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Studio rituals of creative centers

Studio rituals of creative centers

As creative people, how do we structure our time to be the most creative?

We often mistake talent for some divine gift given to the few, but behind that genius is often something far less glamorous: a set schedule. It also needs work - lot work.

In his book Daily rituals: how artists work, has collected stories of how many of our greatest artists have wasted their time. Gustave Flaubert said: "Be measured and orderly in your life, so that you can be cruel and original in your work."

But what what does the daily routine of these legendary artists look like? Take, for example, Willem de Kooning's schedule, as shown in Fig. de Kooning: American Master, Mark Stevens and Annalyn Swan:

Usually the couple got up late in the morning. Breakfast consisted mainly of very strong coffee, diluted with milk, which was stored on the windowsill in the winter [...] Then the daily routine began, when de Kooning moved to his part of the studio, and Elaine to his.

What's especially important about de Kooning's graphics is how monotonous it is.

There is a consistency that appears in many of the compiled narratives inDaily rituals: how artists work. Routine used to fuel creativity. These great artists can find comfort, exploration, flexibility and ingenuity in their schedules.

Check out how these legendary creatives shared their time:


Want to improve your work schedule? Find out how some of the world's greatest minds organized their days. Click the image to see an interactive version (via ).

How do we create better work habits? Trying to follow a few guidelines:

Set repeat

The craft of practice is as important to an artist as the craft he chooses.

We must become good at the practice itself, in order to become good at drawing, or pottery, or whatever we choose. While the 10,000 hour rule popularized by Malcolm Gladwell based on by  - has, it's still a good measure to get an idea of ​​how long it takes to become a master in your chosen field.

Think about sprints

However, it is almost as important as HOW you practice. Deliberate practice requires concentration. Limiting practice time to specific time frames allows you to fully focus on what you are developing.

For example, 90 minutes of pure concentration is better than four hours of thoughtless or distracted practice.

Tony Schwartz, Founder believes that this method allows employees to achieve more by dividing their mental energy into smaller parts.

Commit even if it doesn't go well

These words of Samuel Beckett have become the leitmotif of some of Silicon Valley's leading tech companies, but they can also be applied to the artist's work. 

Accept your failures and learn from them. Failure means you are working. This means that you take risks and try something new. The people who fail the most eventually notice something.

Give yourself permission to make mistakes, even if you are an expert in your field. Perhaps if you consider yourself the master of your student, give yourself permission to make mistakes. — it means you are trying something new.  

Stick to the schedule

Many studies have shown that we, as humans, have a limited "cognitive bandwidth". BUT

By finding a schedule that works for us, we save ourselves from having to choose where and when to do something. shares that psychologist William James believed that habits allow us to “free our minds to move on to really interesting areas of activity.”

Why should we as artists waste our creative energy on task planning?

Consider your schedule in terms of problem solving. Where do you spend the most time? Are you making the progress you want? What can be cut and where can it be improved?

What if you could take all the hustle and bustle out of planning and free up more mental energy for your work?