Artistic masterpieces, whether they are in visual, audio, or written form, often require a lengthy creative process that can take many months or even years to complete. That’s why it is so surprising to hear about a popular book being written in a matter of days, a hit song being composed in minutes, or famous paintings done in hours.

Sometimes the motivation for this accelerated creativity is tied to money, which is to be expected considering so many artists, even those who go on to become hugely successful, struggle financially prior to their breakthrough.

Here are 10 masterpieces that were churned out super fast.

Related: 10 Literary Masterpieces So Bad They’re Actually Pretty Good

10 Visage: Head of a Faun

Some professional painters have been known to create marketable work in just a couple of minutes, like the record-setting Morris Katz, who came up with a process called instant art. Using this quick-fire technique, he is said to have done 225,000 paintings.

Pablo Picasso had a reputation for being prolific as well, “estimated to have completed some 13,500 paintings in his life,” according to Artsy. In 1937 he produced his famous Guernica mural in just three weeks, and according to an oft-repeated anecdote, he once responded to a request for a portrait from a lady who approached him in a café by sketching her likeness on the back of a menu in five minutes. However, one of his most impressive quickie works is “Visage: Head of a Faun,” which he did for the 1955 documentary Le Mystère Picasso by Henri-Georges Clouzot. It was created in five minutes as the camera was rolling. The time constraint is due to Clouzot’s limited supply of film stock.

“Visage: Head of a Faun” was recently featured as part of the Picasso and Paper exhibition at the Royal Academy in London. During the few minutes Picasso spent on the drawing, he repeatedly transformed the piece, “taking it from flower to fish to chicken to face and builds up from a monochrome drawing with bright, saturated colors,” says Open Culture.^[1]

9 A Study in Scarlet

Although the majority of Sherlock Holmes tales are short stories, which were first published in magazines, the series author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, did write a few full-length novels led by the famous detective. The first of these was A Study in Scarlet, involving the discovery of a corpse at a rundown house.

Originally printed in 1887 in Beeton’s Christmas Annual, it was later published in book format. Not only did this mark Sherlock Holmes’s debut as a character in literature, but it also describes the first meeting of Holmes and Watson. Additionally, it has the distinction of being the first Holmes story to be adapted to film. While the novel is relatively short, it is still impressive that Conan Doyle was able to write it in only three weeks, especially since this was the beginning of such an enormously popular franchise, which is still going strong more than 130 years later.^[2]

8 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The story of how Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic 1886 horror novel The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was created sounds like a kind of horror story in itself, especially to anyone who has ever tried to write a book.

The author, who was suffering from tuberculosis at the time and may have been under the effect of medicinal cocaine, had been toying with the basic concept of a story about dual identity. The Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde idea came to him in a dream one night, which caused his wife Fanny to awaken him when she heard Stevenson screaming. He is thought to have written the original draft in three days. However, Fanny was so critical of the story that she burned it. Stevenson spent another three days rewriting the draft. Or, that’s how the story goes. It likely took him about six weeks, still a feat for such an impactful book.^[3]

7 “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”

Singer/songwriter/producer Terius Youngdell Nash—better known as The-Dream—may have just been kidding when he announced after arriving at the recording studio one day that he was going to write a song that would be the next big single for Beyoncé. But the results were anything but laughable. A single off Beyoncé’s 2008 I Am…Sasha Fierce album, the catchy, highly danceable, ultimatum-themed song “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” took him 17 minutes to compose and made it all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard Charts.

Insider quoted The-Dream as saying: “Usually those songs that take the small amount of time are usually the bigger ones because you’re not thinking about it.”^[4]

6 Gismonda Poster

Compared to some of his truly speedy fellow painters, the length of time Czech artist Alphonse Mucha spent on his first Sarah Bernhardt poster, almost one week, may not seem that impressive. But in light of the work’s prominence, it is a very short time. Primarily remembered as a very popular decorative and commercial artist who often used mythical and nature themes in his work, Mucha got his big break in December 1894 by being in the right place at the right time.

