Hi MLE,

Everyone who knows me knows that I stretch while I read and drink tea each morning, for about 15 minutes. I’ve done every day since I was 16. I can’t stand just waking up and rushing out of the house. And I would never think of leaving the house without making the bed!  This week I write to you about my interest and fascination in people’s morning routines.

From 1976 to 1987, Andy Warhol woke up and had a phone call with his friend Pat Hackett at 9am to dictate the previous day’s events. This was because Inland Revenue audited his business each year, so this helped him keep track of his expenses. He would then have breakfast downstairs with his two dashunds and his housekeepers. I always suspected Andy had a relatively uneventful morning routine.

After a cup of tea, Louise Bourgeois was picked up at her home by her assistant at exactly 10am, and the pair would drive to her Brooklyn studio. Hmm, another uneventful, yet rather strict routine.

Joan Miro was another artist, set in his morning routine. Every morning, he would wake up and get ready and would be at work by exactly 7am.  He would then have a break at noon for one hour when he would exercise. He felt that routine and exercise would keep depression at bay (he had a bout of severe depression in his teens), so makes sense.

Georgia O’Keeffe rose with the sun and a cup of tea each day, followed by a half hour walk in the desert. She loved this time of day, when no one was around.  At 7am, her cook served breakfast.

I just got this audiobook, which lists the routines of 161 artists, philosophers, scientists, etc.  Listening to something while I get dressed and make the bed in the morning is another one of my routines…

Daily Rituals, How Artists work.

Suzan