. In other words, if we are afraid to be beginners, or anything less than perfect, it is our ego running the show and attempting to resist failure. Our ego or grandiosity asks, “What if my art is irrelevant? What if I do all that work, only to find that my art is beside the point?” Instead, humility recognizes that making something—anything at all—is a process of unfolding ourselves and contributing to the Universe. From that perspective, no art is ever irrelevant.
- Exercising and eating right are both essential for enhancing our creative nature.
- As we age, and especially after retirement we would do well to redefine productivity. According to Julia, “It can take courage to find that activity that will feed us, and not just ‘get busy with busyness.’”
- Many of us need to develop a level of “healthy selfishness” where we put boundaries between our desire to help others and at the same time nurture our creativity.
- Art is an act of faith. According to Julia, “No matter what form our creativity takes, it boils down to making something from nothing.”
- The act of creation makes us “ageless.” Julia offers, “The paradox is that when we share our ‘senior savvy’ with those around us, we connect to a younger and more vibrant part of ourselves.”
Twenty-five years after reading The Artist’s Way I didn’t find much surprising in her new book. But what I did appreciate were the many reminders of the fundamental truth that I now deeply believe to be true—that we are all creative beings with a purpose to continually create at any age, regardless of what anyone else thinks of it. Julia confirms it with, “We are all creative, and we all have an unlimited supply of creative energy. As we act on it—or spend it, so to speak—in positive ways, we expand and improve our surroundings. But if we contract instead of expand we run the risk of wallowing in our own negativity.”
I also find it helpful to know that even successful authors like Julia Cameron struggle with many of the doubts and discouragements that all artists feel at times. Admitting that with honesty, being humble, staying open to inspiration in its many forms, and “staying the course” are all part of the creative life. And if you aren’t already feeling creative, it might be SMART to challenge yourself to give Morning Pages a try. So, why not start tomorrow morning?
A question for you: Are you currently, or have you ever, done Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages? If yes, what have you gotten from the process? If you’ve stopped, why?
I read The Artist’s Way in the 90’s and still find the Morning Pages in be a great tool for life, freeing my mind of mental debris and overwhelm, the words sometimes four-lettered and harshly scribbled then I drench them in water and squeeze them into a wet ball and toss them away. The pages have somehow released me to take on the day. Some days they lead to creative thoughts, ideas, new projects, new art. Some days they create for me a steady path to carry on.
Hi Maureen! Welcome to SMART Living. And it’s always nice to connect with another person who understands the value of those morning pages right? It’s difficult to express how powerful they can be and only another person who has been doing them for a LONG time really understands. Thank you for letting me know you’re out there. ~Kathy
I used to write Morning Pages every morning for three plus years. It gave me a discipline about writing, but now I use that same time to just write. I’m a morning person and at 5 or 5:30 in the morning, I’m just ready to write. It’s also the best time because once I get home from work, I’m shot from the day and sometimes can barely read, nevermind write.
Hi Jennifer! I know it’s difficult for us all to fit in everything we want to do every day so I understand how some things take precedence. Good for you though, for putting your writing in the forefront. My best argument for doing morning pages is that it is my therapy! The writing I do in them isn’t that great…but what I’m allowed to express is critical. Perhaps at some time in the future when you find you have more time you will try them again. ~Kathy
Great article Cathy! I have found inspiration in your posts as well! Your summary of the highlighted points is much appreciated! And while I have always been advised to read “The Artist’s Way”, I have decided to put the time and energy into my first book- a memoir, which I will learn to self- publish. You are absolutely right about tapping into our creative beings. I left my job in the fast paced world of a retail family business choosing to explore more of my passion for writing and volunteering for nonprofit BeadforLife.org- creating sustainable opportunities for women in extreme poverty in Uganda. Taking the risk, and learning so much about transitions into this new world. I discovered your blog about 2 months ago and love having a positive encourager who shares similar passions for life, and abundant blessings! I am a new blogger : http://www.standinlove.wordpress.com
Have a beautiful day, and thank you for being a creator!