Bernhardt ordered a new poster design from Parisian lithographers Lemerciers for the play Gismonda. Savvy when it came to marketing, the legendary French actress wanted something different and was in a hurry. Since most of the designers in Paris were on vacation at the time, the workshop manager was in a tight spot. He asked the young, virtually unknown Mucha, who just happened to be there working on something for a friend, if he could design the poster for Bernhardt.

“Within a week, Mucha produced a poster for her that is now considered a cornerstone of the Art Nouveau movement,” according to Marie Vítková of the National Museum in Prague. The poster of Bernhardt dressed as a Byzantine princess, set against a gold background with palm leaf, is still among Mucha’s most famous, along with such designs as Zodiac and the Sarah Bernhardt poster for La Plume.^[5]

5 “Yesterday”

As well-loved as The Beatles’ music has been for more than 50 years, some of their more simplistic bubblegum pop songs might sound as though they were dashed off in just a few minutes. Ironically, it was one of the group’s most poignant songs, “Yesterday,” which was written at lightning speed. In addition to its artistic merit, this 1965 single from the group’s Help album is so popular it holds the record for being the most covered song of all time.

According to NME, the melody for the 1965 song came to Paul McCartney in a dream and took less than a minute to write. “I have no idea how I wrote that. I just woke up one morning, and it was in my head. I didn’t believe it for about two weeks,” explained McCartney.

The lyrics took much longer, a couple of months. The song was credited to McCartney-Lennon; however, John Lennon made it clear, a few years later, that he had not co-written “Yesterday,” giving all the credit to Paul McCartney.^[6]

4 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

What started out as a class assignment in 1960 became the basis for what is now considered a literary classic. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is about an unconventional school teacher/mentor in 1930s Edinburgh. To some degree, a coming-of-age story told from the perspective of her adoring students, this short novel was written in just one month.

Author Muriel Spark explained: “We were given to write about how we spent our summer holidays, but I wrote about how [my teacher] spent her summer holidays instead. It seemed more fascinating.”

The book was later adapted to film, becoming a very memorable 1969 movie with Maggie Smith winning an Oscar for starring as the title character.^[7]

3 “Your Song”

The timeless and endearingly unpretentious 1970 Elton John classic “Your Song” didn’t take long for John to compose or for his lyricist Bernie Taupin to write. As was their habit, the two collaborators worked on it separately, but this 1970 ballad was quickly created, both musically and lyrically. Still one of the pop star’s best-loved songs, this track became John’s first hit single in America.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Elton John remembered: “It came out in about 20 minutes, and when I was done, I called him in, and we both knew. I was 22, and he was 19, and it gave us so much confidence.”^[8]

2 The Boy in Striped Pyjamas

Even with the knowledge that author John Boyne barely took time out for food or sleep, it is still mind-boggling to imagine him writing the first draft of his highly acclaimed 2006 Holocaust novel The Boy in Striped Pyjamas in just two and a half days. The speediness of this process is an exception to how Boyne previously worked, typically taking a number of months to write a book.

It is astonishing to think that any full-length volume could be written in a couple of days but particularly a weighty and emotionally compelling story such as this. The book tells the story of an innocent nine-year-old Bruno who strikes up a friendship with another young boy Shmuel, an inmate at a concentration camp, where Bruno’s father has recently been put in charge.

The book was turned into the commercially successful but somewhat controversial 2008 film, released as The Boy in Striped Pajamas in North America, starring Asa Butterfield.^[9]

1 Rocky

Sylvester Stallone was one of many artists motivated to work fast due to money being tight. He was so broke just before writing the screenplay for Rocky, he was trying to sell his dog, which he could barely afford to feed. Stallone found inspiration in a fight he had recently seen between super-star heavyweight champ Muhammad Ali and the little-known Chuck Wepner, aka “The Bayonne Bleeder.” During the fight, Wepner actually managed to knock Ali down. Stallone said, “I thought if this isn’t a metaphor for life…” The result was his original Rocky screenplay, which was completed in just three days.

This story about underdog boxer Rocky Balboa taking his shot at the title was not only a massively successful Oscar-winning movie, but the 1976 classic launched a multi-film franchise and made Stallone a major star overnight. Obviously, much more than a sports drama, Rocky is widely considered a cinematic work of art that also turned out to be one of the most inspiring films of all time. It is almost beyond comprehension that a screenplay for a motion picture of this magnitude could be written in just a few days.^[10]

Foods and drinks you consume might either aid or impede your recovery from an illness or surgery. You must eat the proper foods, such as superfoods. Each superfood, whether a vegetable, fruit, protein source, or healthy fat, offers something unique to your body.

