Daily Rituals: How Artists Work

I can barely put this book down, it's so fascinating. Ironic though that I'm sucked in reading about people being productive, because after 20 minutes of browsing I certainly haven't achieved many of my own goals. I will say that it's the best bathroom reading book ever. Pick it up and flip through, read one or two rituals, and you're out of there. If at some point in the future I die and you're one of my biographers reading this, you totally have permission to say one of my rituals was reading other people's rituals. While on the can.

This is an entertaining read...however, if you're looking for tips or ideas to stimulate your creativity or artistic talents, I wouldn't use these examples! Many of the artists or writers featured have some interesting habits...many include drinking and smoking throughout the day; many either get up around 5am or they sleep til noon. Maybe I'm missing the point!

I like the short chapters...easy to pick up the book and read a few stories, then put it down. I would like to see maybe a few more contemporary figures, rather than those from the 1700's to 1800's... still a fun book!

This is an entertaining read...however, if you're looking for tips or ideas to stimulate your creativity or artistic talents, I wouldn't use these examples! Many of the artists or writers featured have some interesting habits...many include drinking and smoking throughout the day; many either get up around 5am or they sleep til noon. Maybe I'm missing the point!

I like the short chapters...easy to pick up the book and read a few stories, then put it down. I would like to see maybe a few more contemporary figures, rather than those from the 1700's to 1800's... still a fun book!

In his introduction the author mentions sitting down to write about how "some of the greatest minds of the past four hundred years made the time each day to do their best work...." Anne Rice? James Dickey? Charles Schultz (of "Peanuts" fame)?? This calls into question the degree to which the author is informed (or in blunter language, how ignorant he is). With 2000+ years of history to draw from, he picks the likes of these people?

In the hands of a scholar, a book like this could have been very enlightening. As it is, the book interlards itself with representatives of pop culture and numerous lightweights who are already practically forgotten.

This book is a wasted opportunity. Instead of extracting the information he gathered from these artists' daily rituals and expanding on it, all he did was write a short synopsis - usually quoting someone else's work. It was repetitive and boring.

Let me sum up this book for you and save you the money - PRODUCTIVE, creative people develop the habit of actually working at their chosen creative endeavor by devoting a couple hours to it a day - if your a morning person, you do it in the morning, night owls make time for it at night. It doesn't matter when you do it, create a habit by doing it at the same time every day. This book doesn't do anything in the way of helping you figure out how to do that for yourself. Habit Stacking by S.J. Scott is a better choice.

I was really looking forward to reading this book: vicariously experiencing (however briefly) the work-routines of artists, renowned scientists, and others. Perhaps, I hoped, I would learn something that would help me. Indeed, the author covers a lot of ground as measured by the quantity of people's routines he summarizes. But, the summaries are so short and lack much depth. Essentially, "he awoke in the morning, did stuff, napped, and then did more at night." Yes, that's a bit harsh but after reading a dozen and then fast-forwarding into others that's what I felt like I found.

Okay! Okay! So I have taken this out of context from the author’s introduction—“this is a superficial book”—but who could resist when in fact that is exactly what it is, an overpriced book with a few details from a selection of artists that didn’t include some of the greatest.
Where is Walt Whitman? Stephen Crane? Joseph Conrad? There is nothing about Robert Frost or F. Scott Fitzgerald. Nothing about Oscar Wilde or George Bernard Shaw. Zilch about Virginia Woolf or Harper Lee (although the author got her once-upon-a-time pal Truman Capote in). And absolutely nothing about Tennessee Williams either. And I could go on and on but won’t.
There is absolutely nothing in this book that a potential reader couldn’t find—and a lot more—by simply going to Wikipedia.
Currently I am reading John Lahr’s new biography of Tennessee Williams—a great book that cost exactly the same as this one!
Fortunately I didn’t purchase this “superficial book” for myself but for a former student of mine who needs to discipline himself more to his writing if he is going to achieve his goal of going into an MFA program such as the one offered in Iowa. I think he might like the book. But anyone who really wants to know about the lives of artists will find this totally useless.

If you are intellectually inclined, do not buy this book. You will gain no insights. Bits and pieces of trivia about supposedly great people's writing habits. Big deal! I keep it in the bathroom to read a page or two because I do not like to discard books I paid for even when they are trivial.

What a delightful little read. You’ll find here one to two-page summaries about how some of the great artists, scientists, writers, movie makers, composers, and more worked. Each is short and sweet, perfect for a quick bit of motivation or inspiration between other tasks. It fills the place that exists between one project and another, one meeting and the next.

In fact, Daily Rituals was born out of one of those very moments. Mason Currey was under deadline and avoiding writing an article for the publication he worked for at the time. He began to research how the great writers worked, surfing the internet to find out. Before long, he had started a blog and was writing about the work habits of the men and women he was reading about. From that blog came the book.

I read it while walking into the office from the parking garage, occasionally skipping them if the individual–an artist or writer–was one with which I was unfamiliar. The peeks into the lives of these extremely successful people was fascinating, if massively abridged. The rituals, or routines, or, maybe lack of routines, were varied as the artists (let’s just call them all artists, and that includes all of them whether they were or not). Some worked mornings, some in the evening. Asimov worked all day every day; others, only for a few hours in the morning, or a few in the evening. In fact, many of them seemed to work a mere two to four hours each day. Darwin took decades to write his book, and he hated society, hiding from the world in his country home. Warhol would call his agent each morning to detail the entire previous day for a journal that was used for tax purposes. Dickens would take long walks through London to collect characters and scenes for his serialized stories.

It was a fun read and inspirational. I recommend it for a light and enjoyable jaunt through the lives of some of the great minds of history.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. A bit more research and this book would be really valuable. But it's shallow. You get one brief verbal snapshot of each artist or writer or composer covered. Rituals, like anything else, change over time and circumstance. Hemingway's writing routine when he was 50 was probably a lot different than it was when he was 22. But that's not dealt with. We are helped to a paragraph or two on each, then we move on to the next. The book winds up being a snack instead of a meal. What confuses me is that there are scholars who know a lot about the people in the book, and some phone and email leg work could have given us a work on this subject with so much more humanity and depth. But no. Seems like he just monetized his blog.

Still, lots of good little tidbits.

When I picked up this book and began leafing through it, the first thing I read was a quote by Phillip Roth who said,"Writing isn't hard work, it's a nightmare." Amused, I thumbed though it until I came across a sketch of psychologist William James who wrote The Principles of Psychology, a two-volume work often referred to as "the Jimmy." The founder of functionalism, James was a big believer in habits, so I was a bit surprised to learn that he "kept no regular schedule, was chronically indecisive, and lived a disorderly, unsettled life."