Hi Jennifer! Thank you for your comment and a little background on your blog and yourself. I love the name of it and will definitely check it out. I have also heard of BeadforLife.org and they are a wonderful organization. It is so nice to find other creators to connect with, isn’t it? ~Kathy
I’ve heard of The Artist’s Way but never found it and always talked myself out of buying it new because I always told myself I wasn’t really an artist. I may have to start searching for her book again.
Hi Lois! How are you? I haven’t been by your blog in ages so I don’t know. I hope you are well and enjoying your summer. I definitely need to come by and say hi! And yes, I think you would appreciate Julia’s books because she is all about creativity–not just writing. Of course, from what I know about you, you are both! ~Kathy
Love Julia Cameron! Sharing this with my Women Who Write group.
Hi Stephanie! If you love Julia’s work then you’ll love this one for sure. And thanks for sharing it with your writer friends! ~Kathy
I struggle to remember a time when morning pages worked part of my routine. They do help me remember things I didn’t realize I’d forgotten. And they have kept me sane during insane times. Apparently I need to read this book now, too.
Hi Carla! You bring up something interesting that I didn’t really stress in the post and that is how beneficial the “remembering” part of them can be. Julia is convinced that a new “practice” is writing a memoir because of how it helps us make sense of the direction of our lives AND help reconnect us with some of the things we’ve loved along the way and perhaps forgotten. All good advice. ~Kathy
I read Artist’s Way in the ’90s also, writing the morning pages, and keeping it up for many years. It saw me through a messy divorce, and set me on the writing path. So glad she has another book out!
Hi Still! Yes, in some ways Morning Pages are a friend you can talk with about even the most messiest parts of your lives. And like Julia says, maybe that friendship is with yourself and more important than any other. Check out her new book. If you were a fan before, then you will likely appreciate it too. ~Kathy
It’s on my list, Kathy! Thanks.
This is so interesting to read and how timely, since I just read something about morning pages just a couple of days ago for the first time! I really need to be more disciplined,especially as I start my next e-book. I like the idea of writing in a journal. Something to think about in the NEAR future! I will definitely check into both of these books 🙂
Hi Terri! I am thrilled to introduce you to Julia Cameron. She has LOTS of books out including fiction but these are her “creativity” books and I recommend them. I’ve also heard that there are a number of youtube videos available that walk you through some of her processes as well so you might want to check them out. And yes, I strongly recommend journaling. The benefits are a bit difficult to explain until you get started, but well worth it. ~Kathy
I read the Artist’s Way at a time in my life when I was very depressed. Using it got me to the keyboard where I poured out my heart and found solace in what I had to say. Out of it grew
more and more words–proving to me that creativity can also heal. Thanks for this post.
Hi Beth! Thank you for pointing out such a big and valuable part of how the act of writing can benefit us–regardless of whether one other person reads it or not. There is such a focus on how many followers we have or who is reading or not reading what. But that makes the “product” the important part. Julia reminds me that it is the activity that carries the weight, and then the vibration of that carries it forward to where it needs to be. Thank you for that and for sharing what it has meant to you. ~Kathy
It’s interesting that Beth found this book to be helpful during depression. My GP recommended it to me in 1999, when I was going through a bout of depression. I did a few chapters but never finished it. However, this is the second time that it has crossed my radar in the last couple of weeks, and so I’m thinking it might be time to pull my copy down off the shelf.
Hi Laura! I think that Julia is VERY well known in the “recovery” field because she is very open about how many of these practices helped her through her own challenges. By the same token, I imagine that many of the practices would be valuable for any of us going through different experiences. In some ways I feel that Morning Pages are and have been my own personal therapist since I began them so they do have so many more benefits beyond the simple obvious of just writing. Give it a try. I agree that doing a book like a “workshop” is hard for me, but that doesn’t mean some of the exercises won’t make a lot of sense to you. Good luck. ~Kathy
Congratulations Kathy on your 25 years of discipline! Like daily meditation.
You both make some great points: “When bored, ask, ‘What am I doing (or not doing) with my life and what needs to change?’…resist the urge to create, write or do anything to please others… Julia offers, “The paradox is that when we share our ‘senior savvy’ with those around us, we connect to a younger and more vibrant part of ourselves.”
