Unlock Your Creative Potential: A Study of Daily Rituals of Successful Artists

Kindle Customer: I get this book by chance. I not regret at all by reading it.

Tremendous effort of the author to encapsulate each biography. As a art lover, I could feel every chapter very close to the persons and the art contexts.

Hope in a couple of years we could delight by a second edition focused on modern high performers as Elon, Cal Newport, Andrew Huberman, Gates, and so many others.

Finally, the books inspire to explore more biographies.

Fantastinc work!

United States on Nov 27, 2023

Jon the Librarian: As someone who tries to write every day, these insights into famous creators serves as real inspiration for me!

United States on Sep 25, 2023

AMOKArts: 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...

United States on Apr 02, 2023

Robin Weuste: Das ist kein Buch um es von vorne bis hinten in einem durch zu wälzen sondern ein guter Begleiter um immer mal wieder einfach irgend eine Seite auf zuschlagen und eine Anekdote über einen berühmten Menschen zu lesen. Über Künstler, Musiker, Philosophen, Poeten bis hin zu Wissenschaftlern ist von allem was dabei und es macht sehr viel Spaß über etwas so alltägliches wie die tägliche Routine eines bedeutenden Menschen zu lesen und inspiriert mich selbst sehr zu kreativer Arbeit. Zahlreiche meiner Idole wie Picasso, Thomas Mann, Albert Einstein Simone de Beauvoir und Jane Austen sind hier vertreten und gleichzeitig ist das Buch an sich sehr ästhetisch und hochwertig. Deshalb von mir volle 5 Sterne

Germany on Apr 29, 2021

Carolyn LeSurf: Interesting read; perfect for arts and literature lovers who have 10 minutes to spare. Not something to be read cover to cover, but more of an over-your-morning-coffee type deal. I did find it a little odd that a books that describes hundreds of classic artists’ rituals would choose to include an author like Stephen King.

Canada on Mar 19, 2020

Arthur Thorp: So here's the takeaway:

1. The people described in this book all work very hard and, frequently, VERY long hours.

2. Regular, extended exercise - usually walking - is frequently an important part of their routines.

3. They're mostly early risers, with significant exceptions, and do their best work in the first several hours of the day. There are a few nightowls but not many.

4. They have a work routine that they adhere to almost fanatically.

5. Finally, implicitly, habits are key in their successes and productivity.

There, I've saved you the price of this book.

The stories about the different artists are frequently interesting on their own account and very useful in fleshing out the "takeaways" listed above. I don't think it's intended as a self-help book. The author doesn't attempt to derive a series of lessons from his subjects' activities but a pattern emerges after reading a lot of these.

United States on Jun 23, 2015

Hal Jordan: 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...

United States on Oct 20, 2014

Harry Havey: This book is (temporarily) part of my own daily ritual: I read a couple of entries over cereal to start each day. Nothing inspiring for artists but quite comforting in its revelations of the very human tics and idiosyncrasies of the individuals included. A bit misleading as a book title maybe as there are several politicians included (as writers) and very few visual artists included. The majority of the artists are those that tend to work at desks (authors and composers) with a smattering of visual artists and performers thrown in. But, still, a very enjoyable read!

Canada on Jul 16, 2014

PF: This quite unusual 275 page book includes brief, well-written accounts of the 'daily rituals' practiced by 161 inspired and inspiring minds, from Tolstoy to Woody Allen to Dickens to Warhol to Picasso to Jane Austen to Beethoven ... Each delightful entry runs from 1 to 3 pages in length and all are remarkably well-researched. Easy to read, fun, jammed with insider anecdotes. From the jacket (and entirely accurate): "Writers, composers, painters, choreographers, playwrights, poets, philosophers, sculptors, filmmakers and scientists on how they create (and avoid creating) their creations." The book is a joy. Dip into it anywhere, for however long. I happen to be a bibliomaniac and this is my find of the year. ... It's physically small, therefore easy to carry also.

Canada on May 09, 2014

Florence Meyer: En décrivant des routines d'artistes (écrivains, chorégraphes, musiciens, compositeurs,...), l'ouvrage nous montre combien le fait d'avoir des habitudes bien rodées aide à être plus créatif. Pourtant, on pourrait penser que routine et créativité sont incompatibles.
Au contraire, la routine libère le cerveau, il peut se consacrer à d'autres réflexions que des questions comme "que faire maintenant". Cet ouvrage amène à revoir ses idées préconçues sur la routine, les habitudes et peut donner des idées d'organisation et de gestion du temps à ceux qui pensent ne pas avoir de temps à consacrer à leur passion. En effet, beaucoup d'artistes cités dans cet ouvrage menaient une activité professionnelle à temps plein...

France on Jun 27, 2013