.jpg)
TITLE: Daily Rituals, How Artists WorkEDITOR/AUTHOR: Mason CurreyPUBLISHER: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013HARDCOVER: 278 pages, $34.60CAN on Amazon.caKINDLE: $15.99CAN on Amazon.caSUBJECT: rituals and routines, writing, art creativity, historical essays
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"A solid routine fosters a well-worn groove
for one's mental energy and helps
stave off the tyranny of moods."
Mason Currey
Today we wrap up September and our writing prompt on daily creative rituals. How fitting then to end the month with a closer look at Mason Currey's book Daily Rituals, How Artists Work. I got my own copy some years ago on my sister's recommendation, and it's one I like to keep handy for quick inspiration.
Currey has researched the routines and habits of 161 creative people from the past and present and from all walks of life: authors, musicians, filmmakers, painters, philosophers, scientists, cartoonists, and so on. It includes well-known individuals such as W.H. Auden . . . Mozart . . . Louis Armstrong . . . Søren Kierkegaard . . . Ben Franklin . . . Pablo Picasso . . . Joyce Carol Oates . . . Agatha Christie . . . Toni Morrison . . . Charles Schulz . . . to name a few.
Flip the book open, start at the beginning or anywhere, read a random few pages. You'll probably stop when you come across someone you recognize and admire, of which there will be more than a few. The entries are a mix of short anecdotes and direct quotes. They give an entertaining and illuminating insight into how these individuals used their sometimes brilliant, occasionally quirky, often mundane routines to push through their hurdles and stall-outs. To give you an idea of what to expect when you pick up this small book, here's a peek at two authors (since we're writers here) whose routines struck a chord with me:
1. TONI MORRISON. Having read her classic The Song of Solomon for the first time this past summer, I was most interested to know what this Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature had to say. Ms. Morrison worked fulltime as an editor at Random House, taught university literature courses, and raised two sons as a single parent. Yet, she made time to write bestselling books, Nobel Prize winning works. So, how did she achieve this level of success in these ultra-busy, less than ideal writing circumstances? Here's one thing she said:
"When I sit down to write I never brood. I have so many other things to do, with my children and teaching, that I can't afford it. I brood, thinking of ideas, in the automobile when I'm driving to work or in the subway or when I'm mowing the lawn. By the time I get to the paper something's there—I can produce." p. 61-62 What a great use of her time.
2. ANNE RICE. Now I won't seek out some novels she's written (gothic horror, for example, is not my cup of tea), but I did feel a kinship to what she said about her routines: "I certainly have a routine, but the most important thing, when I look back over my career, has been the ability to change routines." p. 216
According to Anne, the routines changed depending on what she was working on. For some novels, she wrote at night to escape distractions and interruptions. For others, it worked better for her to start late in the morning; first reading the newspaper, checking Facebook, and answering e-mails—there you go, readers—then writing into the afternoon with breaks to stretch legs, gaze out the window, and sip her Diet Coke. Ms. Rice said it was not about being strict; her routine would emerge naturally, without conscious planning, when she began a new book. According to online info, her books have sold over 100 million copies—obviously her varying routines worked for her.
Along with How Artists Work, Mason Currey has authored Daily Rituals: Women at Work. He is currently writing his next book scheduled to come out in 2023. Mr. Currey lives in Los Angeles.
⸻⸻⸻⸻
A SIDE NOTE: In our September prompt, Sandi Somers mentioned Karen Stiller's blog post in which Karen had reviewed Mason Currey's book. I didn't know about this when I first asked Wendy for a spot to review a book that was a great fit with the theme. It turned out to be the same book but since I had my blog post started weeks ago, I decided to go ahead and share my own thoughts. So, fellow InScribe writers, if this 'coincidence' isn't a spur to find the book and read it, I don't know what is!
Inspired by the beauty of God's world around her, Brenda Leyland happily writes from her home in northerly Alberta, Canada. She blogs at It's A Beautiful Life and posts on her Facebook page.
Dear Brenda, you've done an awesome job of piquing my curiosity about this book. And how encouraging to read that Anne Rice managed to write prolifically without tightly managing her time. Hmm. Me thinks creativity is much like our Creator in that neither should nor can be boxed.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this. I feel inspired to let go when life interrupts my routine. Art can show up anywhere and anytime.
Blessings ~ Wendy Mac
I do love this book and echo your hearty recommendation! So much inspiration to find in the lives of those we admire and those we deem 'successful' at their craft!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Brenda. Will be having a closer look at this book. There are so many paths to creativity in and around what we consider to be obstacles. So encouraging. Many thanks again.
ReplyDeleteYou've included enough intriguing quotes here to have me adding this book to my wish list! It's so encouraging to know that we can all find our own routines and rituals and adapt them to our own situations, and be successful. Thank you, Brenda!
ReplyDeleteWow! Twice recommended - I must seek out a copy! Thank you for these delectable tidbits. It definitely piqued my interest.
ReplyDeleteThis is a delightful book, filled with both wisdom and habits, some of which were quirky. I read it several years ago from a copy I borrowed from the Public Library.
ReplyDelete