Subtle Maneuvers

Subtle Maneuvers focuses on the intricacies of creative life, highlighting routines, rituals, and the struggles of artists and writers. It explores perspectives on productivity, inspiration, and the artistic process, offering insights from historical and contemporary figures in the arts.

Creative Process Productivity Techniques Artistic Inspiration Creative Blocks Writer's Life Art and Money Historical Artists' Insights Routine and Ritual in Art Creative Motivation

The hottest Substack posts of Subtle Maneuvers

And their main takeaways

Edgar Allan Poe, procrastinator

58 implied HN points • 05 Oct 20
  1. Edgar Allan Poe was a procrastinator.
  2. There are similarities between Edgar Allan Poe's 1842 story and recent events.
  3. Poe's writing habits reveal he was an expert in procrastination and guilt.

Eva Hesse's diaries

58 implied HN points • 01 Jun 20
  1. Eva Hesse was a distinctive and influential artist known for her eccentric sculptures.
  2. Hesse's diaries reveal her struggles with self-doubt and anxiety, but also her perseverance.
  3. Hesse's journey of overcoming obstacles can be inspiring for others.

Giuseppe Verdi could only compose in the country

58 implied HN points • 25 May 20
  1. Giuseppe Verdi preferred composing in the country
  2. Verdi found that composing in the country made everything flow effortlessly
  3. He spent at least half the year in his villa in northern Italy

Robert Lowell kept a double bed in his study

58 implied HN points • 20 Apr 20
  1. Robert Lowell had a double bed in his study to work on his writing comfortably.
  2. Lowell spent his days lying on the bed revising his work with a bottle of milk.
  3. His wife mentioned that he needed the bed because he was a large man who liked to sprawl out while working.

Joseph Haydn could not be idle

58 implied HN points • 23 Mar 20
  1. Joseph Haydn was a composer from Austria.
  2. Haydn spent his last decade in Vienna composing religious music.
  3. He had a strict routine in his last years.
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Maria Lassnig: "Living with art stops one wilting!"

39 implied HN points • 16 Nov 20
  1. Maria Lassnig believed that living with art prevents one from wilting.
  2. Lassnig's letters express self-doubt and reflection on her art.
  3. Living with art was seen by Lassnig as a way to avoid wilting.

Paul Mpagi Sepuya on resisting "forced productivity" during the pandemic

39 implied HN points • 02 Nov 20
  1. Paul Mpagi Sepuya resisted forced productivity during the pandemic, taking a break from making artwork.
  2. Sepuya focused on teaching online, organizing projects, and gardening to stay busy during the pandemic.
  3. He emphasized the importance of relaxation activities like gardening and long walks for recharging.

John Cage on music and mushrooms

39 implied HN points • 29 Jun 20
  1. John Cage believed there was much to learn about music by studying mushrooms.
  2. A new book called 'John Cage: A Mycological Foray' explores the composer's writings on mushrooms.
  3. Cage's hobbies and habits, like his interest in mushrooms, reveal interesting aspects of his life.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's daily routine

39 implied HN points • 15 Jun 20
  1. Christo and Jeanne-Claude believed food was unimportant.
  2. They had a 50-year artistic partnership.
  3. Their daily routine was described by a close friend and exclusive photographer.

Grace Jones's dressing-room necessities

39 implied HN points • 18 May 20
  1. Grace Jones has specific items she requires in her dressing room before performing.
  2. She is a Jamaican-born singer, songwriter, and style icon.
  3. Her 2015 book includes a detailed contract rider outlining her hosting requirements.

Sculptor Anne Truitt's retreat routine

39 implied HN points • 16 Mar 20
  1. Anne Truitt was a sculptor known for hand-built wooden columns coated in acrylic, sanded, and repeated, creating timeless objects.
  2. Truitt's journals reflect her life as an artist, wife, and mother, finding certainty in her art at 40 while balancing domestic duties.
  3. Truitt valued focused work time, as seen in her routine at the Yaddo artists' colony in 1974.

Walker Evans had a hard time getting out of the house before noon

19 implied HN points • 04 May 20
  1. Walker Evans, a renowned photographer, found a new burst of creative energy by using a smaller, more portable camera
  2. Even after facing difficult circumstances like failed marriages and health issues, Evans continued his photography work with vigor
  3. Using a new tool like the Polaroid SX-70, Evans was able to integrate photography into his daily routine and produce a large number of photographs

Happy birthday, Renata Adler

0 implied HN points • 19 Oct 20
  1. Renata Adler, known for her novels, Speedboat and Pitch Dark, celebrated her 83rd birthday.
  2. Adler worked as a film critic at the New York Times and a staff writer for the New Yorker.
  3. Her writing style is described as fragmentary and knowing, capturing the essence of the writing life.