Pudding Pages

The Artist's Way, a book about accessing one's creativity, was written by Julia Cameron.

I read it years ago. One of the creativity exercises she recommends is what she calls "morning pages," three pages of handwritten, free-association writing, done first thing in the morning, to get the hand moving, and the juices––you should excuse the expression––flowing. It's a kind of mini-NaNo, to be done every day, no exceptions.

My free association takes me from morning pages to Picture Pages

which brings me, naturally, to this:

A different path of free association takes me into scarier territory:

Julia Cameron once looked like this:

but more recently looks like this:

which is a kick in the gut right there.

She was once married to him:

and he had an affair with her:

who has free-associated herself to now look like this:

who was once married to this:

I'm going to spare us all having to gaze upon what he looks like now. Sheesh.

There was no real point to any of that, and that's why it qualifies as free association.

NaBloPoMo can serve as my morning pages for the month, though it is not handwritten, and it is not quite morning as I post this. I had a bad night. There wasn't any sleep in it. So morning today was a moving target.

Unfortunately I didn't get any other writing done yet, either. But the night is young! See you in the morning!

This, on the other hand, never fails to cheer me.