By this time, I had pretty much decided to purchase the book for myself, and after reading about Kierkegaard's peculiar way of having coffee, I knew I had to own this book describing rituals and idiosyncrasies of writers, artists, scientists, statesmen, and musicians. I'm so glad I did, for I have been both educated and entertained by the collection of short pieces about dozens of creative people. There are even illustrations interspersed at just the right places to break up the pages of print. I especially liked the one of writer Maya Angelou who did much of her writing in hotel and motel rooms rather than at home because pretty places, like her home, throw her.

Funny, inspirational, informative, and interesting are just a few of the adjectives to describe this book. When you buy your own copy, I know you'll agree.

I've read a few of these kinds of books that study authors' or painters' lives: what they drank or where they lived, etc. This is by far my favorite. For one thing, Currey includes lots of women. Seems like a simple concept, but you'd be surprised how often women are overlooked in books like this. I wish it were 50% women. I imagine that is difficult because some of them weren't appreciated by their peers in their time, making the facts harder for someone like Currey to dig up now.

There are some contemporary artists, but definitely not as much as you'd think. I would have imagined it wouldn't be all that hard to get, say, JK Rowling or Stephen King to contribute since they are so open on social media (and I think were so when this was published), but maybe I'm very wrong on that.

If you're a person of furious, dedicated work or a person of lazy, slovenly phoning-it-in, you'll find a vignette with which to identify. Especially if you are a hard drinker! Whoo, how did some of these people function? Like me, Thomas Wolfe used a makeshift standing desk. Unlike me, he and Benjamin Franklin each liked to parade around in the nude before writing. No GoPro camera drones back then to worry about, sigh.

I do find it beyond weird that the young author --born in PA, educated in NC-- uses sentences like, "he ate a relatively light repast." I guess it's from immersing himself in the source material? Or maybe he wanted to put you back in the proper time frames of each artist? Like I said, it could have used some more current examples. The book's author is young, but I'm not sure there are any younger artists presented or, for that matter, any artists in newer disciplines (graffiti art, graphic novelists, pop stars, online works, etc.)

Anyway, fun little book that you can read a section of whenever you have a few minutes to spare. Maybe you'll even pick up a tip or two to help with your art, though it's not really a how-to.

I'm thoroughly enjoying is Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey. It's so gratifying to read that I'm not the only procrastinator. Haha. In fact, I'm convinced that writers are the best at it. I have several full-length memoirs but these little snippets of hundreds of writers, artists, composers is a gem. It's well-researched with many quotable quotes. Here's a random entry about William James: "I know a person who will poke the fire, set chairs straight, pick dust specks from the floor, arrange his table, snatch up a newspaper, take down any book which catches his eye, trim his nails, waste the morning anyhow, in short, and all without premeditation--simply because the only thing he ought to attend to is the preparation of a noonday lesson in formal logic which he detests." This he told his class. I daresay he was speaking about himself!

What are the daily rituals of successful artists or writers or thinkers? I know that how others work always interests me, and this book is right up the alley of those that wonder how others accomplish tasks like I do.

Daily Rituals has 161 routines of people you’ve likely heard of like Franz Kafka or Bach. The thing that stuck out to me reading the book is how much leisure many of the creatives put in their day. Now many of them may not have considered it leisure since they were out wrestling with their demons of creativity while walking the mountains, but really so many of them spent copious amounts of time walking or sitting in the pub drinking a pint or sitting in a cafe sipping on coffee watching those going by them.

It seems to me that we can learn something here.

Daily Rituals is very well researched and plain old entertaining, if light (as in none) on the ways you can apply the routines of others to your daily routine.

Still a recommended quick read in my opinion.

I like the insights given to these creative people, but I found myself wanting more. Recognizing that this book is primarily a printed version of a series of blog entries, it makes sense that each article is short--they are written to a blog audience so brevity is key.

By the time I was 20% finished, I felt like I was reading the same thing over and over. There seemed to be a definite thread: The truly successful creative people invested intensive, focused time--usually first thing in the morning (whenever their *morning* started).

I also got tired of the focus on sex and infidelity. I'd like to be more creative and focused, but I don't think I need to pursue the philandering several of these people did. I felt like the writer could have skipped those descriptions.

I enjoyed this book immensely! I love reading about writers, artists, thinkers and how they managed their time. Time management is something that I struggle with but have always found very interesting. To see how great minds have managed (or mismanaged) their own is inspiring and very interesting. Also very interesting to see that some struggle with the same things I find difficult to overcome (i.e. procrastination, not six bottles of wine per day!) Appreciate the research that went into this and how easy it is to read. Would LOVE to see a follow-up to this book with rituals and routines of more modern writers and artists.

I love the concept of this book. However, it disappoints completely.

The book gives overviews (half a page to two pages) for each of the 161 artists. However, much of this information can be accessed easily, and I found myself re-reading quotes and routines that I've stumbled upon. Many of the quotes and routines are easily found on the artist's wiki pages. As the intro of the book concedes, this is simply a collection of routines. The author does not offer commentary; he is simply the collector and summarizes (at times). Other times, entire author's routines are just verbatim quotes.

Pros: Brief. A quick read. Good for keeping on the coffee table or by the toilet for burst-reads: read a few entries here and there.

Cons: There doesn't seem to be any sense of organization. I was only interested in the authors, but I had to trudge through to find them. Also, the book itself is not as long as the page count lists; the end thirty (or more) pages are just a collection of works cited.

Rent it. Don't buy. If you really need info on artist routines, google search the artist's name with "daily routine." You'll find much of the same information, unfortunately.

Like my title says, this book is a fun and interesting read, and hopefully you'll find it inspirational too. With its plethora of capsuled descriptions of the working habits of many of the world's great creative people, the fun and interesting part is obvious. Under what conditions and circumstances did these great people produce the extraordinary works that we know them for? Thus we read about Gustav Mahler composing in his little stone hut in the woods of Austria, breakfasting on coffee, bread, and jam (while his wife wasted her life trying to ensure the neighbors made no noise that might disturb the master). And we hear about Marcel Proust in his cork-lined bedroom, scribbling out the 1.5 million words of Remembrance of Things Past while lying in bed, fueled by opium, cafe au lait, and croissants. And so on for dozens and dozens of other creative greats, past and present. I found the book something of a hypnotic page-turner; I was always wondering who would show up next, and what interesting tidbits I would learn about the person attached to the familiar name.

As one might expect, the vast majority of the creative people in this book are revealed to have regular routines in their lives. Even those whose lifestyles included a lot of late-night carousing and debauchery would do their carousing and debauchery on a schedule, and would return home to log their hours on their field of greatness on a schedule. And that's where the "inspirational" aspect comes in. You won't find many in this book who report that they did their creative work "when they happened to feel like it, if there was nothing good on TV." Most of them slaved away under the lash of the clock, putting in their required hours day in and day out, no ifs or buts or excuses of any sort.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got other things to do. I'm on a schedule.

