Morning Art Journaling

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love. 

Marcus Aurelius

Before we will start discovering what Morning Art Journaling is and why it’s important, let’s find out what is just normal morning journaling and why is it trend nowadays?

Morning Pages are one of these things that sound so simple that you don’t think they could ever work for you. One of the things that I have realized in life is that many of the best things are really simple but our complicated minds want to tell us they won’t work for us.

What is Morning Journaling?

Morning Journaling is a process of creating three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, ideally done first thing in the morning.

There is no wrong way to do Morning Journaling– they are not high art. They aren’t even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only.

Morning Journaling provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. 

Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow.

Basically you must create new morning routine. Or maybe just to put inside your morning schedule just a little time for yourself where you will sit and write 3 pages of just anything what’s happening in your mind. You are clearing your mind and leave everything out on the paper.

This is new relaxing and therapeutical practice for normal people. But we are artists or at least art related humans (I hope so as long as you are reading now my blog). So we don’t write much, because we love to visualize. And as part of therapy it’s totally okay not to write 3 pages every morning, but to draw/paint/collage/craft. And even if some doodling will not make sense in the first several mornings it’s totally fine as long as you are letting your emotions and feeling and demons let go.

Morning Art Pages have become an integral part of my Daily Routine and ultimately have made me a better person.

Here are some of the benefits:

• They center you and clear your mind.

We wake up with a ton of stuff floating around in our minds. We need to channel that energy and get it out. Morning Pages act as a ‘brain dump’ that will clear your mind to focus on other things. Whether it’s the small distracting thoughts that can take our attention or bigger, more challenging issues that can at times hijack our thoughts, Morning Pages allow us to “dump” all the “stuff”, making way for more constructive and creative thinking.

• They help you discover your creativity.

In order to retrieve your creativity, you need to find it. And it’s through this seemingly pointless process that you are able to find it. You discover things that have been hidden inside you and stuffed down in the business of life.

• They help to silence your biggest enemy. Your inner critic.
• They make you less anxious.

Painting helps sweep away anxiety.  Envy, anger, fear, vulnerability, procrastination…all those emotions can be put on paper and seen for what they are.  By getting this stuff out and looking at it, you realize it’s not so bad and it helps to ground you.

• They will help you become a better idea generator.

I’ve talked a lot about the power of generating ideas on a daily basis. Your Morning Art Pages practice will help you take this to a new level.

One of important exercise in my art school was daily painting of the most remembering or important thing that happened today. And we was suppose draw picture of it. You can work this way as well. For example if you are not ready to paint in the morning then you can make it your evening Art Journaling. 

Evening painting can bring same positive therapeutic changes as morning one.

As artist I will suggest not to limit yourself to album and pencils, but rather experimenting and explore materials. Maybe sometimes small doodling can inspire you to create big morning art work. 

Some information about morning journaling are taken from here