#6: one habit that changed my life this year
Rather than focussing on resolutions for the new year, I want to explore a habit I established this year, one that I want to bring with me next year. One of the most impactful experiences I had this year was completing Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. Along with many insights, the habit that became ingrained in me through this book was the practice of morning pages. These consist of three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, ideally done first thing in the morning.
They are challenging to begin and demand time and consistency. However, morning pages quickly become a safe space to contemplate and unearth all of your thoughts, from the seemingly insignificant to the most groundbreaking. So far I’ve filled up four notebooks of morning pages and have no intention of stopping. In just a few months, it has provided me with a huge amount of clarity and led me to making decisions I would not have even considered otherwise. As a result of keeping up my morning pages, I have:
explored a new art style like the animation above (I’m kind of in love with her and so excited to take it further 💕) - my journal is what gives me that space to pick apart my art style, what I like, what I dislike and take the parts I enjoy forward with me
reestablished my priorities and decided to move away from London to pursue a slower and intentional life - this was was not even a consideration for my partner and I earlier this year, now we wouldn’t want to have it any other way
established boundaries in relationships that previously brought resentment and conflict
recognised habits that cause me to spiral and worsen my anxiety - this meant I started to lower my intake of caffeine and became sober curious
Lastly, journalling everyday has led me to feeling a deep sense of gratitude for the individuals in my life that allow me to be myself. Gaining this clarity makes you realise how some people are attached to the person you were and can be resistant to the person you’re becoming. This awareness means that I can distinguish those who I can be vulnerable with and who will support me in periods of change.
I’ll wrap up the last newsletter of 2023 with some film photos of my highlight of this year - waking up to an actual sunrise in a treehouse in Somerset 🌅🥹