I've probably had the same conversation a dozen times with various writer-friends: "Are you a morning person? When are you most productive? How do you get yourself going every day?" It's not that our answers change anything, but it's fun to compare how each of us gets inspired, and which rituals can throw us into (or out of) that warm creative fog.

That's the whole premise behind Currey's Daily Rituals, except he reports on the process by which famous (or MORE famous) people pragmatically get their creating done, and he doesn't limit it to writers. There's musicians, painters, poets, architects, pretty much anybody who sits down at a blank page and fills it up. The short essays -- few are longer than a page or two -- cover quite a period of time, too, so we have the daily rituals from Leo Tolstoy and Nathanial Hawthorne, Joyce Carol Oates and Sylvia Plath, Andy Warhol and Buckminster Fuller, Patricia Highsmith and Ingmar Bergman.

At some level this is trivial information -- who cares what time Simone de Beauvoir got up? -- but I found even that aspect of the book delightful. The short essays are tiny windows into the souls of the people we admire (or about whom we now want to learn more). Some of these are very amusing indeed. Highsmith bred snails?! Benjamin Franklin took cold-air baths? And then there are the gigglers: Beethoven had coffee to start each day "...which he prepared himself with great care--he determined that there should be sixty beans per cup, and he often counted them out one by one for a precise dose."

Mostly, though, it's fun to read because I can find SOMEone whose work lifestyle is akin to my own. That must mean I'm doing it right, right? Whether the artist is a workaholic (George Gershwin worked 12 hours a day) or in short bursts (Willa Cather worked 2-3 hours per day; "I don't hold myself to longer hours; if I did, I wouldn't gain by it"), I can find an excuse to justify my own behavior.

The organization of these vignettes is haphazard, but that's okay. I think these are meant to be read randomly, a little at a time -- bathroom reading at its best, really. If you know a writer or other Maker, this would be a lovely present.

DAILY RITUALS: HOW ARTISTS WORK does not pretend to be an in-depth study of the work habits of artists, writers, filmmakers, musicians, inventors and creative thinkers. Instead it presents enticing tidbits of 1-6 paragraphs each about the daily work routines of 164 notable creative individuals, from the 17th century to present day. Some of the past masters included are: Beethoven, Austen, Hemingway, William James, Hugo, Dickens, Jung, Marx, Picasso, Chopin, More contemporary creators include Maya Angelou, John Updike, Woody Allen, Twyla Tharp, Charles Schultz, Steven King.

As a writer myself who has odd writing habits (usually not getting into gear till after 10pm and writing till dawn or well into the morning, always with the company of dark chocolate), I was particularly intrigued to learn about the habits of other writers – maybe in part to seek confirmation that I'm not alone in my habits. Readers who are also committed to a creative path might find some confirmation in the chapters of this books. Others are likely to simply find the examples to satisfy their curiosity.

Clearly, a majority of those included in the book were or are morning creators – those who turned to work early in the day and required of themselves a specific number of hours, or in the case of writers, quantity of words (Trollope, prolific author of over three dozen novels, wrote 3,000 words every morning, often while traveling throughout England as a postal inspector). Many maintained a set daily schedule. But a very substantial minority are/were night creators – LuAnn Rice ( author of vampire novels – how appropriate!) or 19th century George Sand who claimed to average 20 pages a night.And some often created in marathon bursts of concentrated inspiration – Shostakovich, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Wolfe, Ayn Rand.

One obvious trait that many had in common is some form of addiction - coffee, wine, cigarettes, marijuana, prescription drugs. But a lot had "positive addictions" as well, such as daily walking. And some had somewhat unique routines, such as reading obituaries before starting work. Woody Allen needed to take frequent shower breaks throughout the day. Truman Capote could only write lying down and couldn't begin or end a piece on a Friday. Balanchine began his work day with ½ hour of ironing and a game of Russian solitaire.

All in all, this is a fascinating book, likely to appeal mostly to creative individuals who will feel that their habits have received public confirmation when they read about them or similar ones in this book. But those who are not engaged in any creative art form are also like to find the book quite fascinating, and enjoyable.

Not just a book about working methods, it is about how the human beast lives. Chock full of memorable anecdotes, sayings, quotes. Some examples:

"Television drove me back to Catch 22. I couldn't imagine what Americans did at night when they weren't writing novels." Joseph Heller

"I don't approve of people who watch television," pianist Glenn Gould said, "but I am one of them."

"I often have to play music for an hour to feel exalted enough to face the act of composing." Novelist William Styron

"Be regular and orderly in your life like a Bourgeouis so that you may be violent and original in your work." Flaubert

P.G. Wodehouse religiously watched soap operas, esp. The Edge of Night.

Tchaikovsky's brother said of him: "Somewhere at sometime he had discovered that a man needs a two-hour walk for his health, and his observance of that rule was pedantic and superstitious, as though, if he returned five minutes early he would fall ill, and unbelievable misfortunes of some sort would ensue." (Reviewer's note: Did it work? Tchaikovsky lived to be 53. Various causes have been cited for his early passing: cholera, drinking contaminated water, the effects of smoking and drinking, even suicide. It remains a mystery.)

Mathematician Paul Erdos owed his phenomenal stamina to amphetamines - he took 10 to 20 mg of Benzedrine or Ritalin per day.

Author John Updike says a solid routine "saves you from giving up."

Author Jerzy Kosinski: "I love writing more than anything else. I write when I feel like it, and I feel like it most of the time: day, night, twilight. I write in a restaurant, on a plane, between skiing and horseback riding, when I take my night walks in Manhattan, Paris or any other town."

Thoroughly entertaining, this read was over far too quickly. Author Mason Currey, how about a volume two?

Anthology books that focus on one particular aspect of life or thought can be refreshing.

In this case, I an artist who currently is drifting between disciplines (playing guitar solo, mostly, and working at my software job, instead of writing and producing plays), this scoop of sorbet gave perspective on the relationship of the creative and productive drive with habit formation.

You remember that to have a similar output to these artists and scientists, you need to again form those good work habits.

It's not about inspiration; everybody has that.

It's about showing up to work on your visions every day. And this book - GREAT for that. It twitches the muscle memory on your discipline.

All of us engaged in creative work believe we are the only people who can't get moving or engage in secret rituals that must be performed before thoughts will flow or live in endless frustration that we can't turn the spigot and have the brilliance flow.

Mason Currey's dozens of vignettes provide evidence that misery loves company: we are not alone in our suffering or, for that matter, weirdness.

While Currey doesn't deal with the likes of me and most likely you, since we are not famous, he does provide insights into the agonies faced by people like W. H. Auden, Ferico Fellini, F. Scott Fitzgerald, B. F. Skinner, Franz Kafka, Woody Allen, Frank Lloyd Wright, Albert Einstein, Stephen King and many others.

A few of these people had no difficulty with the creative process. Okay, I hate them.

Nearly all the others found the process vexing. I love them. They're just like me.

