Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey

I found it very inspiring to see how people were able to get things done despite having serious challenges in their lives. The general lesson is: don't wait for inspiration, just put in the work every day, even if it's just a few hours.

The rituals were interesting, but thought there would be a bit more behind it then just 2-3 pages on each person, no sort of commentary or analysis.

If you are a writer or an artist of any size or sort, and you are curious about what are the routines other writers and artists (of any size or sort) established to help them achieve fame, fortune, and all the other things that writers and artists—perhaps secretly, perhaps not—hope for...If this is you, then this is your book.

I've read it all, and let me tell you, there's no one True Way to Make Art. Some work at night; some work in the day. Some organize their workspace down to the location of their pencils and pens; some work in any available space. Some work crazy-fast; others barely produce anything each day.

That seems to take the pressure off, somehow. And it's really fun to read about all the ways these folks work.

The format surprised me. It's really a compendium of one creative person's routine after another. Looking for patterns, gleaning insight from an artist's routine, or understanding the connection between an artist's routine and his or her productivity are exercises left to the reader.