Don’t judge, just observe.

Last night I pulled my tattered copy of Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way off the shelf. If you are a writer, or artist of any kind, add this book to your collection. Along with my 30 day yoga challenge, I’ve committed to writing on my blog for 30 days straight, which has my creative brain all up in a tizzy. I knew it was time for some Artist’s Way inspiration and Morning Pages. Cameron’s “Morning Pages,” are essentially three pages of longhand writing, done every morning upon waking. There is no wrong way to do morning pages; it is merely a stream of consciousness. Whatever comes out, comes out. You must just keep your hand moving across the page. She recommends not even reading your pages for the first eight weeks.

She says:

“The morning pages are the primary tool of creative recovery. As blocked artists, we tend to criticize ourselves mercilessly. Even if we look like functioning artists to the world, we feel we never do enough and what we do isn’t right. We are victims of our own internalized perfectionist, a nasty internal and eternal critic, the Censor, who resides in our (left) brain and keeps up a constant stream of subversive remarks that are often disguised as the truth. The Censor says things like, “You call that writing? What a joke. You can’t even punctuate. If you haven’t done it by now you never will. You can’t even spell. What makes you think you can be creative?” And on and on.”

So, along with my blog writing, I am also committing to morning pages for the next month. Holy moly. I know. That’s a lot of writing. But I know that the morning pages will work to unlock the other writing. Just show up at the page. Like yoga, just show up on your mat. Really, it’s half the battle.

Cameron also says, “Remember that is your job to do the work, not judge the work.”

I think we are all quick to judge our work, whatever kind of work that is. In my case with writing, I hear myself thinking things all the time like, “It’s too dry, too simple, too emotional.” “Nobody is interested in this.” “You really need to expand your vocabulary.”

Do the work. Don’t judge the work. Let your creative voice manifest on the page in whatever way it does. Is that scary? Hell yes it is. But scary = challenge = growth.  And that’s the good stuff.

And then guess what? I was in yoga today and my teacher said, “Try to let go of any thoughts swirling around in your head, and if they are there, just observe them. Don’t judge them.” BOOM. Double whammy.

Recognize thoughts for simply what they are. Thoughts.  Observe them. Let them go.