Get A Creative Life

One Habit at a Time

Jayne here....
Up until recently I believed that the one thing that held me back from having the life I wanted to live was my job. It has occurred to me that the nature and form of my life, no matter what I am doing for work and for money is determined by what I habitually think and do. "As a (wo)man thinketh..." is so true. To have the creative life I want all I need to do is to change what I do and think most of the time- i.e. my habits! Changing habits is hard! I am working to get some new ones going. Developing daily creative habits is one of the 10 Strategies to Get A Creative Life.

Alyse and I are engaging in the creative recovery process being part of an artist way group. The first of the new daily creative habits is writing Morning Pages - ie writing 3 pages each day. My intention is to write within minutes of opening my eyes in the morning. That way the "stuff" comes out of my brain unfiltered before my internal censor gets a hold. I don't always feel like writing. I do it anyway. I know it's becoming a habit when I feel weird  when I miss a day. Writing gets my creative juices flowing. I notice I am a lot more clear in my thinking and I seem to have more access to my feelings and attitudes about everything.

Morning Pages Build Awareness

Alyse here. . .
Since we believe in practicing what we teach, Jayne and I continue being part of our Artists Way group - A 13 week “course in discovering and recovering your creative self.” So many awareness's arise, as I continue my daily commitment writing 3 pages every morning, called Morning Pages in the Artist's Way.

Sometimes the process is illuminating with insights as my pen flows across the page effortlessly. Other times since the guidelines are to keep the pen moving, lines may be filled with “what to write now… what to write now…” Then another thought flows from some inner part, connecting the banal and or the creative. Keep writing!

The practice of building self-awareness is one of the 10 Strategies to Get A Creative Life. One way to increase self-awareness is to take alone time each day, and reflect. Writing when done in stream of consciousness style without editing, is in itself a form of meditation.

Action Step
Commit to writing each morning for one week. No editing, keep your pen flowing. Write about whatever thoughts and feelings surface.

Question
If you have done this process before, how has it been helpful to you in your life?