In the book, An Artist's Way, Julia Cameron teaches the value of morning pages to free up your creativity: Writing three longhand pages first thing in the morning to unburden your mind.
One can apply the same methodology to artist pages: taking 10 - 15 minutes first thing in the morning to create as you wish. No rules, no expectations. Doing this can be surprisingly rewarding.

Freeing up your creativity

Carving out some space to try new things can help us take risks in our art that we may not otherwise do.
Treating art as play reduces the fear and pressure of being perfect. This easy practice can also spill over into other aspects of life and help us to put ourselves out there in unexpected ways.

A boost of confidence

Forcing ourselves to create daily can improve our work in unforeseen ways.
As our skills improve, so will our curiosity for learning increase. Adding workshops to refine our craft can inspire us to improve further.

Improved skills

The point of doing morning pages is the process, not whether the art is good or bad. In the process, we learn to love taking risks and trying new things to see what brings us joy.
Even if the art is "bad", we learn to embrace it for the process, the joy and the calm it brings to our day.

Morning pages bring joy

<h1 data-secn="d"><a href="https://witanddelight.com/2019/08/how-to-become-a-plant-person-when-youre-super-busy-and-kinda-lazy/">How to Become a Plant Person When You’re Super Busy and Kinda Lazy</a></h1><figure><img width="1200" height="1600" alt="Daily Creative Habit | Wit &amp; Delight" src="https://witanddelight.com/content/uploads//2019/01/jilljournal2.jpg" srcset="https://witanddelight.com/content/uploads/2019/01/jilljournal2.jpg 1200w, https://witanddelight.com/content/uploads/2019/01/jilljournal2-600x800.jpg 600w, https://witanddelight.com/content/uploads/2019/01/jilljournal2-113x150.jpg 113w, https://witanddelight.com/content/uploads/2019/01/jilljournal2-450x600.jpg 450w, https://witanddelight.com/content/uploads/2019/01/jilljournal2-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://witanddelight.com/content/uploads/2019/01/jilljournal2-18x24.jpg 18w, https://witanddelight.com/content/uploads/2019/01/jilljournal2-27x36.jpg 27w, https://witanddelight.com/content/uploads/2019/01/jilljournal2-36x48.jpg 36w, https://witanddelight.com/content/uploads/2019/01/jilljournal2-560x747.jpg 560w"><figcaption dir="ltr">Photo via Jill Elliott at <a href="https://www.thecolorkind.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" dir="ltr">The Color Kind</a></figcaption></figure>As previously seen on <a href="https://witanddelight.com/2019/01/4-things-ive-learned-from-my-creative-habit/" rel="noreferrer noopener" dir="ltr">Wit &amp; Delight</a>As a life-long creative, I’ve dabbled here and there with many a medium, yet I struggled with building consistency in my artistic practice for YEARS. In 2018, I began to build a daily creative practice, something sustainable and simple, knowing that every time I <a href="https://witanddelight.com/2021/02/a-fun-easy-guide-to-creating-art-for-your-home/" rel="noreferrer noopener" dir="ltr">make space to create</a>, my heart, brain, soul are a little lighter. A little happier. A little more me.I borrowed an approach from Julia Cameron’s book&nbsp;An Artist’s Way. In her book, she teaches the value of <a href="https://witanddelight.com/2021/02/decluttering-the-mind-an-ode-to-morning-pages-2/" rel="noreferrer noopener" dir="ltr">morning pages</a>: three longhand pages done first thing in the morning as a way to free up your creativity, unburden your mind, and push the practice of writing daily. I applied this same methodology to my artist pages, taking 10 – 15 minutes first thing in the morning to just create. No rules, no expectations. Only a dedicated time with a few simple tools and one 5” x 7″ cardstock to embellish as I wish. I started this for me to just play and make art, but am surprised by the unexpected lessons I’m learning along the way.<h2 data-kb-block="kb-adv-heading_ef150b-f1">A boost of confidence.</h2>Surprisingly, I found that carving out some space for me to try new things freed me up to take risks in my art that I previously shied away from. Daily practice breaks down the barrier of making art, taking it from precious to playful, and has opened me up to try new mediums, techniques, and applications. Treating my art as play reduces the fear and pressure around being perfect, helping me to just settle into the practice and have some fun. Approaching art as play and trying new things has bled over into other aspects of my life as well; I’m taking more risks and putting myself out there in ways I would have never thought. I have to think taking a few moments to connect with myself and create daily plays a big role in that.<BLOCKQUOTE>Treating my art as play reduces the fear and pressure around being perfect, helping me to just settle into the practice and have some fun.</BLOCKQUOTE><h2 data-kb-block="kb-adv-heading_fe887d-08">My skills have improved.</h2>I started this practice for the mental break, never thinking of myself as an artist. When I look back at the work I’ve done recently compared to when I started, I can see a great improvement in my abilities. I’m still a long way from calling myself an artist, but forcing myself to practice daily has improved my work in ways I didn’t expect. As my skills have improved, so has my curiosity for learning. I’ve recently begun taking workshops both online and IRL to help me refine and hone my craft. Being exposed to new ways of creating has made me more vulnerable and more excited at the same time! I look forward to much more learning and experimenting in the year ahead.<figure><img width="1169" height="1600" alt="Daily Creative Habit | Wit &amp; Delight" src="https://witanddelight.com/content/uploads//2021/03/Creative-Habit-1169x1600.png"><figcaption dir="ltr">Photo via <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BfoWot3FbCB/" rel="noreferrer noopener" dir="ltr">@riflepaperco on Instagram</a></figcaption></figure><h2 data-kb-block="kb-adv-heading_e8de62-44">The JOY of play.&nbsp;</h2>I am a lover of color and pattern and have always <a href="https://witanddelight.com/2020/10/5-steps-to-a-happy-colorful-home/" rel="noreferrer noopener" dir="ltr">styled my home</a> and wardrobe in creative combinations. These days, my favorite part of my creative work is choosing the color palette and playing with interesting combinations. Some work and some don’t, but again, because I’m doing it every day, I’m growing to love taking risks and trying new things to see what sparks joy.<h2 data-kb-block="kb-adv-heading_f14d2f-33">“Bad” art is still good.</h2>When I first started this project, I felt like my time was wasted if I made something I wasn’t proud of. Now, I fail more than I succeed because these morning moments aren’t about the work. Rarely do I make something I like on the first go, but I’ve learned to embrace that I’m doing it for the process, the joy, and the calm it brings to my day. Whether the art is good or bad? That’s not the point. The process is the point and it keeps me coming back day after day.<BLOCKQUOTE>Rarely do I make something I like on the first go, but I’ve learned to embrace that I’m doing it for the process, the joy, and the calm it brings to my day.</BLOCKQUOTE>I started this practice as a way to get my hands busy and invite play into my daily routine. I’m sticking with it for the happiness, learning, and peaceful pace it brings to my days. My wish for you is that you too find a practice—something just for you—that brings you joy, purpose, and peace in the days ahead.

