I've been re-reading Julia Cameron's Artist's Way (it's a 12 week creative 'recovery' programme) Every time I read it, I am incredibly inspired and fired up.
I use one of her tools all the time. She calls it 'morning pages' - you write 3 pages a day....nothing beautiful or literary - just a good old whinge or simply allowing your hand to write whatever it wants - "nothing is too petty, too silly, too stupid, or too weird, to be included." she says.
"All that angry, whiny, petty stuff you write down in the morning stands between you and your creativity.......The morning pages are the primary tool of creative recovery."
I also find it's a great tool for 'life recovery'. I often find that I'm a whingy and grumpy on page one and by page three, I'm bored of my self-pity and am planning how to sort myself out. Not always but even if I just grizzle for 3 pages, it feels as if I get my negative musing on the page and out of my head.
It's also useful to read back 10 weeks down the line. (Cameron advices we wait at least a few weeks before reading back our morning pages) You notice if there is a theme or a reccuring problem that seems to capture your attention. Which can be a great call to action.
And I suppose it's also a great way to observe your negative thoughts versus be in them. By writing them down, you can take a step back. And you realise that the whinges do pass, as do the upbeat musings. Cameron suggests we think of them as meditation.
"It is impossible to write morning pages for any extended period of time without coming into contact with an unexpected inner power. Although I used the morning pages for many before I realized this, " she says. "The pages are a pathway to a strong and clear sense of self. They are a trail that we follow into our own interior, where we meet both our own creativity and our creator."
All by just writing a few daily whinges. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
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