Some have rituals, some resorted to alcohol and other drugs, some suffered greatly with every word or brushstroke.

But all of them persevered and all achieved some degree of immortality as a result - and we are all better for it.

Mason Currey has been a diligent researcher and compiler. This volume is a little treasure. It can - and probably should be - read in bits and pieces. Each vignette, even those of the creative who face no problems in getting down to productive work - is interesting, fascinating and informative.

This book has earned its place in my short stack of inspirational books I turn to when I run into a creative wall.

Jerry

I love this little book. On each page there is a cool little story about how different Artists work their process or daily routines and rituals. Since I am very process oriented I found this compilation or vignettes about all types of Artists FASCINATING!

The Author (Mason Currey) obviously did extensive and invaluable research to back all of the stories included in this book. And his notes are included at the end of the book too. Which I found invaluable ..... since I would like to do further reading on some of the Artists he writes about.

There is no doubt that this little book was a labor of Love. Each story has just enough information to inspire me, but not too much that I don't want to read it. There is right amount of cool information without boring me with too many details. This is incredibly hard to do. The author must have had a fabulous editor!!

The author does try to provide many unique examples of how a large variety of brilliant and successful people have confronted the same challenges that all Artists face, and some of the stories are simply fascinating. The stories dive deeply into the routines, or even the seemingly lack of routine that some artists have. I could relate to so many of them, and found some of the more compulsive artists very intriguing!

This is one of those books that you can open up in the morning and read straight away about an Artist and get inspired or informed. And then relate the stories to your other Artist friends about.

We all have Artistic rituals. This book brings to light what some of the most revered Artists do for themselves.

Daily Rituals is a collection of interesting tales about the creative processes of 161 artists, both historical and contemporary, from nearly every discipline. There are writers, composers, artists, inventors, film makers and many other creative types represented here.

Each profile is short-just a page or two. I don't know if it is a strength or a weakness of this book that it leaves me wanting to know more about these artists. The pictures it paints of them are fascinating, and made me want to learn more about their lives and their work.

Although each person's story is unique, there are two themes that run through many of the profiles: (1) routine and (2) naps. Some people may think of routine as stifling and the antithesis of the creative process, but in fact it can be freeing. Having a routine gives the artist one less thing to think about, as they simply follow the routine. As for naps, well, the benefits of taking a few minutes during the day to rest and recharge should be obvious.

This is the kind of book you don't necessarily sit down and read cover to cover. You can read a profile or two when you have a few spare minutes and work your way through the book, or just open it to a random page and read a profile for inspiration. Try reading one right before bedtime so your brain can process it as you sleep.

You may glean some insights that will improve your own creative process, but this is also just an interesting book to read if you want to learn about some of your favorite artists.

This was an interesting read....was a look inside the lives, minds, and routines of some of our greatest artists and writers. Most were a bit eccentric, slightly (or extremely) odd in their rituals to to live a life around their creative output. Many of them were quite different than I had expected. I might suggest that for some people, the author could have put a line or two about who they were/what their claim to fame was, as there were some I, and probably others, were not familiar with.

For children ideally we offer a structured environment to draw out the most desirable behavior and encourage healthy development, creativity and learning experiences. Rules are made clear, schedules are set to be followed and there is discipline. With all of that, a sense of order and security are present. This is not to say the business of being a child or student is simple but the structure certainly gives you a good head start. Communities set the framework for their citizens, employers for their workers, etc. Who sets the boundaries for the artist?

Creative types are often thought to be free-spirited, aren't they? Not necessarily bogged down by all the demands of more regimented employment. Many artists work from their homes or other personal work spaces. If an artist is independent then can't they all just set their own hours or have no hours at all and just set to work when the inspiration hits? Possibly but not to say you are bound to get much work done that way! In some way or another all creative types are working towards an end, a deadline, a conclusion of one project and on to the next piece of work.

In "Daily Rituals, How Artists Work", Mason Currey has put together a fabulous collection which profiles just how some very well-known creative people have historically worked and lived. You get a quick peek into their daily routines and habits. Intentionally or not, they seem to set a structure for themselves or we see that they struggle without consistency. Many share the tendency for early rising, breaks for walks, napping, schedules for work and meals, even set hours of the day for socializing or tending to correspondences. Others are set in the habit of working into the wee hours, propelling themselves with an assortment of stimulants and substances. Some artists are clearly very solitary and others in consistent company (be it personal or work variety.) Maybe you will see a bit of your own habit or struggle in their stories or perhaps you will find an idea to develop a new addition to your own routine. I found this book very interesting and it's easily parceled out for whenever you have the chance to read a few pages. You are bound to find things in here to underline or pages to "dog-ear" if you don't have a pen handy. There is so much here to fuel the artist, to inspire, to discuss in this terrific compilation. So much offered just to enjoy, as I know I have. Highly recommended.

Writing can be a lonely ritual and its hard to maintain a daily routine of putting your pen to paper. Dozens of writing books will tell you exactly when and how you should write, what desk to use, and whether you are better off with a pen or computer. But there aren't many that will tell you how writers, and artists, actually did their work.

This book covers some of the best authors and creators and answers the question that we all want the answer to: How did they do it?

Here are a select few of my favorites, summarized from the book:

Soren Kierkegaard: His routine included three things - writing, walking, and lots of coffee. He would typically start off writing early in the morning, then go for a long walk around midday. He claimed to get his best ideas while walking. Then he would go back home to write. He kept his energy up with coffee, though it may be more accurate to call it sugar. According to his biographer Joakin Garff, "Kierkegaard had his own quite peculiar way of having coffee: Delightedly he seized hold of the bag containing the sugar and poured sugar into the coffee cup until it was piled above the rim. Next came the incredibly strong, black coffee, which slowly dissolved the white pyramid. The process was scarcely finished before the syrupy stimulant disappeared into the magister's stomach . . ."

Benjamin Franklin: Franklin would rise early and take his daily bath while reading or writing. Only, Franklin's bath was not with water, but with cold air. He would sit in his chamber without clothes while "bathing", and write.

Ernest Hemingway: Quoted from The Paris Review, Hemingway explained, "When I am working on a book or a story I write every morning as soon after first light as possible. There is no one to disturb you and it is cool or cold and you come to your work and warm as your write." Hemingway always stood up to write, and kept a chart of his progress so we would never fool himself.

Jonathan Edwards: He spent at least thirteen hours a day in his study writing and working, starting at 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning. He would often break up his routine with physical activity and always kept a pen with him to record thoughts. He once said in his diary, "I think Christ has recommended rising early in the morning, by his rising from the grave very early."

Truman Capote: "`I am a completely horizontal author,' Capote told The Paris Review in 1957. `I can't think unless I'm lying down, either in bed or stretched out on a couch and with a cigarette and coffee handy. I'be got to be puffing and sipping. As the afternoon wears on, I shift from coffee to mint tea to sherry to martinis.'" (126)

Flannery O'Connor: After her daily prayers, coffee, and going to mass, Flannery would write for three hours every morning. Her usual output was three pages. She once said, `I read a lot of theology because it makes my writing bolder.'

