Save the date! The coming May 30, 2022 starts the third edition of the Morning Pages Circle, a four-week-long journaling group for personal development. Here, you’ll build the habit of daily writing in a community of like-minded people and give yourself the chance to explore where the writing takes you. When you commit to writing your pages first thing in the morning, magic happens. That magic can go from creating a renewed sense of connection with yourself (and others) to unblocking yourself creatively. Perhaps you’ll find yourself getting more prone to taking meaningful action in your life too. Hopefully, just like they did for me, morning pages will work as a catalyst for expansion and positive change in your life. [updated May 26, 2022]
How Morning Pages started for me
It was December 2019. I grabbed an old notebook one morning and started writing. I had read three chapters of The Artist’s Way, including the part where Julia Cameron describes morning pages, a cornerstone of her creative practice. Three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning. It sounded simple enough for me to try. I had done automatic writing exercises in theatre school, which I liked. I knew the result was often bizarre too, with sentences that sounded more like they came from an absurd dream-like environment than rational thought. In December 2019 I was sick, dragging myself from chemotherapy session to chemotherapy session. My entire life was a mess: my physical health, my mental health, my love life, my professional life, my finances. So I wrote. I didn’t know what else to do.
Writing daily felt like a homecoming, but not immediately. At first, it was almost like an act of faith. When I was a child I wrote and I painted. In time I dropped the brushes but kept writing, albeit irregularly. Then, when I turned 30, I crafted a new career with my writing. I started by blogging, then paid writing opportunities arrived. It sounds pretty sleek when I write it down, but by no means do I want to make this sound aspirational. I was going back and forth with hospitality jobs on the side too, to make ends meet. Writing had become my job, but freelancing is hard. As it often happened when things got hard, I got stuck.
A morning pages circle was a long time coming
I was just going through my notebooks and realized that three months after I started writing daily I began taking action. The first thing that happened was the end of the relationship I was in: an act of mercy for both parties involved. Slowly, I went back to the blog. I got tight-knit with my friends, which involved initiative on my part too. I created new routines. I started spending more time with my close family. I picked up new hobbies and interests (gardening, skating, playing guitar.) I slowly started earning money with writing again. Writing accompanied me through it all. It still does.
The pages helped me to slowly untangle the knots and start taking agency over my life. The pages help me return back to myself every day. So naturally, I shared about this practice here and here and here. Now I am ready to take you along with me. If this story resonates with you, I’d love to have you join the circle. Is the practice of morning pages good for you because it helped me? Absolutely not. I’m sharing my story for what it’s worth. Each of us finds our own way, and I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all. Your morning pages could actually be a morning walk in nature instead, playing the guitar, or a morning run, or praying, or anything else that helps you gain clarity and gather yourself together. But perhaps you already feel called to the practice and want to experiment with it. Perhaps you’ve tried once but didn’t manage to make the habit stick. Or perhaps you’re already journaling but you’re missing community. In that case, I’d love to have you.
How the Morning Pages Circle will work
We’ll meet 5 days a week for a 30-minute morning Zoom session (starting April 4,) where we’ll write our pages together right before work (I’m aiming at starting around 8 am CET, but the exact time will depend on the participants.) On Fridays, we’ll extend the session for an extra 30 minutes to discuss our experiences + ask questions. Every Sunday you’ll receive a Sunday Note of Encouragement which will address the questions that may have arisen during the week. You’ll find community, get accountability, and develop a habit that will bring you insights and self-awareness. Hopefully, just like they did for me, morning pages will work as a catalyst for expansion and positive change in your life. Sign-up here!
If you want to get some morning movement in, you can also sign up for the two-in-one Yoga Moves + Morning Pages Circle.
* Note: For any questions, reach me at anavmartins@amsterdive.com. If you’re unemployed or struggling financially be sure to message me as well, and we’ll figure something out. Nobody will be left out because of money.
FAQs
How long will it take me to write my morning pages each day?
If you write in a stream-of-consciousness style, it should take you roughly 20 minutes. Stream-of-consciousness means that you’re writing what comes to your mind, regardless of the content. You refrain from judging your words and simply write. It doesn’t have to be beautiful, nor interesting, nor make sense. The point is to simply keep moving your hand across the page and write. We’ll have 30 minutes in total to complete our pages together. By the end of that time, I’ll draw our sessions to a close. But if you’re feeling excited and want to keep going, by all means, do.
Will I have to read my pages out loud for other people to hear?
By all means, NO! Morning Pages aren’t intended for you to show anyone. They aren’t art, they aren’t work, they’re a personal practice, just for yourself. The point of morning pages is in the doing, in the process, and I wouldn’t even recommend you read what you wrote afterward. I keep all my notebooks, but some people tear theirs apart, getting rid of them altogether.
I have never written anything in my life. I wouldn’t even consider myself someone creative. Does it make sense for me to take part in the workshop?
If you feel called to it, as in, you feel curious and have a desire to explore the practice, you’re very welcome to join! It doesn’t matter if you have never written anything before or if you are a published author. Morning pages are a morning reset, an act of mental + creative hygiene. They help us build trust in ourselves, and resiliency, they make the invisible visible, and they give shape/language to what was once buried within yourself.
I’m incredibly excited about this Morning Pages immersion! See you soon!
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