I first learned of Morning Pages from  Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way.   I have been fairly disciplined to  do my pages every day however, I have found myself out of practice in the last year or so.   

Morning pages is a writing activity that involves writing three pages of stream of consciousness in longhand, first thing in the morning.  According to Cameron, this can help us think through problems and improve our creativity.  It allows us to discover and recover our true creative selves.  This has been a tried and tested tool to help overcome creative blocks. The magic of morning pages that it is a  therapeutic brain "dump"...you don't have to check grammar, think what you want to say through or searching for “just the right word” with these pages. It’s simply putting pen to paper and writing whatever comes to mind.

And it's not just for artists or creative types: boosting creativity can help anyone to problem solve in many areas of our lives, making this a worthwhile activity for anyone.

​About the Challenge:

Join me in recommitting to this process!  For 21 days we will commit to writing three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing first thing in the morning.  Or if you like using journal apps or other alternative ways of writing, you are welcome to do that as well.  We will share what happens regarding our creativity as well as how this practice affects other areas of our lives. The goal is to practice a self-care ritual for self discovery, clear the path for creativity, and joy.

We will also create a virtual space where people could push themselves to explore their own creativity and their own minds — and do it with support, resources, insights from fellow creatives! .

By joining this challenge you’ll get access to all that and more. There will also be a workshop about how to make Morning Pages work for you. There will be videos and check ins from me. There will be community support. There will also be prizes.⁣ ⁣

YOU deserve to have access to this life-changing tool in your life.

YOU deserve to have a community of support in your efforts to grow personally.

We start the February 13, 2023! Join us!

What are Morning Pages?

According Julia Cameron, author of the The Artist's Way, Morning Pages are "three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page...and then do three more pages tomorrow."

What is the benefits of a Morning Pages practice?

1. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand

2. Clears your mind

3. Helps unblock creativity

4. Decreases anxiety

5. Generates great ideas

6. Healthy way to vent emotions

From https://journey.cloud/morning-...

Do I have to be "creative" to participate?

This challenge is open to anyone who would like to access the benefits of a daily journaling practice.

How should I prepare?

Make sure to get a pen and a dedicated journal or notebook or writing/journaling app or even a Word document  to type or write in. Make sure you have enough room to do three pages a day for 21 days.

Get up at least 15 to 30 minutes earlier each day to write in the journal.

What should I expect?

A lot of insight, support and camaraderie as well as unblocking your creative flow.February 13 - March 5, 2023.  Register for this free challenge bellow!

Hosted by Del Ray Artisans

​Date/Time: Sundays from 2-4pm, February 26–April 2, 2023
Cost: $250 Del Ray Artisans member / $300 Non-member
Supplies: Students should purchase their own copy of the book
Class size: 4-12 participants
(Register by midnight on February 22)

The Artist's Way, written by the brilliant Julia Cameron, is designed to help kickstart a creative life. It’s a wonderful course for aspiring writers, but also for dancers, cooks, lawyers, teachers, computer programmers, illustrators, parents, welders and anyone else looking to live a more well-rounded life.

Over the course of six weeks, we will be guided step by step through Cameron's creative process. The book is divided into 12 chapters. Each week we’ll read two chapters to work through the exercises on our own, then meet the following Sunday for group discussion. These group meetings are powerful and healing...helping to shed our fears and blocks to our creativity and creative practice.

You will learn the power of two tools for creativity:

The daily Morning Pages - Three stream of consciousness written journal pages that empty your head and heart of everything on your mind before starting the day.

​The weekly Artist's Date - A once-weekly solo expedition to do something that enchants or interests you.

​What you can expect from our 6 weeks together:

• Learn to recognize, nurture and protect your inner artist.
• Clarify your heart's creative dreams, as we arrive at clarity, we create change.
• Gain freedom from the constant demand for more validity outside ourselves and examine the idea that money concerns are the ultimate creative block.
• Art is not about thinking something up. It’s the opposite: it’s about getting something down. Instead of reaching for inventions, we learn to listen.
• Blocked artists are not lazy, they’re blocked. Procrastination is not laziness, it’s fear. The need to be a great artist makes it hard to be an artist at all. This week, you will learn tools that involve taking creative risks, and these small risks teach you the courage that it takes to create.
• As an artist, self-respect comes from doing the work. Artists do not need to be rich, only richly supported. We kill parts of ourselves when we fail to nurture the artist within.

The course will be held online via Zoom on Sundays from 2-4pm, starting February 26 through April 2, 2023. Participants will need to purchase their own copy of The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.  Hosted by Del Ray Artisans.  Register below. 

So how are you doing about your New Year's goals to bring more creativity into your life?

Have you started on that creative project or practice that you wanted to try this year?
World Creativity and Innovation Week April 15 -21 is on the horizon. Once again Spark Your Creative Coaching is offering a free 7-Day Challenge to launch your creativity during this international celebration!

You will receive in your email inbox a week frull of affirmations and tips on creativity including how to inuse more creativity into your life, dealing with creative blocks, creativity as self-care and setting a regular creative practice.

If you are already engaged in a creative practice, there will be tips and inspiration for you as well!

Let's do this! Click this link to sign up and look forward to inspiring creative goodness starting April 15th.

I believe art is a lifeline and would love for you to join me and 10 other extraordinary transformative artists as we show how we’ve developed workshops, practices, and artwork to provide art lifelines for individuals and communities. My hope is that you’ll walk away from this day-long event feeling inspired to make art, start your own art lifeline, and have at least one new art connection. 

My friend Artis Moon Amarche, a healings arts professional and artist and past podcast guest and I will present a special workshop focused on how art can be used as a self-care practice to help decrease anxiety and contribute to a healthy well-beling  I will also provide a special Yoga Nidra recording for artists and creatives.  .Learn More and Register HERE (artismoving.org/symposium)

Your registration includes access to this and 3 other live virtual workshops, 3 pre-recorded art conversations, 2 art performances, a meet and greet to connect and converse with me and the other presenters, and a PDF workbook for your reference during and after the day-long art event. 

If you have any questions about this event, feel free to contact the Co-founding Directors of Art is Moving, Lisa and Lauren via email at takeanartbreak@artismoving.org

Art is Moving’s Mission Statement:
Art is Moving creates, initiates, and shares community art projects that educate, encourage, and empower people to “take an art break” and make art part of their daily life. We do this because we know that art makes people better. And, better people make a better world.

I look forward to connecting with you on April 16th!

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