Daily Rituals by Mason Currey (December 2018)
My second read of Daily Rituals proved a crash course on routines and their many intricacies. Throughout the book – a series of chapters describing the work schedules and creative routines of selected artists – Mason Currey intersperses insights and observations to connect the shared behaviors among his subjects’ varied schedules and point out the larger truths that might lay hidden behind a specific oddball’s eccentricities.
The definition of routine I liked from Daily Rituals is that it is a series of choices that help take advantage of limited resources. Currey’s subjects interpreted this definition in all manners of ways. The most common approach was to structure a day to enable two to three hours of uninterrupted time. It seemed like many artists felt this method helped them retain the thread of their work during time away from their project. It was also a commonly cited approach among those who struggled for inspiration – rather than struggle in vain all day to come up with an idea, these artists cut themselves off when their allotted daily time was up.
Others found that routines kept their moods in check and enabled them to harness the volatility of their creative energy around a consistent framework. In some cases, such artists took regular jobs regardless of financial need simply for the structure imposed by employment. These were also good examples of an applied definition for creativity – variation within repetition – and the artists Currey profiled in this group often seemed to think the time spent ‘on the clock’ was invaluable to finding their next source of creative inspiration.
The most interesting descriptions were about the artists who seemed to benefit more from constantly tweaking a routine rather than merely sticking to the original plan. These artists found that subtle adjustments in the routine were a reliable way to inspire creativity. Such artists might also have benefited from this approach by building greater resiliency against the challenges of ever-changing schedules, demands, or life circumstances. For them, a habit of constant tinkering meant unexpected events did not paralyze their creative momentum.
One up: I liked the note that the way we collectively exalt creative work often obscures how integral raw effort is to the output of many prolific artists. Books like Daily Rituals sometimes imply that a well-planned routine built around three hours of uninterrupted time is all we need to become The Next Big Deal – this conclusion dismisses all the profiles of the artists who worked eight, ten, or twelve hours a day, every day, to realize their potential and reach the pinnacles of their fields. There is a point where focusing on ‘working smarter, not harder’ becomes an excuse for not working hard at all.
I also liked the observation that people with a lot of energy might remain oblivious when others have less energy. I suppose the exception is after a marathon – most folks seem to slow down alongside anyone wearing those large tinfoil capes.
One down: I’m generally in favor of common sense observations but I wasn’t a big fan of the thought that good routines matter more when things are going poorly. Would anyone suggest that a house’s foundation is irrelevant when the structure is standing upright? I think artists who work within a routine must approach their tasks independent of outcomes so that progression remains on firm footing while also ensuring a reliable safety net for those moments when we slip off the tightrope.
Just saying: Of course, despite the underlying truth in routine, the reality may be as simple as finding what works for us and only us. For every Beethoven – who felt the occasional outdoor break was vital to his productivity – there is a Stavinky – who did headstands to ‘rest the head’. What kind of rest is that? Whether the routine is merely choosing when to do what others normally do or a matter of coming up with a unique ritual to prepare the mind for work, the key lesson of this book is that creative work starts by getting to the desk – the way we get there isn’t as important as knowing how to get there, day after day, ready to resume progress and continue onward with our life’s work.
