Scan barcode
tmathews0330's review against another edition
4.0
Highly recommend if you are an artist in need of inspiration, but simultaneously, please take note of the variety and remember you aren't meant to create exactly the same as anyone else!
claudiamccarron's review against another edition
3.0
Not a lot of analysis or historical context, but if you come to it just wanting to see how female artists worked/work and maybe gather some pointers and inspirations, there's a lot of fun and thinking to be had.
vicgolding's review against another edition
4.0
I love rituals and I love women, so it was only a matter of time until I finally took it upon myself to read this book. I had actually bought it for my brother as a Christmas present so that A) I could borrow it off him, and B) why shouldn’t men identify with and learn from women? The author [a:Mason Currey|6459300|Mason Currey|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1545265166p2/6459300.jpg] himself claims to have felt enrichened from this research, after being made aware that in his first book ‘[b:Daily Rituals: How Artists Work|15799151|Daily Rituals How Artists Work|Mason Currey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1344618847l/15799151._SX50_.jpg|21522116]’, out of all the 161 great minds featured, only 27 of them were women, which is less than 17 percent.
The distinct lack of women can be traced back to numerous reasons. For an artistic dissection, lamenting the lack of luxury of space and time required for creative work, I suggest you read ‘[b:A Room of One's Own|18521|A Room of One's Own|Virginia Woolf|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327883012l/18521._SY75_.jpg|1315615]’ by [a:Virginia Woolf|6765|Virginia Woolf|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1419596619p2/6765.jpg]. In this essay, she famously postulated that if Shakespeare had a sister equally as talented and brought up in the same household, she still never could have achieved the same amount of success or legendary status.
For this reason, Currey offers not only a practical look into the creative routines, but also the obstacles these women faced as women and a glimpse into the philosophies behind their livelihoods and daily lives. In a way, this book also serves as a crash-course history lesson and introduction to a wide selection of lesser-known female artists, writers and scientists. Last but not least, it portrays a more nuanced view of the creative life and expands our view to include more than just the stereotypical “tortured artist” type.
I would have loved to have read about more of my favourite female creatives though, such as PJ Harvey, who reinvents herself with each album, musically as well as personally, it seems, similar to how a method actor might immerse themselves in a role and refuse to remove their mask off set. I read somewhere that for the album ‘Rid of Me’, she ate nothing but potatoes. This is the type of content I live for. But I digress.
‘Daily Rituals: Women at Work’ is a platform for a great variety of talented and inspirational women, as individualistic as they come, with routines and lifestyles sometimes worlds apart from each other. It isn’t meant to be read in a specific order and don’t even try to make sense of the sequence and categories. The author himself admits to it being more or less random.
However, I thought [a:Octavia Butler|16648124|Octavia Butler|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] was a great start to the book, since one of her pieces of advice was to learn from your idols, researching their creative process and attempting to emulate them. I assume this is why most of us set out to read this book, amongst other motivations.
The questions I asked myself were: What can I take away from this and incorporate into my own work? What can I learn about myself and about working or collaborating with other creatives?
Are there any universal truths or one-size-fits-all solutions? Can you train yourself to do anything or do some things go against your nature?
And an age-old question perhaps: How does one lead a life not of length but of depth? I understood the concept of time not only to be in relation to our daily routines, which at once reminded of the quote, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives” from [a:Annie Dillard|5209|Annie Dillard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1551806922p2/5209.jpg], which I had read on Brainpickings.
That being said, I have to mention that I do prefer how [a:Maria Popova|5186085|Maria Popova|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1565053770p2/5186085.jpg] writes about artists routines, not only because I have a crush on her, but because of her magnificent prose and ability to dig deep and connect the dots with so many other universal and profound themes.
However, I still really enjoyed this book and in response to the many questions I asked myself whilst reading it, the very last chapter featuring [a:Doris Lessing|7728|Doris Lessing|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1457477725p2/7728.jpg] summarises one of my main takes:
“These questions are a fumbling instinct towards this crucial point, which is: How do you use your energy? How do you husband it? We all of us have limited amounts of energy, and I am sure the people who are successful have learned, either by instinct or consciously, to use their energies well instead of spilling them about. And this has to be different for every person, writers or otherwise. I know writers who go to parties every night and then, recharged instead of depleted, happily write all day. But if I stay up half the night talking, I don’t do so well the next day. Some writers like to start work as soon as they can in the morning, while others like the night or—for me almost impossible—the afternoons. Trial and error, and then when you’ve found your needs, what feeds you, what is your instinctive rhythm and routine, then cherish it.”
