Daily Rituals: How Artists Work

My only disappointment will be in finishing these sprightly glimpses into the circumstances of genius. I'll have to keep it open in a browser tab and keep re-reading this collection of proofs that creativity flows through many quirky lifestyles. In addition to convincing me that many winding paths can lead to my own creativity, it prompted many excursions to inquire into more details of the lives of these writers, composers, and visual artists, and other exemplars that the Creator has created a panoply of creators. A magnificent setting of gems in pure gold.

I read Daily Rituals: How Artists Work for a book study I am doing with the Emerge Arts Ministry group. It was a very interesting read. Basically the author/editor researched the work habits of about 150 artists, mostly from the fields of literature and visual arts, though artists from other disciplines were also included to a lesser degree. The book yielded some fascinating insights. Of course the artists sampled are anything but a monolithic group and their working habits ran the gamut. There were of course some destructive traits that showed up quite frequently including addictive behaviors and some of the random weirdness that is often associated with my fellow artists. On the other hand there were other artists with whom I really resonated, including something I am most passionate about. Many of the artists sampled derided the idea of sitting around waiting on inspiration. Rather they showed up every day and pursued inspiration by sitting down and doing the work. This is a trait that I believe all artistic people should aspire to. I really enjoyed this book and learned something from most every artist featured. Some showed me things I wanted to emulate, while others showed me the kind of artist I do not want to be. Both of those things can be helpful. This book is a worthwhile read. It is composed of very short essay style chapters, so the reader can digest the book in small bites if desired.

I'm ashamed to admit that prior to the last couple of years, I was not a reader. Now, I'm reading three books at once! This is one of them. As I've picked up the habit, I've started reading a lot about habits - the science behind them, how to maintain them, and how to get rid of them. This was such a nice treat! It really complements the other books I have been reading as it takes you through the daily habits of those whom many think wouldn't have any. Good or bad, the habits they had made them into some of the most recognized and admired artists of all time. You see many shared habits between them, which you could attribute some of their success to, and may even want to incorporate into your own life.I've also never had a huge interest in history (I know, I was a terrible student - math was more my thing), but I found myself intrigued with the simplicities of daily life in the 1700s, 1800s and early 1900s. It's such an easy read and hard to put down! It's informative, inspiring, and introduces you to new artists whose work you may fall in love with. I can't bear to part with it as it's definitely one to reread, so I will be purchasing more copies for my loved ones!

Daily Rituals had lots of good biographical material, and actual passages written by artists who were mostly last century. I think many writers and artists will like this book a lot. The author has researched and edited a treasure of a book. I read about half the book. I tend to like passages from current writers and artists so it's difficult for me to get excited enough to finish it. I do appreciate what Currey has done. It seems like a labor of love. This is one of those times when the book is good for many readers but it doesn't fit so much with my personality. I do recommend it to others, though.

Mason Currey has gathered together from a variety of sources accounts of how artists work. Most of the artists are writers, but he includes a number of painters and a smattering of choreographers, architects, and others. The entries are quite short; none is longer than a few pages and some are only a paragraph or two.The artists' approach to their work varies, but most seem to work for just a few hours per day, typically first thing in the morning. Most seem to stick to a schedule, although some seem to work sporadically -- or erratically! -- and so don't appear to actually have "daily rituals."Currey makes no attempt to draw conclusions from the material he has gathered, so the reader is left to take what he will from the entries. Because there is no particular organizational theme and because there are so many entries, this is a book best read in short bursts rather than cover-to-cover in a single sitting.Although I enjoyed the book, I have a couple of minor criticisms: First, Currey doesn't always make clear that for a substantial number of these artists the work schedule described applied to just a brief period in his or her career. To take one of many examples, George Orwell is described as writing on a schedule determined by his hours as a clerk in a used bookstore, but Orwell only held that job for a brief period. Second, the order of the entries appears random or nearly so. In a few cases, the entries for similar artists appear together, but that's rarely the case. Here, for example, are the last four entries in the book: Maira Kalman, Georges Simenon, Stephen Jay Gould, Bernard Malamud -- quite a mixed group (and should a writer of non-fiction like Gould have been labeled an "artist"?). It might have been more helpful to have grouped the artists by type and then chronologically within type. Doing so might have made it easier for readers to detect common approaches and consider how the approaches may have varied over time.