Tame Your Wild Mind
Into a thriving creativity garden.
I reached for my computer out of habit. “No, that’s not what you’re looking for, Linds,” I said, out loud. I put the computer back down.
I walked over to the table where my pens and paper were. I chose a gold, metallic Sharpie and opened my notebook. I wrote what was in my brain.
“I have got to stop neglecting this process. Every single time I sit down and write here, my creative flow, my day — my life improves.”
“It feels good to get thoughts and ideas out of my head and onto paper so my mind can breathe easier.”
“When I write out what I’m thinking, I tame my wild mind.”
“I focus on writing one word, one sentence, one idea at a time, and it soothes me. It heals me. It helps me focus, organize, and move forward.”
There are days like these when my frazzled brain paralyzes me. It’s like a field of wildflowers growing however and wherever they wish — beautiful for earth, but not for a writer’s brain.
It never fails. I’ll spend hours bouncing from idea to idea, all in my mind. “I should probably put pen to paper,” I’ll think. It’s like an instinct now. Like any good habit: I know what I need to do, but I resist.
I let myself get distracted by all sorts of unimportant things. Even staring off into nowhere seems better than doing the best thing. But it’s not. It never is.
Tired of my paralysis, I finally decide to do what I need to do. I get myself ready — drink some water, use the restroom, silence the phone — so I can sit down, uninterrupted.
And it never fails. After spending no more than 30 minutes writing what’s in my mind — putting pen to paper — I feel better. I function better. I create better.
After writing in this way, I almost always immediately go on to work on creative projects. I work on that dance I’ve been learning, or I do some art journaling or blogging.
“As you move your hand across the page, you are guided.” ~Julia Cameron
Tame your wild, beautiful mind.
I can’t be the only one who struggles with this. If you’re anything like me, you probably have lots of wildflowers blooming all over the place in that wild mind of yours. And you have probably wondered how to tame it.
Free style journaling works really well for me. I’ve been using journaling as a tool for years. With Morning Pages, Julia Cameron — author of The Artist’s Way — helped me hone this practice into something that helps my writing, and my creativity, thrive.
I’m guessing if you’re a writer, you have also journaled a time or two. Heck, if you’re a human who has learned language, you have likely journaled in some way or another, at some point in your life.
Has journaling helped your writing? Has it helped produce more and better creative output? Have you ever trusted the process with abandon?
You can always burn the pages later if you want to. But if you have never tried this style of journaling, you are missing out on one of the best tools available to us. I dare you to try it.
Here’s how it works:
If your hands allow it, use real paper and your favorite kind of pen — even a marker, if that’s what tickles you.
Write whatever comes. Do not edit. Do not overthink. Do not even worry about making coherent, complete, grammatically correct, or non-run-on sentences.
Let loose on the page. Write one word only. Then another. Or write a single run-on sentence that fills an entire page. Feel like doodling? Go for it! Did some song lyrics just pop into your head? Why not write those down, too?! Write a list. Record that epiphanic thought you had earlier. Then leave it for a completely different, mundane one.
Write exactly what’s on your mind. Complain. Cry and curse and be angry on the page if you need to. Do not judge or criticize yourself. Rejoice if you need to. Celebrate what’s going well in your life. Give thanks where thanks are due. Let yourself be excited about your ideas, and your goals, and your plans for the future.
Do this for at least two pages. Cameron recommends doing three longhand pages — which generally equates to about 300–500 words on lined notebook paper, depending on the ruling. Depending on the size of paper you use, two to three pages does seem to be the sweet spot. I do at least two pages on lined paper, then I switch over to my creative journal for other creative release.
Breathe. Stretch. Wonder. When you finish, see if it helped. See if your brain feels different — lighter somehow, and better able to focus. See if it leads to more creative work. See if it tames your wild, beautiful mind.
We all have our methods. What works for you?
More on creativity:
Lindsay Linegar is a writer living in her home state, California. Her educational background is in International Development (MA), Psychology (BA), and she has significant experience working as a creativity coach. She currently finds herself thrilled to be a dog walker and yoga student as she works on her first book, based on her three-year adventure in South Sudan. She loves making meaningful connections with humans, wondering at nature, doodling, listening to good music, and more than anything, dancing. You can reach her through email at lindsaylinegar@gmail.com