Charles Dickens: Would work for hours in complete silence, his office perfectly arranged. His usual output was 2,000-4,000 words a day. He always took a three hour walk as well, where he would continue to work on his story.

Stephen King: He writes every day of the year, even holidays and his own birthday. He almost never quits until he reaches his 2,000 word daily quota.

I run a small publishing company and work with authors all the time. This is great for anyone who writes or wants to write - it shows them exactly what has worked for some of the most prolific authors in history. Great book, highly recommended - worth buying even if you just skip through and browse the authors/creators you know and recognize.

This is a collection of concise depictions of how the greatest creative minds in the last 400 years of human history have worked -- their habits, quirky demands, daily sources of inspiration.

As a musician, I wondered if the book might help me identify better methods to become more productive. This goal slipped into the background as the vignettes of artists both beloved and unfamiliar captivated me. Keep bookmarks and a pencil at hand! Daily Habits is full of details you'll want to come back to, read aloud to friends, and maybe -- when you remember your own unfinished work -- draw on (not necessarily literally) for motivation. Personally, I experienced not motivation to adopt other people's habits so much as validation of my own, and encouragement to explore them to the fullest in search of the conditions that suit me best.

I recommend this book highly to all varieties of creative folks, and anyone who might like a glimpse into the process behind the world's greatest achievements in literature, art, music, science, and beyond.

This is the kind of book you keep in the bathroom, or any place you have to wait around for a short time. Each section is never more than a couple pages and each is fascinating. Mostly favoring writers, but composers and even visual artists are included as well. Aside from learning that the key to writing seems to be to be an early riser, it is very entertaining how so many writers habits mirror their work, some in hysterical ways, Thomas Wolfe comes to mind, while other like Jung or Mahler are completely predictable. Anyone of broad yet educated taste will enjoy this pleasant diversion.

The only real flaw is that of source material. All we can know is what friends, family, and colleagues can report, which often seems the most creditable source, or the confessions of the writer's themselves. Some authors such as Trollope are very candid and honest about this topic, other's less so. But the most frustrating is in artists for whom we have only a single letter or diaries. These seem the least useful for answering the question posed by the title. Mason Currey has done a marvelous job here, and given me several hours of great pleasure.

I admit, this became my favorite book ever the moment I looked at the first page because this is my kinda thing--thinking about, reading about, struggling with my own daily routine as an artist. It has been nothing but inspiring to me and helped me shape my own creative life by hearing how others have done it who made a name for themselves.

This book contains the daily rituals, routines, schedules, habits, and other idiosyncrasies of 161 "inspired--and inspiring--minds, among them, novelists, poets, playwrights, painters, philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians." Also included are some psychologists, composers, choreographers, sculptors, filmmakers, and even a performance artist (Marina Abramovic) and a photographer of sorts (Andy Warhol). Currey researched each person at length by way of journals, biographies, autobiographies, interviews, and first-hand accounts, edited down the details, and created a snapshot of about one page each of the daily life of each person. He included such delicious details as the exact timing someone woke up, their alcohol or drug of choice and when and with whom they consumed it, their general social or anti-social demeanor, and the physical position they took while creating their life's work (standing, curled up in bed, walking and writing, etc). A fascinating, intimate, and many times humorous account of the major geniuses of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.

I can't get enough! If this is your thing like it is mine, you MUST read this book. Recommended to any artist especially if you want good company in your struggle to live your daily life.

I want to give it a 5 but I have to give it a 4. I know the title says How Artists Work but I feel the book focused too much on classical artists and left out a lot of inventors, mathematicians and scientists who at high levels of achievement are artists on their own merit. Sure it has da Vinci, Tesla, Darwin but not near enough of the full breadth of human endeavor. I would like a 2nd edition in which the breadth of creative genius was explored. Fun to read (I listened to it).

I've always been interested in the daily habits of artists. Mason Currey has fed this interest with the details in DAILY RITUALS, HOW ARTISTS WORK.

Through careful research, Currey has compiled details about writers, composers, painters, choreographers, playwrights, poets, philosophers, sculptors, filmmakers and scientist.

The entries would have been strengthened with a simple identification of the category of artist with each one. One message that rings loud from reading these entries is the discipline of the various artists. They are committed to their craft and consistently practice it day in and day out to become successful. For example, Stephen King "writes every day of the year, including his birthday and holidays, and he almost never lets himself quit before he reaches his daily quota of two thousand words." (page 224). Taking consistent action for your craft is a message that permeates this volume.

I enjoyed DAILY RITUALS and recommend it.

I'm glad I got this book from the library rather than buying it, because there are very few visual artists here. Of course writers -- well, write! So it's easier, I'm sure, to research the daily rituals of writers -- though some who have thoroughly documented their own rituals -- such as May Sarton -- have been left out.

As a painter, I'd hoped for more visual artists to be included. It's still interesting to read about the daily rituals of artists in other mediums. I just find the selection unbalanced.

That said -- the more I read of this book, the more I appreciate it. It's well written and entertaining, and there are so many daily patterns covered that it's possible to see some patterns and get useful ideas for one's own daily life. I'm finding it encouraging -- always a plus.

In his endlessly fascinating book, Mason Currey gives us a peak into the inner motivations of writers, artists, and other creative types.

One of my favorite shows is "In Depth" on Book TV. And my favorite part of that show is where we are given access to the writing spaces of the featured author. Having watched that show for many years confirms that no two writers have the same pattern. Every writer (or creative type) is unique. Currey also makes this plain in his wonderfully wrought book.

Here a few, other things I took away from reading Currey's book:

*The power of good habits and the struggle to develop them!

*Creative folks must create. There is a drive, even compulsion to do so.

*It is wise to have a steady means of income as it is difficult, especially at first, to make a living in the creative arena.

*Find your own voice because no one else has it!

It was Ok. I would have liked a little more in depth information on fewer people. Also, would have liked to read about these people grouped by their profession, rather than scattered about. It's not bad, just not quite what I was expecting.

This book introduces well-known people's morning routines. I didn't know and never heard of some people in this book. A general idea of this book is that wake up early and do creative work for a couple of hours for the first thing in the morning because that's how these many artists worked to create their work. I already sold this book after finishing reading the book. I would not buy this book to keep.

Interesting and entertaining, but not what I thought it would be. Daily Rituals tells of some of the more unusual habits of artists, to which they credit their successes, but these things won't necessarily be helpful to those who want to be successful in the arts. Things such as - Patricia Highsmith's (The Talented Mr. Ripley) love for snails, chain smoking and having a stiff drink to reduce her energy level.