Some of these foods have been demonstrated to help with inflammation, immunological function, healing, and providing the energy you need to get better. Here are ten superfoods to heal your body.

10 SMASH Fishes

Sardines, mackerel, anchovies, salmon, and herring (SMASH) are noted for having low mercury and other toxic levels and being high in omega-3 fatty acids. We need to fuel the brain with these omega-3 fats that enhance mood and focus since 60 percent of the brain is fat. SMASH fishes are also anti-inflammatory.

Luckily, SMASH fishes are readily available in stores. If you can’t locate them, consider other low-toxin options, including canned light tuna, trout, catfish, pollock, and shellfish. You should not fry these fishes, or you risk not getting the maximum nutrients. Steam, grill, or bake them instead.

At least two servings of fish per week should be included in your diet, with one of those servings coming from an oily fish like SMASH. About 140 grams (5 ounces) make up one serving.

Some people are not advised to eat more than one plate of oily fish per week as it contains small amounts of contaminants that can accumulate in the body. Underage girls, pregnant women, and lactating mothers should limit their intake of oily fish to two servings per week.

9 Leafy Greens

Leafy greens include kale, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard, and mustard greens. Vitamins A, C, and calcium, as well as phytochemicals (chemicals sourced from plants that have a beneficial effect on health), are abundant in these greens. They also contribute to a healthy diet by providing fiber.

Leafy greens provide several advantages, including:

• The ability to reduce the advancement of eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration.
• Better memory and cognitive abilities.
• Maintains cholesterol.
• Lower risk of various malignancies, such as those of the breast, lungs, intestine, and bladder.

To make leafy greens more enjoyable to consume, consider sautéing them with a little olive oil or tossing them into salads. Soups and stews can also include greens.

While most leafy greens are more than up to the task, some widely consumed types like kale, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard, and mustard greens stand out thanks to a genuinely astounding array of nutrients. The recommended weekly intake for these wonder foods is three to four 70-gram (2.5-ounce) servings.

8 Berries

Blueberries are at the top of practically every superfood list; however, you may consider any edible berry to be a superfood. Blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and fresh cranberries, to name a few, are low in calories, high in fiber, and filled with antioxidants that help combat cancer-causing free radicals.

Flavonoids—the plant compounds that give berries their brilliant color—are abundant in both frozen and fresh berries. Flavonoids are known to have cognitive and mood-enhancing properties. They’re also high in vitamin C, which, as you might expect, boosts immunity and is essential for battling winter infections.

Blueberries, in particular, are strong in anthocyanin pigments, giving them their vibrant color and working as potent antioxidants that may help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and deteriorating diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Berry-infused yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, or smoothies are delicious ways to start the day. Berries are also fantastic in a green salad. You might also add garbanzo beans, walnuts, or sunflower seeds for more protein. Strawberry shortcake and blueberry pie are no-go since they contain too much sugar and fat.

7 Nuts

All nuts have one thing in common: they’re all high in fiber, fat, and protein. They also include monounsaturated fats that may have a role in lowering heart disease risk.

Despite their high-fat content, nuts have been associated with a decreased risk of weight gain and obesity. Walnuts are the “super nut” since their antioxidant properties aid in the prevention of illnesses such as cancer.

Adding a handful of nuts to oatmeal or yogurt or just eating them as snacks is one way to enjoy nuts. But keep in mind that they’re high in calories, so only eat a small handful. Alternatively, you can try various kinds of nut butter like almond, peanut, or cashew. Nuts are also a tasty addition to salads or cooked vegetables.

6 Onions and Garlic

Whether you’re suffering a viral, bacterial, or fungal infection, garlic is one of the best foods you can eat to help your immune system. It may not have the most appetizing smell (although some of us enjoy it), but it’s one of the most powerful foods that can do wonders for your immune system.

