Is It Possible to Be a Great Artist and a Good Person?
Posted by Mason Currey, June 25, 2013 2:00 pm
1 Comment
Filed under: Original Essays.
Never in a million years did I imagine myself becoming a self-help author. But since my first book, Daily Rituals: How Artists Work, was published several weeks ago, I've often found it classified in that very category. For a brief period, I was even Amazon's 72nd bestselling self-help author, sandwiched between Carol Kline (Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul) and Jessica Alba.
Not that I mind being a self-helper. While my primary goal with the book was to present entertaining biographical sketches of writers, painters, composers, and other great artists and thinkers — explaining how they made the time each day to do their work, and what rituals helped (or hindered) their creative process — I also hoped that readers would find inspiration for their own creative projects or just for getting more done each day.
But, let's be honest: if you're looking for guidance on how to be a better person, more connected to your family or peers, healthier, or more even-keeled, history's great artists are pretty much the last people you want to emulate . So many of my subjects created amazing, timeless works of art — ...
