“Writing is a universal solvent for creatives.”
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Notes
Julia Cameron’s morning pages work because they encourage a daily practice of creating, which produces and reinforces the identity of a creative person.
Don’t plan; just work, just become. Act as if.
And every creative person should write a daily blog, establishing and confirming their identity before they’re known.
Thoughts
Brian Koppelman often recommends Julia Cameron‘s morning pages (from her book, The Artist’s Way) as an antidote to writer’s (or other creator’s) block. This practice involves writing three pages of long-hand freewriting pretty much first thing every morning. It’s worked for a lot of people; it worked for me, too. (Here’s a concise explanation from her website.)
Of course, there’s no such thing as writer’s block, according to Seth—and I guess that if a person does the morning pages, that is almost by definition proof that the person isn’t blocked (at least, as a writer)—”universal solvent,” indeed.
It’s interesting that Seth starts the chapter with morning pages. I think he’s leading us through a progression:
Yes, morning pages “unlock something inside”—nothing magical, though, just “the truth of your chosen identity.” And yes, morning pages provide an opportunity to plan, if you want—though you don’t need to. “Simply become.”
But why keep it private? Seth suggests that it’s the writing, not the privacy or the planning, that builds the identity. So write publicly (“even if you use an assumed name” or “only circulate it to a few people.”). It’s fine to privately confirm your identity, he seems to suggest, but it’s not necessary.
This is, in a sense, what I’m doing here, in this series of posts. Using The Practice helps structure the process, too—I’ve tried blogging regularly (not daily, but one to three times a week), and—despite what Seth says—it’s not “easy.” It will be interesting to see how, or if, I keep this up when I’ve finished the book. (Or, probably just as uncertain, it will be interesting to see if I do indeed finish the book. I mean, I’ll finish reading it, but will I finish processing it in these mostly-daily posts?)
This series is meant to capture my thoughts as I work through Seth Godin’s The Practice. It’s a book with over 200 (very short) chapters, which I hope to work through and, I further hope, to implement over time.
If you’re interested in more of Godin’s ideas, or my thoughts about them, you can check out this collection of posts. Note that if you’re more interested in the former, you should probably get Godin’s book and read it yourself; my notes will be both incomplete and idiosyncratic, and my thoughts will relate to my own experience.
But if my thoughts resonate with you, or if you think I’m just silly, I welcome your comments.