Daily Rituals (original notes from July 2014)
My second notes comparison was for Daily Rituals, Mason Currey’s 2013 book about artists and their routines that I first read before I was regularly writing. My original notes focused exclusively on the difference in the two types of creative work highlighted by this book - the first type works in steady increments while the second type creates within furious bursts of activity. I don’t think that insight was necessarily wrong but it does seem a little lazy, a ‘this or that’ analysis I accepted to feign expert understanding of an indefinable process. This sort of unnecessary conclusion imposes a false duality on the creative process and, among other problems, rules out the possibility of an artist mixing approaches over the course of a project, career, or even lifetime. The issue I have with any false duality is the way it stops someone from thinking about the best approach by presenting a choice of ‘A’ or ‘B’ when the best way might be a thoughtful mix of ‘A’ and ‘B’.
The notes from my recent rereading focused on routines ahead of conclusions. The bulk of my observations described all aspects of routine and their many benefits, drawbacks, and variations. The striking difference here is practicality – the notes I took more recently could serve as an integral component of a larger blueprint for how to structure a writing schedule. I also see evidence of curiosity, both in the way I noted interesting facts of no larger relevance (Darwin feared his original ideas would be rejected by Victorian society) as well as approaches I know I dismiss, at least for my own practical purposes (Stavinksy thought headstands ‘cleared the head’ – I think headstands clear the immediate vicinity, and threaten to leave me hospitalized). The appearance of practicality and curiosity in my notes suggests my reading approach evolved from one easily convinced by appearances of certainty and expertise to a more open-minded search for elusive glimpses of insight that I can weave into the larger tapestry of my life.
