Tag Archives: self improvement

Artist’s Morning Pages

Nationality: American

Age: 21

Occupation: Student 

Residence: Mason, OH, USA

Date: 4/29/2025

Language: English

Description

Okay, so I used to do, uh, the Artist’s Way morning pages. Uh, the Artist’s Way is a book by Julia Cameron, I believe. And in this book, it’s sort of like an artist’s like creative process book where you are supposed to go through this program, and each day of the program you are supposed to write three pages before you do anything. Like you wake  up and you immediately have to write three pages. You cannot even take a second to wake up. It’s like you get up, you turn over, grab the pen and paper, and you write three full pages of anything. And that’s a ritual that I used to do. I did it every single day for when I did the program, which is like, I don’t know, like, 10 weeks. I did it a few years ago, and I continued the morning pages for a bit after that, and you would just fill these notebooks and notebooks full of like chicken scratches that made no sense. Like reading back, you’d be like what the fuck was, I thinking, what was I doing? Um. But occasionally there would be a thought or two, uh, unlocked through that process that you were, like, oh, that’s kind of interesting I didn’t know. I think about that, or I didn’t know I think this way about this thing. But yeah, that’s that’s sort of the. Morning Pages. That’s what it is. 

Subject’s Opinion:

Interviewer: Do you think that helped you keep track of your journey in that time? 

Subject: Yeah, definitely, I think. There were many issues and topics that my brain kept circulating, like, just on a day-to-day basis. Like, I would keep on thinking about the same sort of things, and finally writing it down, I was able to…understand what exactly was persisting in these ideas. And find a way to move past that sort of. Circular thought, and also like, maybe not even like, get rid of it. But, like, know that it’s there, and that I’ve written if I’ve written three pages about it, it’s like I don’t have to be thinking about it all day. Um, so it’s almost like a purging of some of your immediate thoughts so you can move on to some things that you never really were able to to get to.

Analysis: 

It is rare to encounter a form of ritual that’s only shared with oneself. But due to how intimate and reflective the nature of the ritual is, I believe it to be valuable to examine how one can share a ritual with only their past self. The throughline of the morning action is clear and intense—the subject is likely always in a daze when he performs the ritual, with the freshness of each day be colored by a train of random thought. In this case, the ritual honors qualities within, and the attempt to discover one’s hidden thought patterns that may lead to heightened awareness and creativity. 

No matter where you go, there you are. 

Age: 59
Language: English

Text: No matter where you go, there you are. 

Context: The participant first came across this saying in a popular 80’s TV show, “Buckaroo Banzai”. Ever since then, he has used it throughout his own life to remind himself that: “Wherever situation or location or environment you find yourself in, the common denominator is always you”. This is a saying that he has adopted into his own vernacular and has slowly started spreading to those around him (friends, family, etc.). A show he watched in college, the participant remarked that the saying really stuck with him and helped him shape how he approached the world and situations or obstacles he faced. 

Analysis: This saying refers to the idea that you cannot escape yourself. Even though you might be able to change your surroundings, you are stuck in your own body, your own mind – whether you like it or not. If you’re not happy in one location, you’re not going to become happier by simply moving to another. It is possible that through this assertion, the saying is meant to encourage introspection. By coming to terms with yourself – your internal issues, how you approach life, etc. – you can be at peace with yourself.

The Rabbit and the Turtle – Tale

Context: “Slow and steady wins the race.” The informant, LD, shares their knowledge of the Rabbit and the Turtle and what it means to them and their Vietnamese culture.

Interview: Out of the many folk tales and fables that were told to me growing up, the story, told to me by my mother, about a turtle beating a hare in a race stuck with me in many ways. The most common moral of the story instilled within us was persistence; the turtle knew that it would be slower than the hare but it never gave up and in the end, its hard work overshadowed the hare’s natural ability. However, as I’ve grown older, the story applied to my life in another way: contentment. We all move at our own pace, and we should be okay with that. Along with what I learned on my own, I was also able to compare it to my culture and what my parents have taught me about my Vietnamese background, valuing harmony, and how to place collective well-being over individual achievement and competition. If we stop comparing our lives and achievements to other people, our focus on our journey will ultimately make us more successful in the end.

Analysis: The informant LD shares their relationship to the tale of the Rabbit and the Turtle and connects it with their life and how it has shaped them and their beliefs. The interview dives into the ideas of resilience and adaptability, showing that growth played a major role in their life connecting and building a stronger understanding of what the deeper meaning of the story had. The informant grew with the story by taking the story and developing many personal teachings that relate to their everyday life, helping them value their progression as a person more fulfilling because the barrier of envy and comparison is no longer in the way. As for cultural teachings, LD took the story and connected what he learned to the values of the Vietnamese culture, learning how to practice harmony, being apart of a whole rather than singling themselves out for one’s benefit, (i.e. being humble).