June Book Club artwork

Daily Rituals: Women at Work

1. Dance innovator Martha Graham said, “If you talk something out, you will never do it. You can spend every evening talking with your friends and colleagues about your dreams, but they will remain just that—dreams.” How did each of the women in this book act, do, and accomplish—not just talk—about their dreams? Do YOU have a dream you want to accomplish?

2. This book is full of interesting quirks and habits of creative women—wearing a “uniform” to decrease meaningless decision-making (several women did this), walking out of doors for “space to spread the mind out in” (Virginia Woolf), not using social media or even owning a smart phone (Zadie Smith), getting up at 4am and writing out of doors (Margaret Bourke-White), using the position of a pillow as a DO/DO NOT DISTURB sign (Louisa May Alcott)…and so many more! Did any inspire you to change your schedule or habits?

3. Artist Joan Mitchell said, “No one can paint—write—feel whatever without being vulnerable. One has to be very strong to be vulnerable.” What does that mean?? What’s it like to face the unknown or the “constant mental harassment” that art comes from (according to writer and activist Grace Paley)?

4. Author Margaret Walker said, “It is humanly impossible for a woman who is a wife and mother to work on a regular teaching job and write.” Other creative women in the book mentioned their struggles in caring for a spouse, home, and family while trying to pursue their passion. Can it be done? What are your thoughts??

Download the Book Club artwork here

If you liked Daily Rituals: Women at Work by Mason Currey, you might like:

Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey
Broad Strokes: 15 Women Who Made Art and Made History (In That Order) by Bridget Quinn
Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration, and Get to Work by Mason Currey
Tribe of Mentors: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World by Tim Ferriss
Odd Type Writers: From Joyce and Dickens to Wharton and Welty, the Obsessive Habits and Quirky Techniques of Great Authors by Celia Blue Johnson

Book club artwork by Kendra Dandy