This Section contains suggestions for book club discussion questions, as well as author notes, and a book club party kit with suggestions for an artist theme night.
Questions
These questions are here to support you in going deeper on your own or with a book club or creative circle. Use whatever is helpful, add your own ideas, and feel free to ignore anything that does not speak to you.
1. Question:
What does it change practically and emotionally when you stop waiting for inspiration and start treating creativity as a daily practice?
2. Question:
The book talks about “start badly, often.” When have you seen awful beginnings lead to surprisingly good outcomes in your own life?
3. Question:
How does lowering starting friction (prepping tools, tiny first steps, pre-deciding what to do) change your experience of resistance?
4. Question:
Do you agree that the unspectacular practice days matter more than rare “genius” days? Why or why not?
5. Question:
How did the Michael Phelps and Tom Brady examples land for you? Do they change how you think about habit-based creativity?
6. Question:
The book suggests designing a practice that fits “your life now.” What’s one way your current season (family, health, work) could shape your practice instead of blocking it?
7. Question:
How do you feel about the idea of choosing one primary practice for a season? Does it feel clarifying or limiting?
8. Question:
What new possibilities open up when you stack a creative habit onto an existing one (like coffee, dog‑walking, or toothbrushing)?
9. Question:
Which micro‑practices from the book felt most doable to you? How might they change your sense of being “a creative person” if you actually did them?
10. Question:
“Practicing finishing” is a big theme. How does your relationship to “done” show up in your life right now?
11. Question:
The book describes unfinished work as “wily” and perfectionism as “the boss forever.” How have unfinished projects affected your confidence?
12. Question:
What does “seeing your whole life as a studio” stir up for you—relief, skepticism, excitement?
13. Question:
How did the “Life‑As Gallery Walk” exercise change the way you see your home, if you tried it (or imagine trying it)?
14. Question:
In what ways does your current space feel like “you,” and where does it feel more like a catalog or someone else’s taste?
15. Question:
Do you resonate more with “decorator brain” (rules, trends) or “artist brain” (feel, use, mood) when you think about your living space?
16. Question:
How does treating your house as “a three‑dimensional opportunity to express your creativity” shift what you might change next?
17. Question:
What role do you want technology to play in your creative space: tool, toy, background noise, or something else?
18. Question:
Where do you naturally go to think, and what changes when you claim that place as part of your creative practice?
19. Question:
Which idea from the book feels like the biggest permission slip for you right now?
20. Question:
If you were to design your next three months as a “season of practice,” what would you commit to starting, finishing, or changing?
Book Club Artist Theme Kit
Theme & Atmosphere
Theme name: “Be An Artist Night” or “Live Like An Artist Book Club.”
Vibe: Softly bohemian, studio-meets-salon, candlelight, simple still-life touches, nothing too perfect.
Decorations
Table: White or kraft-paper table covering with jars of brushes, pencils, squares of paint swatches, and a few small paint tubes or watercolor pans as “centerpieces.”
Color: Limited palette (e.g., pastels: blush, ochre, ink black or brights: hot pink or magenta, navy, and white) in napkins, candles, or a single small floral arrangement to feel intentional and painterly.
Paper: Place a small blank card at each setting labeled “Today I’m drawn to…” for guests to jot a word, color, or feeling.
Food
“Palette” board: A charcuterie or snack board arranged like a painter’s palette with arcs of cheeses, fruits, olives, nuts, chocolate “daubs” of color.
Simple “studio supper”:
A good baguette or rustic bread with olive oil and flaky salt.
One beautiful salad (herbs, greens, soft cheese, something pink like radishes or berries).
Optional: a simple pasta or flatbread as a warm anchor.
Drinks
Signature sip:
“Rose Wash”: chilled rosé or a pink mocktail (sparkling water, grapefruit juice, a splash of elderflower).
“Ink & Tonic”: gin or zero-proof gin with tonic, lime, and a sprig of rosemary.
Non-alcoholic: Sparkling water in a carafe with citrus slices and herbs to keep the table feeling fresh and light.
Recommended Playlist
Mood: Low, elegant, creative—music you could write or paint to.
Search Spotify for the Be an Artist (or Just Live Like One) playlist
Search on your streaming service of choice: “Cozy jazz,” “elegant bossa nova,” or “smooth jazz for reading.”
Search on your streaming service of choice: “Paris night jazz” or “noir jazz” for a slightly more mysterious, late-evening feel.
Invitation suggestion for hosts: “Come as you are, but bring one small thing that makes your life feel more like art: a color, an object, a song, or a story.”