Rating: 
Summary: Breaking Through Illusions
Review: I am a working visual artist and spiritual seeker and I have never read such an honest account of what it's like to be an artist in the modern world. So often journalists, especially self-help authors, tell the reader what they want to hear; things like "do what you love, and the money will follow," leading the reader blindly down pathways based upon wishful thinking. Bayles and Orland explore the reality of being a creative person a materialistic world and how to survive by knowing yourself and what art making is about for you. If you find yourself with the impulse to quit for whatever reason: lack of sales, rejection, burn out, bad reviews, or creative blocks, reading this little book may help you reexamine and rekindle your creative impulses in a new light.
Rating:
Summary: Learning by Doing!
Review: Art & Fear is an easy book to rave about, but it is a particularly difficult book to write about. The authors have chosen their words so well, that it seems as if there ARE no other words with which to talk about this subject or this book. I'll try anyway, fully knowing that whatever I might say surely will not please me as much as what I have read in their pages. And this is part of the message of Art & Fear, one of the lessons to be learned - just do it and learn from it.Art & Fear is an unpretentious little paperback, written by two lifelong friends who have been artists, as well as other things, for most of their lives. Both of them have their feet firmly rooted in the real world that we all live in (however high their ideas and ideals might fly), and both of them have keen insights into what enables individuals to produce good art and to continue to produce good art, and what stumbling blocks stop many individuals. These insights are of value to artists in any medium whatsoever, and are in fact likely to be of significant value to many individuals who don't think of themselves as artists at all. One doesn't need to be an artist to be struggling with goals that seem beyond your reach and a lack of appreciation from others; it's just a little more pervasive in the artmaking world. Reading this book is like sitting down with the authors for a long and lively conversation. You'll learn something of them, and something of yourself, and good things are sure to come from it. I've actually found it too good to keep to myself - I'm on my 6th copy now, as I keep giving them away to friends!
Rating: 
Summary: there is the theory,but...
Review: nice theory,but,when the "workbook" will be available???....
lots of likely books neglect the same point: a practical application section (or book) is not included.
just a nice book.
Rating:
Summary: A Must Read for "non-artists," too
Review: I do not describe myself as a practicing artist. I have practiced Emergency Medicine in large urban teaching hospitals for 25 years. Until a year ago, I hadn't played a 'cello or bass viol for 35 years, and hadn't written a poem in almost as many. I started writing letters to a friend making a difficult passage 8 months ago, to suport the process, and began to recall the letters and poetry I used to write. I wrote 50 letters in 6 months, then "hit a wall." After reading this book, I began rediscovering my "art," outside of my professional and personal life. Art may not be my life, but my Life is more Artful after reading this book. It will not get the "disappointed and afraids" a good job after art school, but it may help anyone began to reconnect to that Fearlessness that permeates early childhood, and from that, a richer expression of themselves. I will not write the great american novel, and probably nothing publishable, but the authors have made a genuine contribution to the quality of my life today. Try it.
Rating:
Summary: ART & FEAR is a book you will wish you'd known about before.
Review: I read ART & FEAR in one sitting; I could not resist the gentle wisdom contained on almost every page. (My trusty highlighter was nearly emptied as I found much text that I wanted to reread and remember.) To any artist "stuck" in creative quicksand (whether it be fear, self-doubt, perfectionism -- whatever), the writers reach out a long and sturdy tree limb for you to grasp to pull yourself free and back onto solid ground. They don't just leave you standing there either, but provide you with the tools you'll need to find your own way home. One of the many quotes from ART & FEAR that I like is: "To make art is to sing with the human voice. To do this you must first learn that the only voice you need is the voice you already have." Other things I will say about ART & FEAR is that it is VERY thought provoking, thorough, insightful, and challenging with a few flourishes of humor. The information presented will apply to artists of all persuasions. I will very likely read ART & FEAR again and again and will probably find new gems with each read (either previously overlooked or not yet understood). Once read, you will want to lend ART & FEAR to your artist friends. I suggest you keep your copy and either recommend that they get their own, or, order one for them as a gift they will appreciate many times over. Finally, because I feel that I have received much from reading ART & FEAR, I send a heartfelt "thank you" to the authors, David Bayles & Ted Orland. I very much appreciate the authors' wish to share what they have learned (and especially for bringing their wish to fruition) with anyone that is interested and that they managed to provide me, someone quite unknown to them, with a real sense of being seen and understood (without ever feeling condescended to). Quite a gift! ART & FEAR is a book you will wish you'd known about before but you will be glad you managed to discover now. "When the student is ready the teacher will come."
Rating:
Summary: there is the theory,but...
Review: nice theory,but,when the "workbook" will be available???....
lots of likely books neglect the same point: a practical application section (or book) is not included.
just a nice book.
Rating:
Summary: simple but real words
Review: This is a book about the process of art making. Its for everyone who wants to know about what art really is from the point of view of the pratical artists.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but not to be taken too seriously
Review: I think most of the previous reviews have highlighted the best parts of this book and why it may or may not be a good thing for you to read. I found it to be well executed and a very interesting read. It certainly does elicit some good introspective thought. That said, I don't take it as the sort of text that will likely make a huge difference in your life. That is, it's good but don't take it too seriously. Worth the price of entry, but how much you get out of it is ultimately up to you.
Rating:
Summary: not just for artists
Review: I picked up this book when I was moving into a greater acceptance of the artistic part of my nature. I was considering sharing my art with the world, and the reviews seemed to suggest that this was a good book to help explore the ambiguous feeling involved in such a venture. I was amazed. This book packs valuable, practical wisdom into every single page. I can't remember a book with more information density than this. Perhaps I was just ready for the knowledge here, but it seems to be the distilled essence of a thoughtful, deep analysis of a great deal of experience. While it is primarily about making art and the issues inherent in that pursuit, it is also very much about life itself. In fact, one could consider one's life to be a work of art, and it makes that analogy an easy reach. The things one will learn here about life in general are pertinent and as valid as the best pop psychology or self help book around, while considerably more readable than most of those. For example, it deals with topics like fear, uncertainty, acceptance, vision, imagination, talent, perfection, expectations, understanding, approval, competition, habits, creativity, and much more. All of these are issues we face every day of our lives, regardless of our field of endeavor. This books speaks to those who would have an understanding of such things. I have given this book as a gift to people I care about, and encourage everyone to read it. It is uplifting without being unrealistic, and honest without being cynical. A very good read.
Rating:
Summary: It kept my attention
Review: It is inspirational. But, utlitmately the doing comes from you. You can read these type of books all you want. But, to be motivated, you still have to just get up and do it! :)
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