Four quick and useful lessons from Leonardo da Vinci on creativity and ritual

How the personal notes of a master artist from 500 years ago that helped me become more creative

Reading a book sometimes feels like someone is speaking directly to you, face to face, telling you exactly what you need to know. It’s a magical moment, two minds, separated by time and space, meet on a page. 

That happened to me recently reading the 500 year old notes written by Leonardo Da Vinci and it changed how I approach photography and creativity in general. 

When I discovered a book by Da Vinci on how to become a better painter: A Treatise on Painting, I was intrigued and from the first sentence I knew these ideas were for me.

Few artists in memory are celebrated as much as Leonardo Da Vinci. Leonardo was a genius polymath of the Italian Renaissance and remains a singular figure in the history of art and science and invention. 

But I wonder if few people today know that Leonardo Da Vinci had quite a lot to say about how to be creative, how to become a constantly improving artist, and was a highly successful teacher of artists as well.

As Walter Isaacsan writes of Leonardo in his wonderful biography of the man:

“His ability to combine art, science, technology, humanities, and imagination remains an enduring recipe for creativity.“

Isaacsan is making a broad point here. Cool.

But in A Treatise On Painting we find ideas and direction that are specific, timeless and broadly applicable to anyone doing creative work. And they are easy to read too.

Anyone, painter or not, can benefit from this short collection of thoughts to become a better creative person and we are all creatives to some degree.

So what did he say that is useful for those of us today?

#1 Study and copy the masters.

Leonardo teaches:

“He must also bestow some time in viewing the works of various old masters, to form his eye and judgment, in order that he may be able to put in practice all that he has been taught.”

500 years ago, artists learned their craft from the masters. Leonardo was an apprentice from a young age of Andrea del Verrocchio, who was an apprentice of Donatello or Fra Filippo Lippi.

Today, in all fields of creative work, there are masters that we may apprentice ourselves to in all manner of ways. Books, courses, videos…we have many many ways to ingest the wisdom of the masters as a foundation of creative work. We may select for ourselves the masters that align with our goals and aspirations.

Leonardo writes:

“The young painter must, in the first instance, accustom his hand to copying the drawings of good masters…”

Starting a habit of copying the masters is easy to do with access to excellent examples of creative work available online. 

A regular practice of copying the masters is an education in style and taste.

Key takeaways:

• Identify for yourself the masters you will learn from

• Continue to collect and study masters - make it a habit

• Copy the masters - this doesn't mean you have to share your copied work as your own, it can be for the sake of your own learning. This is a practice that many many writers use to ingest the wisdom and language of old. 

• For example: John Steinbeck determined the title of his masterwork, East of Eden, after writing out by hand the passage from the Old Testament about Cain and Abel. The Bible was an example of “old masters” for Steinbeck and he copied the text out with his own hand as an accomplished and successful writer in his late 40s to “form his eye and judgment” about his own work.

#2 Observe carefully, thoughtfully, everything.

What did Leo do in the dark?

Observation driven by curiosity is a foundational skill of creativity. Leonardo wrote that to paint the world, one must first understand it deeply and fundamentally.

Leonardo encouraged painters to spend time in nature, to study the human form, and to analyze the mechanics behind a smile or the sorrow in a furrowed brow. 

His own voluminous drawings tell the story of a man dedicated to observing and articulating, observing and representing, observing and then producing a final product.

For us today, to study the component parts of the whole, and to see proportional relationships, to meditate day and night on the details is what creates understanding and allows for our own final products to be whole and complete. 

As Da Vinci writes in Chapter XXI makes clear:

“Of studying in the Dark, on first waking in the Morning, and before going to sleep.

I have experienced no small benefit, when in the dark and in bed, by retracing in my mind the outlines of those forms which I had previously studied, particularly such as had appeared the most difficult to comprehend and retain; by this method they will be confirmed and treasured up in the memory.”

Clearly for Leonardo, there was no limit to the value of careful observation of subjects and continually churning in the mind the objects of study.

Key takeaways:

• There is no limit to the value of observing curiously the world

• Meditation and study on your subjects and projects day and night are an engine of creative growth

• Obsession matters

#3 Break it down to make useful distinctions 

Throughout A Treatise on Painting, Leonardo is constantly breaking apart the elements of craft, perspective, subject, approach, skills into smaller chunks of meaning that allow for easier digestion and practice.

From the first paragraph of the book he makes clear that to read a text itself, to read words, you must go step by step, “word by word, and line by line,” to gain understanding of the whole. He must consider it

“...we must be content to advance step by step, otherwise we shall never be able to attain it.”

He continues to endlessly break down concepts about light and shadow, muscle and tendon, emotion and form. 

An early example is this section:

“Painting is divided into two principal parts. The first is the figure, that is, the lines which distinguish the forms of bodies, and their component parts. The second is the colour contained within those limits.”

And the very next section again:

“The form of bodies is divided into two parts; that is, the proportion of the members to each other, which must correspond with the whole; and the motion, expressive of what passes in the mind of the living figure.”

As creatives, the artful fitting together of elements into a whole is challenging and when we meet this challenge, only then can our project succeed. This is true for a business, an email, or a presentation. Everything we work towards requires working one step at a time, patiently, then competently, then confidently, then perhaps, quickly and deftly.

Breaking down into component parts the elements of the final product you are aiming towards is a critical part of mastery. Each element must contribute to the whole. So each element must be understood on its own and in relation to the whole.

Learning to make useful distinctions  for ourselves and for others is an essential skill for creatives.

Key takeaways:

• See the parts that make the whole

• Learn to make useful distinctions that help differentiate the steps required by writing your thoughts down and so refine your observational power over time.

#4 Do it right, before you do it fast

Leonardo writes:

“Study the science first, and then follow the practice which results from that science. Pursue method in your study, and do not quit one part till it be perfectly engraven in the memory.”

and:

“When you have acquired the habit, and formed your hand to accuracy, quickness of execution will come of itself.”

To learn a craft to the point of excellence there are a number of skills that when stacked logically and methodically are foundational to artistic practice. 

In our own work, we can list out the skills we need to develop. Leonardo wrote list after list after list. He constantly listed out what he wanted to learn, often citing where and how he could get the information.

He listed the specific things he would study: 

• the shape of an older man's fingers, 

• the way young men move as opposed to older men, 

• how a bird stands, 

• how things in the distance appear to the eye…

His notebooks filled 7200 pages, most of which we still have today.

He constantly had a notebook on his belt, so he could make notes on what he noticed. Noticing is a skill and a habit. Notebooks are a workshop all their own that serves you and builds you. You are what you see and notice and produce. Your consciousness is what you are conscious of.

Developing each skill on its own, understanding the context, studying the component parts, practicing each skill until it becomes habit baked into our minds and hands, this builds a foundation for creative growth and productivity. These are creative rituals that keep us oriented to our goals and move us in the right direction.

Study, method, habit, accuracy then quickness. We need to go slow with our work to go fast.

Key takeaways:

• Choose examples of mastery to learn from and copy their work explicitly to learn and develop your eye and judgment.

• Practice observing and noticing, and never stop.

• Find clarity through useful distinctions. 

• Develop skills, with purpose, one at a time, methodically.

And finally, make your own lists of steps that support your own goals!

Want to go deeper? 

A Treatise on Painting - Leonadro Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci - Walter Isaacson

Would love to hear how these ideas land with you. Let me know in the comments. 

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