So basically: You do you, darlings!
The distinct lack of women can be traced back to numerous reasons. For an artistic dissection, lamenting the lack of luxury of space and time required for creative work, I suggest you read ‘[b:A Room of One's Own|18521|A Room of One's Own|Virginia Woolf|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327883012l/18521._SY75_.jpg|1315615]’ by [a:Virginia Woolf|6765|Virginia Woolf|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1419596619p2/6765.jpg]. In this essay, she famously postulated that if Shakespeare had a sister equally as talented and brought up in the same household, she still never could have achieved the same amount of success or legendary status.
For this reason, Currey offers not only a practical look into the creative routines, but also the obstacles these women faced as women and a glimpse into the philosophies behind their livelihoods and daily lives. In a way, this book also serves as a crash-course history lesson and introduction to a wide selection of lesser-known female artists, writers and scientists. Last but not least, it portrays a more nuanced view of the creative life and expands our view to include more than just the stereotypical “tortured artist” type.
I would have loved to have read about more of my favourite female creatives though, such as PJ Harvey, who reinvents herself with each album, musically as well as personally, it seems, similar to how a method actor might immerse themselves in a role and refuse to remove their mask off set. I read somewhere that for the album ‘Rid of Me’, she ate nothing but potatoes. This is the type of content I live for. But I digress.
‘Daily Rituals: Women at Work’ is a platform for a great variety of talented and inspirational women, as individualistic as they come, with routines and lifestyles sometimes worlds apart from each other. It isn’t meant to be read in a specific order and don’t even try to make sense of the sequence and categories. The author himself admits to it being more or less random.
However, I thought [a:Octavia Butler|16648124|Octavia Butler|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] was a great start to the book, since one of her pieces of advice was to learn from your idols, researching their creative process and attempting to emulate them. I assume this is why most of us set out to read this book, amongst other motivations.
The questions I asked myself were: What can I take away from this and incorporate into my own work? What can I learn about myself and about working or collaborating with other creatives?
Are there any universal truths or one-size-fits-all solutions? Can you train yourself to do anything or do some things go against your nature?
And an age-old question perhaps: How does one lead a life not of length but of depth? I understood the concept of time not only to be in relation to our daily routines, which at once reminded of the quote, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives” from [a:Annie Dillard|5209|Annie Dillard|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1551806922p2/5209.jpg], which I had read on Brainpickings.
That being said, I have to mention that I do prefer how [a:Maria Popova|5186085|Maria Popova|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1565053770p2/5186085.jpg] writes about artists routines, not only because I have a crush on her, but because of her magnificent prose and ability to dig deep and connect the dots with so many other universal and profound themes.
However, I still really enjoyed this book and in response to the many questions I asked myself whilst reading it, the very last chapter featuring [a:Doris Lessing|7728|Doris Lessing|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1457477725p2/7728.jpg] summarises one of my main takes:
“These questions are a fumbling instinct towards this crucial point, which is: How do you use your energy? How do you husband it? We all of us have limited amounts of energy, and I am sure the people who are successful have learned, either by instinct or consciously, to use their energies well instead of spilling them about. And this has to be different for every person, writers or otherwise. I know writers who go to parties every night and then, recharged instead of depleted, happily write all day. But if I stay up half the night talking, I don’t do so well the next day. Some writers like to start work as soon as they can in the morning, while others like the night or—for me almost impossible—the afternoons. Trial and error, and then when you’ve found your needs, what feeds you, what is your instinctive rhythm and routine, then cherish it.”
So basically: You do you, darlings!
missbryden's review against another edition
3.0
A little disappointing. To be fair to the book as a whole, I mostly only read the profiles of those women who sounded familiar. Some indeed did have some precise rituals, usually something like working steadily in the reserved earlier hours of the day, often not getting much sleep. For those with less precise, less healthy sounding routines, I didn't see much ritual present, unless that word also describes the more manic, erratic habits that didn't seem to contain much eating or sleeping. Then there were others who could only complete their work in the odd hours that their husbands, children, or other household duties didn't occupy. Some profiles seemed slight descriptions of the individual's life, or even their's and family's or partner's life, rather than anything that could be called that individual's daily rituals.
Not encouraging for say building up your own ritual for work.