Jill Elliott is sharing the main lessons learned from a daily creative practice. Who knows, maybe you'll want to give it a go yourself.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

habits

Habits

problemsolving

Problem Solving

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

How to Become a Plant Person When You’re Super Busy and Kinda Lazy

As previously seen on <a href="https://witanddelight.com/2019/01/4-things-ive-learned-from-my-creative-habit/">Wit & Delight </a>

As a life-long creative, I’ve dabbled here and there with many a medium, yet I struggled with building consistency in my artistic practice for YEARS. In 2018, I began to build a daily creative practice, something sustainable and simple, knowing that every time I <a href="https://witanddelight.com/2021/02/a-fun-easy-guide-to-creating-art-for-your-home/">make space to create </a>, my heart, brain, soul are a little lighter. A little happier. A little more me.

I borrowed an approach from Julia Cameron’s book An Artist’s Way . In her book, she teaches the value of <a href="https://witanddelight.com/2021/02/decluttering-the-mind-an-ode-to-morning-pages-2/">morning pages </a>: three longhand pages done first thing in the morning as a way to free up your creativity, unburden your mind, and push the practice of writing daily. I applied this same methodology to my artist pages, taking 10 – 15 minutes first thing in the morning to just create. No rules, no expectations. Only a dedicated time with a few simple tools and one 5” x 7″ cardstock to embellish as I wish. I started this for me to just play and make art, but am surprised by the unexpected lessons I’m learning along the way.

Surprisingly, I found that carving out some space for me to try new things freed me up to take risks in my art that I previously shied away from. Daily practice breaks down the barrier of making art, taking it from precious to playful, and has opened me up to try new mediums, techniques, and applications. Treating my art as play reduces the fear and pressure around being perfect, helping me to just settle into the practice and have some fun. Approaching art as play and trying new things has bled over into other aspects of my life as well; I’m taking more risks and putting myself out there in ways I would have never thought. I have to think taking a few moments to connect with myself and create daily plays a big role in that.

Treating my art as play reduces the fear and pressure around being perfect, helping me to just settle into the practice and have some fun.

I started this practice for the mental break, never thinking of myself as an artist. When I look back at the work I’ve done recently compared to when I started, I can see a great improvement in my abilities. I’m still a long way from calling myself an artist, but forcing myself to practice daily has improved my work in ways I didn’t expect. As my skills have improved, so has my curiosity for learning. I’ve recently begun taking workshops both online and IRL to help me refine and hone my craft. Being exposed to new ways of creating has made me more vulnerable and more excited at the same time! I look forward to much more learning and experimenting in the year ahead.

I am a lover of color and pattern and have always <a href="https://witanddelight.com/2020/10/5-steps-to-a-happy-colorful-home/">styled my home </a>and wardrobe in creative combinations. These days, my favorite part of my creative work is choosing the color palette and playing with interesting combinations. Some work and some don’t, but again, because I’m doing it every day, I’m growing to love taking risks and trying new things to see what sparks joy.

When I first started this project, I felt like my time was wasted if I made something I wasn’t proud of. Now, I fail more than I succeed because these morning moments aren’t about the work. Rarely do I make something I like on the first go, but I’ve learned to embrace that I’m doing it for the process, the joy, and the calm it brings to my day. Whether the art is good or bad? That’s not the point. The process is the point and it keeps me coming back day after day.

Rarely do I make something I like on the first go, but I’ve learned to embrace that I’m doing it for the process, the joy, and the calm it brings to my day.

I started this practice as a way to get my hands busy and invite play into my daily routine. I’m sticking with it for the happiness, learning, and peaceful pace it brings to my days. My wish for you is that you too find a practice—something just for you—that brings you joy, purpose, and peace in the days ahead.

4 Things I've Learned From My Daily Creative Habit | Wit & Delight

Freeing up your creativity

A boost of confidence

Improved skills

Morning pages bring joy

CURATED BY

Related collections

More like this