Balancing Self-Care, Spiritual Nourishment and Creativity

 In last month's Writing Magazine, there was an interview with Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, to mark the 30th anniversary of its publication. And the main practice she recommends is Morning Pages. 

I had tried Morning Pages before, years ago, and had not managed to stick with it. And I already had three items on the to-do list that is my morning routine. I was struggling to do the three I had - morning sit, write and walk - consistently. In the last few months, I have skipped the walk more often than not, because it didn't seem to follow on from writing - work did. How on earth was I going to shoehorn in a fourth? 

Yet, the person who had interviewed Julia Cameron was enthusiastic about Morning Pages, so I decided to give them another go. After breakfast, I would check my e-mails, go on Facebook for ten minutes, then sit, write the Morning Pages, do some creative writing, then go for a walk before starting my working day.

But Julia Cameron insisted that Morning Pages be tackled as soon as possible after waking, so I shifted checking my e-mails & Facebook to the end, and wrote the Morning Pages immediately after my morning sit.

Still no joy. I was struggling to write the Morning Pages and was still skipping a walk regularly. Which was making me miserable, because being up in the Forest nourishes my soul. What to do?

Then, at the beginning of this week (Sunday to be precise) I had a complete Eureka moment. I finally realised why my morning routine was looking less like Lark Ascending and more like Lark Shot Down in Mid-flight. 

I was chopping and changing between creativity, spiritual nourishment, creativity, self care/spiritual nourishment. No wonder it felt unsatisfying. No wonder the walk often got skipped. Because after writing, my natural inclination was to check my e-mails.

And so, since Sunday (conveniently the 1st of the month) I changed the order again, and this time it's working and it feels as though I'm flying. I've paired my two spiritual nourishment practices (sit and walk) and my two creativity practices (Morning Pages and writing). So I sit, then walk, then do Morning Pages, then write.

It's working like a dream. I have chosen to disregard the advice Julia Cameron gives about having to do Morning Pages first thing.  It wasn't working for me. Now, I come back from my walk buzzing, and eager to sit down with pen and paper, then fingers on keyboard. The whole routine takes about two and a half hours, and as I am an early bird, I rise at six and eat breakfast before I begin.

Which means I'm usually ready to check my e-mails and begin my working day by 9.00 or 9.15. Sorted. It may seem daft, that this has given me so much satisfaction, but it really has. And I am grateful.