A little more down-to-earth advice came from composer John Adams: "My experience has been that most really serious creative people I know have very, very routine and not particularly glamorous work habits."

It is still an interesting book, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to read it.

"Daily Rituals: How Artists Work" by Mason Currey is a read no artist wants to miss. It's about the circumstances that each of the more than 150 artists covered in this book put into place to call upon the creative process.

For artists everywhere it helps to answer the question of how to balance meaningful creative work while also earning a living. Currey admits not to have all the answers, but shows examples of other brilliant - and successful - people who have confronted many of the same challenges.

Currey goes on to define a daily ritual, in the right hands, as a finely calibrated mechanism for taking advantage of limited resources, especially when it comes to time. What creative endeavor would you like to undertake if you could create more time?

I didn't know what to expect with this book. Maybe some help with my lack of productivity as an author? Maybe some inspiration? Maybe just some vindication for my lifestyle?

Alas, I found that most authors and artists are warped individuals and found some amusing anecdotes, if not anything that would help. Still, I found that waking up early killed Decartes and Tesla was a warped workaholic with severe OCD. Some wrote in the nude and others had just as weird habits. Many self-medicated.

At least I have learned what not to do. An amusing and intriguing book.

DAILY RITUALS: HOW ARTISTS WORK by Mason Currey presents a diverse and delightfully fun bouquet of vignettes from writers, painters, composers, musicians, and other creative types, all involving their daily (or not so daily) rituals that prime the artistic pump. This is not the kind of book you read from cover-to-cover (okay, it's not the kind of book I would read from cover-to-cover), but instead choose cherished authors and read about their particular creative customs. DAILY RITUALS includes some of my particular favorites: Jane Austen (nothing new on this front if you've read any biographies), P.G. Wodehouse, whom I could just imagine taking his dogs for a convivial mid-day walk before returning to nap or, perhaps, write), Arthur Miller, Maya Angelou, Honore Balzac, and Joyce Carol Oates, who I was glad to discover is a workaholic, since she is so darned prolific.

I also enjoyed reading about Dame Edith Sitwell, who liked to lie in a coffin for inspiration long before Michael Jackson recorded ABC, and the alcohol-driven behavior of Kingsley (LUCKY JIM) Amis. It turns out that Truman Capote was a "horizontal" writer--he wrote, edited, and researched while prone in bed. Since he died before the invention of the iPad, he would prop his typewriter on his knees and peck away.

After reading over 50 of these entries, I realized that it isn't what particular ritual or action an artist performs that allows for great productivity, but the consistency in performing a ritual.

In other words, there is no magic bullet. Darn!

This book was an interesting view into many artists' struggles and successes with creating a productive and inspiring work schedule. Being an artist myself, it was kind of therapeutic to hear about other artists trying to figure out the perfect method for getting work done. I know I spend a lot of time trying to figure out the perfect routine too. It got a little redundant at points, to no fault of the author, because a lot of the artists used drinking and isolation as their methods, but I guess it's also humorous in that way. We're all just human after all.

As is described in the Introduction, the most interesting thing about the artists, thinkers and inventors included in this book is that they all have unique rituals that help them work. The majority of personalities are writers, but visual artists, composers and philosophers are also covered. I find it refreshing to read about how apparently "lazy" some of the artists are, while others are absolutely rigid with their routines.

The only thing the book seems to be missing is pictures of the artists' work spaces. The space and tools with which an artist creates are also of interest and plays into the rituals that go along with the creative process. Much of this information could probably be gleaned from extensive digging on Wikipedia, but Currey does a good job of keeping things clipping along and you find yourself reading a few extra profiles of artists whose names you may not recognize. An enjoyable read and quite easy to pick up and put down.

This inspirational book offers snippets - about a page or two - about famous creative people and how they went about their daily lives. It includes writers, composers, directors, actors, and statesment among other professions. Women and men, people like Mozart and Ben Franklin who lived long ago are mixed with creators of our age such as William Gass, Anne Rice and David Lynch. There are pictures of many of the artists scattered throught the book, too. This is a great book for the creative person who is curous about the working habits of other creatives, but it also would be quite useful to spice up the lectures of teachers because of the brevity of each description.

Daily Rituals is proof that YouTube and Pinterest didn't invent the concept of rabbit-holes of stories that suck you in and spit you out two hours later, not well fed and feeling a bit like you listened to a gossipy great aunt while eating too many cupcakes.

The book is interesting, and useful, and I'll go back and mark it up. I kept turning pages even when I didn't want to. I want to know the rest of the story, and that's not what this book is about.

As an artist, I cry "balogna" on the idea that some of these practices are actually "rituals," per se; or that they were as invariant as might be presumed from the title. I wish the book contained consistent "who's who" and "who created what" paragraphs; you're on your own for some of the featured artists. (That could be a flaw in the review copy and if the post-publication version contains this info, forgive me.)

Heavens, the drinking... how did they keep it up? And the wives (usually), running life in the background making it all possible.

I just kept turning the pages... even when I wanted to go to bed. And that's a pretty good book.

This is a delightful book. It has led me to wanting to read biographies of some of these artists. It was interesting to find out their many idiosyncrasies, obsessions and compulsions. Many of the writers and composers wrote at odd hours throughout the day. There are many delightful insights that make these well known luminaries come to life and let us glimpse them as real people like you and me...or maybe not. You be the judge you won't be sorry for this purchase.

Is there logical order to this book? Does it flow from one time period to another sequentially? One field of art to another? Umm, no. Each chapter stands alone and is easily read when you just have minute and want to read something short, sweet, and complete. I appreciate the research that went in to the book. It was interesting just how many of these artists had some vice that helped them reach that mental space where they could let loose and create. Makes me want to go to Colorado or Washington and see if an "expanded consciousness" would help me write more innovative programming code and novellas. :)

They do it all different ways, I’ve learned. Early hours of the day, before dawn. Late night. All day, every day. An hour after dinner, and that’s all. Drinking lots of liquor. Drinking lots of coffee. Standing up. At a desk. In a rented office.

A million different ways. But somehow, to all, the muse comes. And goes. And comes again.

You must read this book if you want to create. Maybe here you will find a great way to create. Or figure out your own way to call out to the muse.

If you've ever been curious about how your favorite artist or writer or musician worked, this is the book for you. It seems as if each one discovered what worked for him or her and stuck with it. Many are more ritualistic than baseball players are superstitious. Thomas Mann would begin work precisely at 9:00 a.m. each morning, in a closed room with absolutely no interruptions. Even his children could not make a noise. Joan Miro fought depression with strenuous exercise between bouts of painting in the studio. Andy Warhol began each day with a phone call to his friend Pat Hackett to discuss the prior day's events, kept detailed diaries of his expenses and proclaimed how important his "rut" was to his routine.

Mason Currey has done a tremendous amount of research into the lives of creative people. While he admits that the book is somewhat superficial, it is totally fascinating to take a peek into the private lives of some of the most well-know names of the famous and not so famous.

