I just finished reading Mason Currey’s Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, which was a suggestion from Tim Ferris’s blog. I have always been interested in the minutiae of everyday life, and what people are thinking and doing. In fact, much of my early reading about history was focused more on what life was like for people who lived back then, rather than wars, laws, who was reigning or elected, etc. Mindfulness training was just a small jump for me, as I am already focused on appreciating the present moment.
So for me, this book was like a smorgasbord of all the things I’m the most interested in: what do successful artists, writers and scientists do during their everyday lives? The answer is: mostly the same things we do. Some of them drink and smoke a lot more than others; some hardly eat while some have regular meal times; some sleep long hours at night while some nap during the day instead. Still, I found the little things fascinating. Many of them were extremely attentive to the details of their lives, and gave themselves plenty of time to think about their work. Many of them were avid readers.
I think there were two major messages for me:
- The amount of time spent doing their work did not necessarily equal quality or output. There were just as many writers who worked very specific hours, and then stopped to enjoy their lives as there were people who slaved away all day, barely eating or living their lives. Both were capable of great work.
- Great works of art seemed to be as much hard work as inspiration. Many of them found producing their art, whether writing or work, to be arduous, but worth it.
I felt like this was an intriguing book, especially if you’re interested in maximizing your own daily rituals. My only criticism is that I wish the author had a more attentive editor. There were many typos that I noticed, and some artists’ biographies extended past their lifetime if their dates of death were to be believed!
Silicon|Sutra 