Garlic, onions, leeks, chives, and other similar vegetables are also beneficial for lowering blood pressure, maintaining heart health, and preventing cancer. Garlic is high in vitamin C, manganese, selenium, and fiber, making it a healthy and tasty culinary component. It’s one of the most widely consumed foods for immune system support.

It’s better not to heat or dry onions and garlic before eating them to avoid losing their nutritional value. So, if at all feasible, choose the stenchiest option: uncooked and crushed into your food.

5 Ginger

This zesty root’s pungent aroma conjures up recollections of pleasant winter nights spent by the fire. Ginger is a common winter flavor found in cookies, lattes, and other baked goods. You may be familiar with ginger as a cooking spice, but it has a long history of benefits that include digestion aids, stomach calming, and arthritis treatment.

Ginger can help with nausea and chronic discomfort as well. It can help prevent maladies like heart disease, dementia, and cancer. Because of its potassium, high iron, and vitamin C content, ginger is an indispensable addition to your kitchen cabinet as an immune system booster.

Regardless of the season, you can aim to eat ginger daily. Here are some simple methods to prepare them for consumption:

• To give your dishes a unique flavor, use fresh ginger root. Put it on top of your salad, chicken, or seafood, or chop or grate it into sauces and salad dressings.
• Eat candied ginger as a snack or include it in your dessert.
• Add pickled ginger as a seasoning.
• Sip freshly brewed tea that has been steeped with a tiny piece of ginger that has been chopped.
• Use dried powdered ginger in cooking or just sprinkle it on food.

4 Yogurt

Yogurt contains live beneficial bacterias called probiotics and is a rich source of protein and calcium. By defending the body against other, more toxic bacteria through the gut, these “good bacteria” might prevent illness.

Increase your yogurt consumption, but beware of fruit-flavored or flavored yogurts, which often have a lot of added sugar. Many producers add unhealthy substances, including sugar, sweeteners made from artificial chemicals, and other sweeteners.

Look for products with less than 15 grams (0.5 ounces or 1 tablespoon) of sugar per serving as long as it doesn’t include any artificial sweeteners; the less sugar, the better. Purchase plain yogurt and top it with fresh fruit. You can substitute sour cream or mayonnaise for yogurt in dips and sauces.

3 Avocado

Due to their outstanding health advantages, avocados have recently risen to the top of the list of items at the supermarket.

Avocados have a fantastic nutritional profile and are loaded with lipids, vitamins, and minerals. Oleic acid is the most abundant monounsaturated fatty acid in avocados. This vitamin is thought to reduce inflammation. You can increase your intake of fiber by eating avocados.

Eating an avocado by itself is one of the nicest and simplest ways to consume it. Ripe, sliced in half, and seasoned avocados provide a wonderful addition to any dish. Another simple way is to spread avocado on toast for a creamy, velvety, cholesterol-free topping. Additionally, you can simply turn avocado into juice.

2 Legumes

Some of the most popular foods for daily consumption recommendations are legumes. Soybeans, peas, and garbanzo beans are all included in this broad category. Legumes are great sources of folate, fiber, and plant-based protein. They can aid in lowering heart disease risk.

According to research studies, legumes have been linked to numerous health advantages, including assisting in managing Type II Diabetes and decreasing blood pressure and cholesterol. Being full for a long period is another benefit of including beans and legumes in your diet, which can help you keep a healthy weight.

You may eat legumes by incorporating them into dishes like soups, salads, and casseroles. Additionally, you can make a bean-based meal like hummus or chili.

1 Broccoli

One of our diet’s most potent antioxidants is found in broccoli, a cruciferous vegetable. It is the greatest superfood and defends our body from cancer. Broccoli’s sulfur compounds activate our genes to produce more detoxification enzymes. These enzymes may target substances that cause cancer.

Furthermore, along with other cruciferous vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts, broccoli has several health advantages, including reducing your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Broccoli is abundant in nutrition while being low in calories. Out of all superfoods, it contains the greatest nutrients. These vegetables keep you fuller for longer due to their high fiber content, which is why they’re seen in many healthy weight-loss plans.

To enjoy broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables, you may flavor them by steaming or stir-frying them in healthful oils with herbs and seasonings. Consider using a frozen mélange of cruciferous vegetables in your pasta, soup, and casserole meals.