After reading all the Five Star Reviews I was expecting it to be of similar to the caliber of 'Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists'. It seems superficial as there is no insight or in-depth analysis about how these writers, artists, poets, philosophers, sculptors actually create. I could be wrong but it seemed like the information from different sources was copy pasted. It was nothing like what I expected it to be.

This is a fascinating overview of the creative process demonstrated through the proceedings of the daily 'work' rituals of 100+ luminaries (mostly writers) from the past several centuries. Mason Currey has lovingly curated this collection by way of past quotes, articles and research in this beautifully presented tome that can be digested a few pages at a time with the occasional photo keeping things fresh. As a whole, this book will motivate, intimidate, amuse and inspire - highly recommended.

Enjoyed reading this. Definitely has me considering my own rituals and how I can incorporate time for creative expression. Fascinating how the rituals written about were similar to my own daily habits, yet I have been almost non-productive in any media. Also it surprised me how so many great artists were also workers in ordinary career and family lives- not all were dramatic, alcoholic, starving artists ( though many were ). Consider this book a fun and interesting, light read. I discovered this book via the Tim Ferris book club. I found that at the end of each mini-biography I was wanting more...especially since I was not familiar with the works of most of the artists. I read this on my iPad and flipped over to Wilipedia to get more insights to each artist. In fact I probably read more words from Wikipedia than I did from the book. I don't know how anyone could read this in paper form or on a non- internet connected device. For this reason I marked three stars

LOVE this book. Love that it is all about how other artists work, how they procrastinate, their rituals and every personal thing inside a creative mind on how they become more creative, get their creative juices flowing and stay in the "mode". I am an artist my self and found that some of these artists do many of the things I find myself doing - this helped me to see that this is all part of a creative process and I am not as crazy as I thought I was. What a relief.

It was fun to find out how some of my favorite writers composed the works I love. It was a enjoyable read. I always wondered if I could write a book. It gives some ideas on ways to discipline yourself to do that.

This item was given to me for my review.
Mason Currey mentions in his prologue that Daily Rituals is just a compilation of information that one can obtain on the internet, only put in one volume. Perhaps this is true, but it does not take away from the total readability of this fun little book. Currey's book is exactly what the title indicates; it is, a compilation of the small rituals that writers, artists, and other creative types engage in to find their mojo, or to just keep life manageable. While the snippet for each artist is small, I found the impact to be big. There is something reassuring in reading that an artist like Joyce Carol Oates finds getting a draft finished to be equivalent to "pushing a peanut with your nose across a very dirty floor". Other rituals, like Thomas Wolfe's, are just a bit bizarre. As a general rule, I found the book to be inspiring, but at the very least, I found all of the passages to be interesting.

Interesting and worth the read for the insight -- albeit shallow -- into the lives and habits of a wide range of artists, both classic and contemporary. That having been said, the book has a few glaring problems, including inaccurate life spans for a couple of the artists, some typos, etc. The next edition would benefit from deeper research and a stronger editorial review.

Superb work on a collection of the daily rituals of famous artists intended to boost creativity and efficiency. The book serves to confirm how divergent are the motivators and biorhythms for each of them: some apparently environmental and others seemingly innate, but all of them with a mystifying combination unique to that human being at that place and time.

Enjoyable for a change of pace.

interesting compilation of artists' working habits. Well researched. I enjoyed the facts about the schedules and challenges of the artists. Mason Currey devotedly spent hours to compile these facts and included his sources. There were so many, each just a page or two. I'd love to have a book that reviewed fewer artists with greater depth, perhaps focusing on type of artistry - music, writing, painting, etc..

The rituals of famous writers, artists, dancers, mathematicians, scientists and other creative people, makes for fascinating and strangely relaxing read. The subjects range from work-o-holics who create from 9-5, to lackadaisical dreamers who work for an hour before drinking and masturbating for the rest of the day. Use it for inspiration and entertainment!

When I bought this book I assumed that it would be a thorough analysis of the most relevant habits of successful artists. What you will find are extremely short stories with random snippets of how artists behave. This is not to say that the stories have no value, but that it would had been much more useful if the author had made the work of analyzing and summarizing the most intriguing similarities between artists (example: dedicated work hours but also reflection time slots, use of amphetamines, alcohol, strict food diets, etc...) and not just present the stories as unrelated random anecdotes.

Fascinating if brief whirlwind of studies on creative's routines. Personally would have wished there were more business types mixed in but I understand the focus. Each entry does a good job of integrating first-hand info as much as possible. Much more engaging to hear each voice describe their own routines. Lots of common themes here.

I liked this book because it gave me a gaze of how great artists and scientific minds work. As a young artists that is still trying to find her method I found this book very helpful in understanding that there is more than one method for creation. I really liked of the book that the main part of the routines shown are part of a research that takes as main source first hand sources: Diaries, interviews etc, gave by the same characters portrayed in the book. In other cases it uses testimony of the partners and servants of the thinker or artist, in any case, sources feel trustworthy.

I am a freelance musician, and spend a lot of effort working to balance life and work, to find time for my art, and so on. I bought this book hoping for a glimpse into how other artists have found such a balance, and for some ideas on ways to create ritual space around artistic work. What I got was a mostly superficial glance at some rituals without any depth. Some of those details were interesting, some of them became very repetitive as the book went on.

More problematic, for me, was that (because this book mostly deals with artists from older times) most of these daily rituals REEK of privilege. As an artist living in the 21st century, when I read something like 3-hour walk every morning, followed by 2 hours of work, a quick lunch, 4 more hours of work, 2 hours of reading, and a relaxing evening... it's totally impossible for me to relate. I have to help my kids do their homework, clean the house, make dinner, pay bills, mow the lawn... I can't help but think, during 90% of this book, that this advice is a little interesting, but not at all applicable to the life of a contemporary artist who doesn't have a housewife doing all the labor and a patron paying all the bills.

This may me a book best for dipping into at random times: filled with amazing, amusing, interesting details about artists, their rituals and habits. it is NOT a How To book, but the short bio pieces are also inspirational. Art and creativity are everywhere, in every life, not just artists.

As an artist, I'm constantly wondering what my groove is and how to make it sustainable in my life. This book was fascinating because it detailed (some artists more than others) the unique and bizarre little rituals that artists have for doing their work. One common theme for most of the artists was taking a walk, no matter what their medium. Some artists were as quirky as I thought they'd be, others were simple interesting. I found myself turning the pages quickly because I knew most of the people and was truly curious how they produced (or didn't produce, at times) work.
Definitely a great book.

One of my favorite books. I love how everyone finds their own way to create. This book helped me see that there are tons of ways to spend the day as an artist, writer, thinker - and it freed me to know that. Love it.