Read:
Octavia Butler
Yahoo Kusama
Elizabeth Bishop
Pina Bausch
Josephine Baker
Coco Chanel
Elsa Schiaparelli
Martha Graham
Agnes de Mille
Louisa May Alcott
Radclyffe Hall
Isadora Duncan
Marian Anderson
Edith Head
Marlene Dietrich
Carole King
Marie Curie
George Eliot
Edith Wharton
Anna Pavlova
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Virginia Woolf
Vanessa Bell
Anne Bradstreet
Emily Dickinson
Fanny Trollope
Emily Post
Sarah Bernhardt
Mrs. Patrick Campbell
Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Shelley
Clara Schumann
Charlotte Bronte
Christina Rossetti
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Eleanor Roosevelt
Not encouraging for say building up your own ritual for work.
Read:
Octavia Butler
Yahoo Kusama
Elizabeth Bishop
Pina Bausch
Josephine Baker
Coco Chanel
Elsa Schiaparelli
Martha Graham
Agnes de Mille
Louisa May Alcott
Radclyffe Hall
Isadora Duncan
Marian Anderson
Edith Head
Marlene Dietrich
Carole King
Marie Curie
George Eliot
Edith Wharton
Anna Pavlova
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Virginia Woolf
Vanessa Bell
Anne Bradstreet
Emily Dickinson
Fanny Trollope
Emily Post
Sarah Bernhardt
Mrs. Patrick Campbell
Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Shelley
Clara Schumann
Charlotte Bronte
Christina Rossetti
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Eleanor Roosevelt
sarihelikopter's review against another edition
3.0
Birçok arkadaşımın çok beğenmesi üzerine, uzun uzun bir şeyler okumaya konsantre olamadığım bu dönemde ara ara birkaç kadının rutinlerini okuyarak başladım kitaba.
Benim beklentim sanırım biraz daha yüksekti. Sayıca daha az olup içerik olarak daha detaylı ve yoğun olmasını tercih ederdim "günlük rutinler"in.
Kişinin disiplini (çalışma alanı anlamında) ne olursa olsun konsantre olma ve üretmenin çok kişisel ve neredeyse eşsiz bir süreç olduğunu çıkardım ben. Önemli olan kendi ritmimizi, eğer üretmek istiyorsak (çünkü zorunda değiliz) bunun kendimize en uygun yollarını bulmanın işin en önemli kısmı olduğunu düşünüyorum. Gerisi kendiliğinden geliyor.
Çeviriyi genel olarak güzel bulsam da birkaç yer gözümü tırmalamadı değil. Özellikle ölçü birimi foot'un direkt kelime karşılığı olan "ayak" diye çevrilmesini şahsen tercih etmezdim (gözümü en çok tırmalayanlardan biri oldu).
Keyifli bir okumaydı, ara sıra tekrar elime alıp karıştırırım gelecekte de muhtemelen.
Benim beklentim sanırım biraz daha yüksekti. Sayıca daha az olup içerik olarak daha detaylı ve yoğun olmasını tercih ederdim "günlük rutinler"in.
Kişinin disiplini (çalışma alanı anlamında) ne olursa olsun konsantre olma ve üretmenin çok kişisel ve neredeyse eşsiz bir süreç olduğunu çıkardım ben. Önemli olan kendi ritmimizi, eğer üretmek istiyorsak (çünkü zorunda değiliz) bunun kendimize en uygun yollarını bulmanın işin en önemli kısmı olduğunu düşünüyorum. Gerisi kendiliğinden geliyor.
Çeviriyi genel olarak güzel bulsam da birkaç yer gözümü tırmalamadı değil. Özellikle ölçü birimi foot'un direkt kelime karşılığı olan "ayak" diye çevrilmesini şahsen tercih etmezdim (gözümü en çok tırmalayanlardan biri oldu).
Keyifli bir okumaydı, ara sıra tekrar elime alıp karıştırırım gelecekte de muhtemelen.
bailo2's review against another edition
4.0
A great little companion for any creative person, and an improvement on Currey’s first book, who thoughtfully acknowledges that majority of people he profiled in Daily Habits were men due to less barriers of entry into their respective fields. In an industrialized, attention economy world with less and less social mobility, I think most unestablished creatives continue to face similar barriers in regards to lack of time, multitasking, expectations, and financial risk that women have long wrestled with. Getting a little snippet into some of their habits, processes, and wisdom is motivating and inspiring.
kristineneeley's review against another edition
3.0
While some of the examples were absolutely riveting and highlighted like crazy — others were incredibly underwhelming and I slogged through portions of the book, hopeful to get to better bites. I realize it’s all subjective, but I didn’t take away as much from the book as I’d hoped — but I still took away some inspiration as a female creative at work... as well as a few creatives whose names or work I’d never heard of that I hope to explore a bit more.