What you can learn about daily rituals and resolutions from the world’s greatest creatives…

With the new year upon us, many will be starting (and already failing...) new resolutions and daily rituals.

So wouldn’t it be great if there was a book that condensed down mounds and mounds of research on how the best creatives ever worked? Perhaps the book could describe what amazing artists, poets, writers and musicians like Joyce, Beethoven, Hemingway, Mozart, Darwin, Twain did each day, and what we can learn from their rituals?

Lucky for us, there is.

And it’s a fantastic read.

Daily Rituals began as an amateur Tumblr blog, describing the routines and quirky working styles of creatives, until curator Mason Currey was approached by a publisher and asked to collate all of the stories into one book.

It turned out perfectly, and it’s certainly a fascinating read all the way through. There are gems everywhere. In fact, 'Daily Rituals' is probably my most underlined book ever, and that’s saying something. I found it enthralling and addictive to go through each story, marking the common threads that run through the book and trying to apply the logic to my own life.

Of course, most of these artists lived in a very different time. Yet the idea of a daily routine being an absolute necessity for great work existed then, and still exists today. While I’ll never write an era defining novel, or a musical symphony, there are still plenty of interesting takeaways for me, and all creative minded people.

Here are some of some of the common themes that might help you in 2021:

Schedule

The vast, vast majority of the creatives within the book operated around a daily schedule that was so specific and repetitive, it seemed to be positively Pavlovian in its makeup.

Routine seems to give an order to the mind, which allows for energy not to be wasted or expended on common, daily decisions, and instead to be placed into more creative pursuits. From what to have for breakfast, to when to break for a nap, to exactly what surrounds they worked in, the rigidity described in the book is simply astounding! 

Funnily enough, it seems that creativity often needs the parallel of routine and standardisation to shine through.

Self Doubt

Thought not a proactive habit, the constant doom and gloom of self doubt was another common theme within the book, which, in a strange way, I found very freeing. Even the best suffer from imposter syndrome. Most writers in particular suffered from crippling bouts of writers block, and attempted to use routine to overcome this. Many wrote for only small amounts per day (1-2 hours) and spent the rest of the time lazing, angry at themselves for not being able to find the next line, and for procrastinating so much.

Philip Roth is quoted in the book as saying that “writing isn’t hard work, it’s a nightmare”, and there’s a constant re-iteration from Currey, tacitly or explicitly that a good writer is constantly locked in a battle with their own work. Agatha Christie describes how she “doesn’t consider herself a bona fide author” and feelings of being a fraud.

Samuel Johnson stated in correspondence with friends that “idleness is a disease which must be combatted”, but according to Maira Kalman, she “procrastinated just the right amount”. Perhaps that’s the key?

Light Food

The diet of most creatives was simple. Food is seen as energy or fuel for many, rather than something to be really savoured. Part of this seemed to be down to less headspace being needed when thinking about food, and thus an ability to devote more to the creative pastime. Light, simple breakfasts and lunches were supplemented in the evening with perhaps a heavier meal, though often not.

Stimulants

Oh you didn’t think a book could be written about artists without the mention of stimulants did you? As you’ll probably have guessed, alcohol is also a common thread, with some writers drinking all day, and the majority partaking in some ‘head clearing’ cocktail activity in the evening. F Scott Fitzgerald (below) was said to indulge in this pastime.

Coffee, meanwhile, is an even more constant part of the routine. Most creatives had a very specific way of taking their morning caffeine, and maintained this stimulation throughout the day. L. Frank Baum, writer of The Wizard of Oz would have “4-5 strong cups of coffee with cream and sugar before breakfast” for example.

Some, of course, moved onto harder stuff, with cocaine and amphetamines relatively common too!

(Maybe forget this one if you've a clean living resolution in mind...)

Early morning

The majority of creatives liked to use the early morning as their creative time, preferring to rise early, prepare and get working, with lunchtime the sign to down tools and relax. As I said above, many only worked for 1/2/3 hours in the morning, and did nothing for the rest of the day. Work in the afternoon was left for errands and more arduous tasks like letter writing or lecturing/teaching. American artist Georgia O’Keefe discussed how “the morning is the only time I can get anything done” for example.

Evening downtime

For most creatives, as discussed above, work was done early, and the late afternoon and evening was the time for relaxing, conversing with friends and family, drinking and not thinking particularly about anything at all. Joyce for example was said to need “nightly breaks to clear his head from literary labour that was exacting and exhausting”.

Physical exercise

While most creatives spent a good portion of their day locked at a desk, there seemed also to be a need to work up a bit of a sweat at least once a day. Many took long walks at specified times each afternoon for example. Walking and being within nature was seen as an important for a productive mind. Jonathan Edwards, the great 18th century theologian, engaged in “daily bouts of physical activity” for example, while at 2pm every day, Dickens left his house for a long “vigorous walk around London or the countryside.”

Quiet mindfulness

Alcohol wasn’t the only thing used to relax the mind each evening. Downtime often occured with the purpose of “replenishing the imagination”. Many creatives practised forms of meditation, seeking ways to increase their headspace and relax. Most writers valued silence and seclusion, with lots of writing done early in the morning when distractions are not yet available or indeed awake. Dickens (below) needed “absolute quiet” and “at one point, installed an extra door in his house to ensure it”. German poet Friedrich Schiller was intolerant of any interruption and moved to the country to ensure a quiet lifestyle. Descartes meanwhile believed that idleness was essential to good mental work, and made sure never to overexert himself. Naps were also valued, particularly in the afternoon lull, by many, including Frank Lloyd Wright.

Light reading

It seems reading begets creativity, particularly in writing, and many great writers used lighter fiction books to prepare their imagination for their own work. PG Woodhouse would read a ‘breakfast book’, a murder mystery of some sort to get his mind working for the day.

Strike while the iron is hot

While constant productivity is important, many artists spoke about how, once inspiration struck them, they often wrote for days on end, stopping only once the well had run dry. This frenzied approach to working was sporadic for most, and the most fertile creative time of any project.

Conversation

Regular, intellectually stimulating conversation and networking was performed with great regularity by many of the creatives. Writer Immanuel Kant welcomed academics and townspeople into his house every evening for example. Intelligent conversation was sought out as a way of broadening horizons.

Space to evolve

Despite all of the rigidity, most creatives found the space to evolve throughout their lives, and thus change their daily rituals to suit certain circumstances, including having children, needing to get a ‘real’ job, and falling weak or ill. Too much rigidity and not enough inspiration seemed to create artificial creative blocks, meaning work became infrequent.

The one defining quote that stood out for me from the book came from William James, a famous American philosopher and psychologist, who said that

“only when habits of order are formed can we advance to really interesting fields of action. The more of the details of our daily life we can hand over the effortless custody of automation, the more our higher powers of mind will be set free for their own proper work”.

How difficult it is to be simple eh? And yet, how rewarding daily habits were for these incredibly creative people.

Daily Rituals is a book that I’d highly recommend for anyone working in any creative industry.

Here's to a prosperous 2021!

Shane O'Leary

@shaneoleary1

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