Thanks for the reminders.
Hi Gary! And thank you but it really is like meditation. It doesn’t count as a discipline if you get so much more out of it than you put in, is it? And yes, don’t you like that idea of being “senior savvy”? I struggle to come up with different words to describe this phase of life but I haven’t found one that I REALLY like. Senior savvy sounds sort of fun don’t you think? ~Kathy
I used the Artist’s Way years ago. I have gotten away from it but I don’t feel un-creative or blocked. I love her perspective on humility. My husband makes metal and wood art pieces and a common remark from more men then women but certainly not exclusive is ‘You got too much time on your hands!’ He just shrugs it off but I think it is art not something specific, functional and the un-creative group can’t see it.
Hi Haralee! Thank you for sharing that bit about your husband and his art. Julia does cover the idea of how addicted we’ve all become to being “productive” as though that is the only reason we are alive. Hearing that call within us to creative something freely without attachment is surely close to the universal nature of all life wouldn’t you think? But so many of us are used to “comparing” and judging both ourselves and each other that we often end up making it much harder than it needs to be. ~Kathy
Journaling and walking are two activities that speak to me, always bringing me back to center. The journaling helps me to “tame” those thoughts that spin around in my head sometimes so it’s an exercise in exorcism so to speak. At other times, it’s quiet reflection. Walking is truly an exercise in receptivity. There was an old Nike ad that says walking isn’t just good for the heart, it’s good for the soul. How true! I’ve had so many aha moments while walking, feet meeting gravel or grass, surrounded by Nature.
I was asked by my muse once if I thought I was creative and replied no. She challenged me – do you always follow the recipe? How do you decide how to plant the flower bed? What makes you place the furniture just so or choose the paint color in the rooms? Creativity manifests itself in the day-to-day.
Hi Mona! You and me both. Once you’ve made both journaling and walking a part of your life you can’t even imagine life without it. And yes, thank you for adding that bit about creativity. We are ALL creative in big and small ways. Sort of like purpose don’t you think? We create with every choice we make. Thanks for adding to the conversation! ~Kathy
The Artist’s Way started my first attempt at journaling. Then came Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance and I became hooked on journaling. I have boxes of them that my grandchildren will discover some day when I’m gone and wonder who this crazy woman was. 😉
I used to journal at bedtime but, now I think I’ll try doing it in the mornings and try to inspire myself to have a productive day doing more writing or creating art.
There is something about writing by hand that slows the mind and gets closer to our soul. I need that these days. There is such a heavy sadness in our country today that’s laced with fear and maybe writing will help me not lose my mind.
b
Hi Barbara! Good for you for having an active journalling practice! Then you KNOW the many benefits as a person and as a writer. And, can you imagine your grandchildren reading your stuff? Or, as a person who is into simple living, one of the most difficult things I did was throw about 10 years out. Now and then I wish I had them to refer to but as you know, the greatest value is to the writer, not those who come after. ~Kathy P.S. AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
Hi Kathy! Another book to add to my ever-growing list, and it even has a title that starts with one of my favorite phrases: “It’s never too late”!
I have done morning pages on and off for 25 years. There were times I stopped because I had to catch a commuter train at 5:00AM and I had to make a choice between getting some exercise and writing … unless I wanted to get up at 3:30AM. Other times, I had a sick child or family member or friend to care for and there wasn’t a free moment for me to think straight.
And then there are times when I need to explore other ways of expressing myself. Now, I’m back on the morning page train in a big way, after some time away. It now helps me gather my thoughts for other daily work and reminds me how to connect within. It is, as Julia says herself, a spiritual practice.
Hi Tracey! I figured the title of Julia’s new book would catch your eye! So many books, so little time right? If you are a fan you will appreciate her perspective. She is over 65 now and I think that is offering her a new perspective on her very widely creative life and she willingly shares with us all. And yes I get that Morning Pages can seem daunting to a busy person, but like the Zen story says about meditation, “You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day — unless you’re too busy. Then you should sit for an hour.” ~Kathy