Secret rituals of the world’s leading creatives

Beyoncé is just like the rest of us – or at least that’s what New York-based illustrator Ellen Weinstein wants you to think. Her new book, “Recipes for Good Luck: The Superstitions, Rituals, and Practices of Extraordinary People,” explores the quirky good-luck rituals of some of the world’s most renowned creative personalities to show that they get nervous just like the rest of us.

To calm her nerves before taking the stage, Beyoncé engages in an extensive pre-show ritual that includes a stretch, a prayer, and an hour of alone time with her favorite playlist. Others have more unusual superstitions: Painter Salvador Dali carried a piece of driftwood to ward off evil spirits, while Pablo Picasso held on to personal items – from old clothes to hair trimmings – in an effort to retain his essence.

According to Weinstein, megastar Beyoncé -- pictured here performing at Coachella music festival -- has an elaborate pre-show ritual. It involves a prayer, a stretch, a chair massage and an hour to herself while listens to her favorite playlist.

“One can be extremely accomplished and maintain rituals to ensure their own success,” Weinstein said. “It shows how common these behaviors are and how unique each individual’s recipe for good luck is.”

Weinstein – who has previously produced illustrations for newspaper publications and children’s books – began researching celebrity superstitions after she was commissioned to illustrate an article on the concept of good-luck rituals.

Having noticed an overlap between her own quirky habits and those she was illustrating, she began exploring how some of the biggest creative personalities in history calm their nerves or encourage creativity.

Her research involved hunting through archived interviews and biographies of historical figures. For modern megastars, she scoured articles, video interviews and social media profiles. Eventually, as she states in the book, “iconic figures started to feel more relatable.”

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour starts every day with an hour of tennis.

Actress and fashion icon Audrey Hepburn had a fascination with the number 55, and would often request the number for her dressing room.

Megastar Beyoncé has an elaborate pre-show ritual that takes a few hours: a prayer, a stretch, a chair massage and an hour to herself while listening to her favorite playlist.

Designer Coco Chanel believed that five was her lucky number. She named her perfume "No. 5" and opted to present her collections on the 5th of May.

Author and illustrator Theodor Seuss Geisel -- otherwise known as Dr. Seuss -- had a collection of more than 300 hats. He would wear them to overcome writer's block.

Mexican painter Frida Kahlo's love for gardening can be seen throughout her work. The plants and flowers from her garden at home -- which she looked over at her from painting station -- are often seen throughout her works. Her last request before her death was to be pointed towards the garden.

Artist Georgia O'Keeffe would often turn her Ford Model A into a painting studio. She would shift the seats around and use the back seat as an easel to paint.

Architect I. M. Pei often creates drawings at night in complete darkness, conceptualizing structures in his mind before putting his ideas down on paper.

Canadian musician Leonard Cohen would gather his band to chant a song in Latin in order to make the musicians feel motivated and unified before taking the stage.

Actress Lupita Nyong'o revealed that she often knits in her dressing room before an on-stage performance.

Ballet dancer Misty Copeland listens to music -- preferably hip-hop -- before taking to the stage.

Famed artist Pablo Picasso would hold on to personal items -- from old clothes to hair trimmings -- in an effort to retain his essence.

Spanish painter Salvador Dali would carry a piece of driftwood to ward off evil spirits.

Before performing, artist Yoko Ono would light a match and watch it extinguish, in order to give her a sense of calm. She eventually turned this ritual into a performance titled "Lighting Piece."

Secret rituals of world's foremost creatives

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When turning her research into illustrations, she made the style of each drawing unique to the individual being depicted.

“I wanted each image to feel like a poster and to be an iconic image that could stand on its own,” she said.

Scroll through the gallery above for highlights from Weinstein’s book.

“Recipes for Good Luck: The Superstitions, Rituals, and Practices of Extraordinary People” by Ellen Weinstein, published by Chronicle Books, is out now.