One of the best things about writing a blog is that it connects you to new people and new ideas, both of which can have a profound effect on your life. Let me share an example of this with you. Through writing this blog, I had the opportunity to meet and do a Podcast with creative genius Artie Isaac. Through that process, I made a new friend, picked up countless great ideas, and got a renewed interest in exploring and developing my own Creativity.
One of the tips Artie shared with me was something called Morning Pages. This is a concept put forth in the book The Artist’s Way at Work – part of the required reading for Artie’s MBA course on creativity at Ohio State. It is very powerful, very easy, and now a very important part of my day. I share it with you, in hopes that it might help you too.
The concept is simple. Start every day by sitting down and writing 3 notebook pages full of words, longhand. The paper is 8.5 x 11. You use a pen or pencil, and just write. Get your mind working, creating, and moving as very first act of your day. These pages are yours and yours alone. Personally, I rip mine up as soon as I finish them. This exercise is solely about creating. It takes between 20 and 30 minutes depending on the day, and at the end of the process you have created something. Your mind is more clear. Your thoughts are more focused. Your brain has completed a rigorous morning workout, and is now primed for a day of activity.
You can use morning pages to think through challenges, outline concepts, face your inner fears, and talk through your goals and priorities for the day and beyond. Sometimes my 3 pages look like nothing more than a very long-winded to do list. Sometimes, they appear like multiple people debating, as I jot down different perspectives on concepts and ideas in an attempt to think them through more thoroughly. Certain days my 3 pages are filled with big ideas or angry rants, remorseful wishes or random concepts or just what I need to do to be a better dad today. No matter the content, I start every day by creating something. It is the first step I take each morning, and guides all those that follow throughout the course of the day.
As a result of this, I have found myself developing more new ideas, embarking on new challenges, and approaching each day with a new confidence that my creativity can change things small and large in this world. It is empowering.
My deep thanks to Artie Isaac for introducing me to this concept.
The Artist’s Way at Work: The Official Site
