The Daily Routine

by james | Nov 15, 2014 | aoj blog

Hey everyone;

Hope your having a good week… gotta love the weather this past week…I’ve totally forgotten the 115 degrees…lol…. a lot of people have asked me recently  how I have time for anything… with the opening of the gallery, starting a new embroidery business, and then working at my regular job…. I never really gave it much thought, since I have operated like this for years…. but thinking about it, I think its all about the daily routine and consistency… and trying to stick to it as much as possible… life will throw you curveballs from time to time, but having a routine, being consistent and true to your craft is the key… Looking through history I was really impressed just home many major artistic figures have a routine they follow…. it seems that all the greats were very specific and committed to their routines….   Stephen King:  “There are certain things I do if I sit down to write,” he said. “I have a glass of water or a cup of tea. There’s a certain time I sit down, from 8:00 to 8:30, somewhere within that half hour every morning, I have my vitamin pill and my music, sit in the same seat, and the papers are all arranged in the same places. The cumulative purpose of doing these things the same way every day seems to be a way of saying to the mind, you’re going to be dreaming soon.   William de Kooning:  Typically, the couple rose late in the morning. Breakfast consisted mostly of very strong coffee, cut with the milk they kept in winter on a window ledge;  Then the day’s routine began with de Kooning moving to his end of the studio and Elaine to hers. Work was punctuated by more cups of strong coffee, which de Kooning made by boiling the coffee as he had learned to do in Holland, and by many cigarettes. The two stayed at their easels until fairly late, taking a break only to go out for something to eat or to walk up to Times Square to see a movie.  Haruki Murakami:  When I’m in writing mode for a novel, I get up at 4:00 am and work for five to six hours. In the afternoon, I run for 10km or swim for 1500m (or do both), then I read a bit and listen to some music. I go to bed at 9:00 pm. I keep to this routine every day without variation. The repetition itself becomes the important thing; it’s a form of mesmerism. I mesmerize myself to reach a deeper state of mind.    James Donohue:   In my case here’s my routine.. it goes something like this:  4-4:30….   usually up and awake.. reviewing the nights work, coffee and then a vigorous work out…off to work… this is how I afford my supplies.. after work its dinner and family time with a short nap.. then off to the studio until the early morning hours.. the weekends are split between the gallery,  entertaining friends, and then the all important Sunday Broncos game!…lol.

here is a sneak peek of some new work coming out later this week… talk to you all soon!… have a great week everyone!

………peace

……………….james