Guest Blog Post by Tanya Levy
Do you find stillness in your blank page
Today or any day?
Pick up your pen or pencil
Today or any day.
I find stillness is a rare commodity these days. Yesterday it was made more difficult by my fiance’s friend’s funeral. The church was packed and the most powerful moment for me was when his five children walked in with their mother, aged 6, 8, 10, 12 and 14. Orphaned.
I used my morning pages all week to process this experience. Morning pages, developed by Julia Cameron and highlighted in her book “The Artist’s Way” are a tool for creative types to reconnect with their muse, their creativity and their inner voice. Truthfully, there are no creative prerequisites to using morning pages. Whether you are a full time artist making money through your craft, a full time parent or a stock broker; putting your pen to the page daily can bring you closer to finding balance.
With balance, comes stillness. Those moments in our lives where we can easily here our wise inner voice, our heart whispers or sense our connection to the world around us on a deeper level. At the very least, giving voice to our stressors, our mind junk, leaves us feeling lighter as we meet our day. If you are more of a night owl, don’t worry. See if morning pages before sleep help you lighten your mind before your head rests on the pillow.
Cameron encourages anyone wanting to improve their daily (creative) lives to set aside time each morning to write three full pages in their own hand. Filling the page empties the worries from our mind, empties out the cobwebs and makes room for the day. If you want technological support, try www.750words.com where you can type 750 words daily and get feedback and merit badges if you do it regularly.
Here are five things that morning pages give me:
1. A Place to Practice-Consistency is not my strength. Knowing that each day I manage to write my morning pages, and have for at least 20 years, reassures me. Anything we do consistently becomes a source of structure, something we can lean into when life throws us curve balls.
2. A Place to Process-Issues at work or home can eat away at us, wanting solutions or creating tension. The blank page gives us a space to sort things out. Sometimes a day or two in with the same issue and we write an unexpected solution that helps us let go and move forward.
3. A Place to Reflect-This week as I faced the brevity of life my morning pages gave me a place to ask some tough questions. “Does my life have meaning?” “Do I spend quality time with the people that matter to me?” “Am I doing what I want with my life?”
4. A Place for Gratitude-When the going get tough, the tough get going, my mother always said. Sometimes when we are focused on “just getting things done”, we forget to take pause and examine what we are doing well. Every week I try to write down three successes. This allows me to keep my perspective balanced. Celebrating those successes is important too.
5. A Place for Stillness-Brew a cup of tea, sit with a sharp pencil or your favourite pen and fill a blank page with your own innermost thoughts. Pick a word or theme that you want to bring into your life. Write down a surprising moment. Select a favourite memory. Or just state what you noticed on your daily view. You might just enjoy it!
What makes it easy for you to keep a writing practice?
What makes it hard for you to keep a writing practice?
What is writing a place for you?
ABOUT
Tanya Levy is a Counsellor in a Community College in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She provides personal and academic counselling on a variety of topics including: personal wellness, relationship and parenting issues, focusing and learning challenges, mental health concerns and financial management. She is known for her optimism, wisdom and sense of humour. She has worked in the social work field for over twenty years. She has spoken to teachers, counsellors, colleagues and students about: embracing wellness in the classroom, study skills, time management, stress management, self-care and avoiding burnout, creativity and focusing strategies. She was a single parent for eight years and learned many strategies to save time and money. She is the parent of an active teenager. Her hobbies include: writing, Tai Chi, spending time in nature and creating dream boxes. She is a regular contributor to www.parentingcents.com. You can reach her at caperpoet@gmail.com.
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