The rituals of famous writers, artists, dancers, mathematicians, scientists and other creative people, makes for fascinating and strangely relaxing read. The subjects range from work-o-holics who create from 9-5, to lackadaisical dreamers who work for an hour before drinking and masturbating for the rest of the day. Use it for inspiration and entertainment!

When I bought this book I assumed that it would be a thorough analysis of the most relevant habits of successful artists. What you will find are extremely short stories with random snippets of how artists behave. This is not to say that the stories have no value, but that it would had been much more useful if the author had made the work of analyzing and summarizing the most intriguing similarities between artists (example: dedicated work hours but also reflection time slots, use of amphetamines, alcohol, strict food diets, etc...) and not just present the stories as unrelated random anecdotes.

This is an amazing collection of short biographies about the creative process of nearly every kind of artist: Painters, Writers, Composers, and many more, from Benjamin Franklin to Truman Capote. I read it in one sitting because I was fascinated with the little details - the idea that one person writes in bed and another sits at a desk for four hours every day, for example - it was just too good to put down.

Fascinating if brief whirlwind of studies on creative's routines. Personally would have wished there were more business types mixed in but I understand the focus. Each entry does a good job of integrating first-hand info as much as possible. Much more engaging to hear each voice describe their own routines. Lots of common themes here.

I liked this book because it gave me a gaze of how great artists and scientific minds work. As a young artists that is still trying to find her method I found this book very helpful in understanding that there is more than one method for creation. I really liked of the book that the main part of the routines shown are part of a research that takes as main source first hand sources: Diaries, interviews etc, gave by the same characters portrayed in the book. In other cases it uses testimony of the partners and servants of the thinker or artist, in any case, sources feel trustworthy.

I am a freelance musician, and spend a lot of effort working to balance life and work, to find time for my art, and so on. I bought this book hoping for a glimpse into how other artists have found such a balance, and for some ideas on ways to create ritual space around artistic work. What I got was a mostly superficial glance at some rituals without any depth. Some of those details were interesting, some of them became very repetitive as the book went on.

More problematic, for me, was that (because this book mostly deals with artists from older times) most of these daily rituals REEK of privilege. As an artist living in the 21st century, when I read something like 3-hour walk every morning, followed by 2 hours of work, a quick lunch, 4 more hours of work, 2 hours of reading, and a relaxing evening... it's totally impossible for me to relate. I have to help my kids do their homework, clean the house, make dinner, pay bills, mow the lawn... I can't help but think, during 90% of this book, that this advice is a little interesting, but not at all applicable to the life of a contemporary artist who doesn't have a housewife doing all the labor and a patron paying all the bills.

This may me a book best for dipping into at random times: filled with amazing, amusing, interesting details about artists, their rituals and habits. it is NOT a How To book, but the short bio pieces are also inspirational. Art and creativity are everywhere, in every life, not just artists.

As an artist, I'm constantly wondering what my groove is and how to make it sustainable in my life. This book was fascinating because it detailed (some artists more than others) the unique and bizarre little rituals that artists have for doing their work. One common theme for most of the artists was taking a walk, no matter what their medium. Some artists were as quirky as I thought they'd be, others were simple interesting. I found myself turning the pages quickly because I knew most of the people and was truly curious how they produced (or didn't produce, at times) work.
Definitely a great book.

One of my favorite books. I love how everyone finds their own way to create. This book helped me see that there are tons of ways to spend the day as an artist, writer, thinker - and it freed me to know that. Love it.

As a fellow artist, I love reading about the daily rituals of other artists. I think this book is interesting, insightful and fun. I believe most people endeavoring to create - and especially those who struggle with the often times elusive discipline creativity requires would enjoy this book.

More of a book to dip into rather than read through from cover to cover. Some interesting information about how famous people structured their daily lives to get things done. The author has done an amazing amount of research!

I didn't know what to think, especially when this book arrived. But as I am reading it I love it! It is like an encyclopedia of artists and writers and creators and tells us how they worked. It is fascinating. It is a good source of knowing little tidbits about many many creative people. It makes me feel pretty sane too!

I enjoy the photographs included also.

Nothing but pictures. (Why did you even bother?)

Looks like an interesting book to keep on the shelf if you want to risk a purchase without much of your own review. I was interested in a purchase for a gift but not much there to help the consideration.

I've always liked books about the processes used by creative people. I've read the published version of Kurt Cobain's journals, the autobiography of Loretta Lynn, and the illustrated diary of Beatrix Potter. Whether or not I am a fan of what people create, I am always fascinated by the process of creation. Sometimes, that process is mysterious and weird like poet, historian, philosopher, and playwright Friedrich Schiller's dependency on the smell of decaying apples in order to feel motivated to write. Sometimes, the process is even dangerous like William James' routine of using chloroform to put himself to sleep. Sometimes, our luminaries are, of course, just people who like egg whites and coffee for breakfast every day. Daily Rituals gets us a little bit closer to it all.

This book acts as inspiration and a way to accept who you are. By exploring the different lives and modes of working for these acclaimed individuals, it encourages you to question your own habits and maybe not be so hard on yourself if you sometimes practice 'less desirable' habits, as all of life is ultimately a balancing act of growth and mistakes. Great for meditations. I usually listen to this book while showering.

This is an amazing collection of short biographies about the creative process of nearly every kind of artist: Painters, Writers, Composers, and many more, from Benjamin Franklin to Truman Capote. I read it in one sitting because I was fascinated with the little details - the idea that one person writes in bed and another sits at a desk for four hours every day, for example - it was just too good to put down.

What a delightful little read. You’ll find here one to two-page summaries about how some of the great artists, scientists, writers, movie makers, composers, and more worked. Each is short and sweet, perfect for a quick bit of motivation or inspiration between other tasks. It fills the place that exists between one project and another, one meeting and the next.

In fact, Daily Rituals was born out of one of those very moments. Mason Currey was under deadline and avoiding writing an article for the publication he worked for at the time. He began to research how the great writers worked, surfing the internet to find out. Before long, he had started a blog and was writing about the work habits of the men and women he was reading about. From that blog came the book.

I read it while walking into the office from the parking garage, occasionally skipping them if the individual–an artist or writer–was one with which I was unfamiliar. The peeks into the lives of these extremely successful people was fascinating, if massively abridged. The rituals, or routines, or, maybe lack of routines, were varied as the artists (let’s just call them all artists, and that includes all of them whether they were or not). Some worked mornings, some in the evening. Asimov worked all day every day; others, only for a few hours in the morning, or a few in the evening. In fact, many of them seemed to work a mere two to four hours each day. Darwin took decades to write his book, and he hated society, hiding from the world in his country home. Warhol would call his agent each morning to detail the entire previous day for a journal that was used for tax purposes. Dickens would take long walks through London to collect characters and scenes for his serialized stories.

It was a fun read and inspirational. I recommend it for a light and enjoyable jaunt through the lives of some of the great minds of history.