Daily Rituals

How Artists Work

By: Mason Currey

Narrated by: Adam Verner

Franz Kafka, frustrated with his living quarters and day job, wrote in a letter to Felice Bauer in 1912, "time is short, my strength is limited, the office is a horror, the apartment is noisy, and if a pleasant, straightforward life is not possible then one must try to wriggle through by subtle maneuvers."

Kafka is one of 161 inspired - and inspiring - minds, among them, novelists, poets, playwrights, painters, philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians, who describe how they subtly maneuver the many (self-inflicted) obstacles and (self-imposed) daily rituals to get done the work they love to do, whether by waking early or staying up late; whether by self-medicating with doughnuts or bathing, drinking vast quantities of coffee, or taking long daily walks.

Thomas Wolfe wrote standing up in the kitchen, the top of the refrigerator as his desk, dreamily fondling his "male configurations..."

Jean-Paul Sartre chewed on Corydrane tablets (a mix of amphetamine and aspirin), ingesting ten times the recommended dose each day...

Descartes liked to linger in bed, his mind wandering in sleep through woods, gardens, and enchanted palaces where he experienced "every pleasure imaginable."

Here are: Anthony Trollope, who demanded of himself that each morning he write three thousand words (250 words every fifteen minutes for three hours) before going off to his job at the postal service, which he kept for thirty-three years during the writing of more than two dozen books...Karl Marx...Woody Allen...Agatha Christie...George Balanchine, who did most of his work while ironing...Leo Tolstoy...Charles Dickens...Pablo Picasso...George Gershwin, who, said his brother Ira, worked for twelve hours a day from late morning to midnight, composing at the piano in pajamas, bathrobe, and slippers...

Here also are the daily rituals of Charles Darwin, Andy Warhol, John Updike, Twyla Tharp, Benjamin Franklin, William Faulkner, Jane Austen, Anne Rice, and Igor Stravinsky (he was never able to compose unless he was sure no one could hear him and, when blocked, stood on his head to "clear the brain").

Brilliantly compiled and edited, and filled with detail and anecdote, Daily Rituals is irresistible, addictive, and magically inspiring.

©2013 Mason Currey (P)2013 Timothy Ferriss

Routine, routine, routine

Routine, routine, routine. Being independently wealthy helps, as does hard work, but mostly routine. Call it what you will - hard work, tenacity, grit. There’s no shortage of any of that. None of this guarantees success in art or life, but it is the common theme to creativity. Would like to see a Vol. 2 with contemporary artists like James Franco and Joss Wheadon.

Favorite creative non fiction

I have the hard copy but I like listening to it now, whenever I’m stressed I listen more. It’s my favorite book!!

Great examples of daily dedication

I loved the examples of how so many creatives show up for work each day—whether struck by inspiration or not.

Great resource for creatives

Very interesting and informative to see the huge variety of styles and work habits of “successful” artists.

Highly entertaining and not without spunk!

Where does Daily Rituals rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is characterized by being exactly what it claims to be: at listing of the illuminating and often amusing habits of artists in all kinds of art. It is without doubt one of the better books I've listened to.

What other book might you compare Daily Rituals to and why?

Lots of other books like this one, but none as unpretentious.

Which scene was your favorite?

All were alike entertaining. Except for a couple of times when an artist was repeated twice.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

How pecularities produce great art

Any additional comments?

Great fun, good reader.