Attending an art opening in Toronto, I stood in a quiet corner chatting with the prominent painter.
Customers milled about, red dots marking sales flourished by his paintings.
After I remarked on his incredible work, he bent his head toward me.
“It’s the JD.”
JD?
“Nothing like a few belts for inspiration, right Dawn?”
UMmmmm….
He continued with fired enthusiasm, I now wondered from the red dot flurry or something else.
“You know the fearful moment, staring at a blank canvas? AC/DC & whiskey solves that. Right?” ribbing me gently in some sort of artist to artist code.
Thankfully a customer interrupted before I could respond.

His comment might seem typical, but artists are as varied in their ‘inspiration’ as they are in work.
“Daily Rituals:How Artists Work” by Mason Currey,details rituals of inspired famous artists, musicians, writers and scientists.
The book entails some surprising facts.
Some apply healthy habits, others, not so much. Most were/are workaholics.
“The two things, life style and work, have become one. Now if that’s eccentricity, then I’m eccentric.” Glenn Gould.
Pattern was a big part of their process. Georgia O’Keefe took long walks as part of her daily routine.
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How artists go about seeking inspiration, or the work they produce, is a matter of choice.
Mountains of material exist on writer’s habits, because “they wrote about it” less exists on painters, Robert Genn suggests in his May 2013 letter “Daily Studio Rituals”. Genn offers insight on a few artists habits, including his own, of “living a quiet-well regulated life. ‘Spending a day trying to make the cup froth over”.
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As for me, I prefer tea to JD, after a healthy dose of fresh air.
Walking into the studio, whether bathed in light or darkness, warmth of sanctuary resonates, and I begin.
“Whatever you can do or dream you can: begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” Goethe