“We all have the same 24 hours that Beyoncé has” and its various iterations took the web by storm in late 2013 as the megastar became the figurehead of not only having it all, but being able to somehow do it all too.
How do creatives – composers, painters, writers, scientists, philosophers – find the time to produce their opus? Mason Currey investigated the rigid Daily Rituals that hundreds of creatives practiced in order to carve out time, every day, to work their craft. Some kept to the same disciplined regimen for decades while others locked in patterns only while working on specific works.
Design Highlights
Representing each day as a continuous 24 hour cycle invokes the ever spinning wheel of time, and more simply the face of a clock with midnight placed in the “12 o’clock” position and noon at ”6 o’clock.” Colors mark major categories of activity – work, sleep, exercise, etc.
Thoughts
Comparing the routines of these creatives is fascinating. Some work in the early morning, some work better late at night. Many begin their day with coffee and use tobacco and alcohol. Considering that our modern concept of exercise was not developed until the mid-20th century, it is fascinating how many of these people spent their afternoons taking vigorous walks.
Perhaps most fascinating, is reflecting on how you spend your days compared to these creative masters. Do you have a routine that helps you be productive every day?
Based on the charts, we learn that some of history's icons had more eccentric habits than others. Consider Beethoven, who would painstakingly count out 60 coffee beans for his morning brew:
Think your mornings are stressful? French author Victor Hugo would be "awakened by daily gunshot," before taking an ice-cold, public bath on his roof. He'd also visit the barber every day:
Honoré de Balzac, the French writer, was said to live his life as “orgies of work punctuated by orgies of relaxation and pleasure," according to one biographer. He also had an epic caffeine addiction, consuming as many as 50 cups of coffee per day. We recommend you don't follow his example:
Check out the other creative routines below:
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