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Summary: Essential reading for all artists
Review: Art and Fear was recommended to me by a fellow photographer as a good book to read regarding the "creative" process. It did not disappoint me. Well written and well paced, Art & Fear puts in words what a majority of artists know from experience: Art is a personal experience that constantly invests both anxiety and exhilaration for it's participants. The chapters are written plainly and succintly, unlike many tomes written on the subject. This is a book that you will read again for inspiration and direction.
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Summary: Releasing the "fear"
Review: There are few books that introduce themselves to the artist these days--this is an exception. With honest and open commentary, Art & Fear gives a sense of placement for every thought, every rationale the artist has ever made to his/herself. Within those placements are sound advice, that leaves one feeling at the very least that there are paths beyond the conventional. This one is must for every artist.
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Summary: Couldn't have lived through college with out it
Review: This book saved me in college, and helped me understand the competitiveness of my area of study, and helped me understand my own process of making art and then streamlined it.
I really couldn't say enough good things about this book....hey! even an art student could afford it!
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Summary: Gripping Fear by the Balls
Review: This is an excellent book for artist's who want to get out of a slump in their artmaking. Overall, it tells us why a lot of art does not get made. This book is especially useful for chronic perfectionists and/or people who willingly or unwillingly sabotage their art. It gives you pointers on how to grip fear by the balls.
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Summary: Essential, true, and compassionate
Review: As someone who is embracing once again a passion for art that was misguidedly repressed for a time, this book could not have come at a better time. It is not a grand or secret revelation. It is not another guide to succeeding in the art world. Simply, it is the expression of what every artist already knows within his or her soul. And aside from a rather curous fixation on Mozart at times, it does this remarkably well.
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Summary: Why I re-read 'Art & Fear'
Review: I picked up this book in the middle of a 'dry spell' in my artmaking career. I was looking for some ideas to help me re-ignite the spark. The first thing I did was copy a paragraph from the book and put it up on the wall in my studio It reads, "Operation Manual for Not Quitting: A)Make friends with others who make art and share your work in progress with them frequently, and B)Learn to think of (A) rather than the Museum of Modern Art as the destination of your work -- eventually the MOMA will find you." This little perspective point was the first of ideas I found useful as an individual artist fighting to build a body of work. After reading this book, I experienced the most productive period so far in my emerging artistic career. Could you do the same? Maybe, maybe not. But if you're unsure, consider this idea from the book: If you are fearful or unconfident in your approach to making art, the going will be hard. But when you commit to your work, it will 'come on like the blazes'. The only question that remains is do you REALLY want to do it. This tattered, written-in little volume is the most read book in my studio, and I highly -HIGHLY- recommend it to any creative person looking for their inner voice.
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Summary: No More Myths
Review: Art & Fear clears away the myths from artmaking, leaving you to discover the truth for yourself. There are the obvious economic pressures that go with being an artist. The psychological reality this book helps an artist see is that over the years your artwork depends much more on your values than on your talents or ideas. Your values - not someone else's values. Your values shape your choices, your processes, and the qualities and quantities of your art. Art & Fear helps you to focus on meanings and avoid distractions.
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Summary: Most of us will never be Mozart, but so what...
Review: I agree with most of the reviews here - this is an insightful book that gets right to the point, takes very little time to read and by it's brevity proves its main point - you should be in your studio doing what you do! Art making is a cumulative process - it may be all wrong today, but it will come together.
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Summary: Nothing original...
Review: ...in my review. Though I hate to be seen as jumping on the bandwagon, this book is the perfect medicine for an artist with self-doubts (redundant). Sharing common experiences, the authors, through ESP-like stories and analyses, let us know that how it is for us, is how it is. "Work on your work."
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Summary: Words From The Heart: A Commentary on Art & Fear
Review: I found this book at a small 'on campus' bookstore, shortly after it was published. It was part of a curriculum for a highly regarded Art School in Idyllwild, California. The title shook me to my shoetops and of course, I bought it. From there it has been with me non-stop...a little bible for the writer that I am. It is concise, clear, and compelling. The authors, address the genesis of what can hold the creative process back at the most profound level..Fear. They 'pull back the covers' on just what it is that keeps us from our selves and ultimately our work...whatever the medium. If you are stuck in a 'creative block' that won't move...this book is for you. This book is not for those who can't commit to the often painful process of discovering and re-discovering who they are in relationship to their art or work. Reading the book brought me back to the core of who I am as a creator. I dare you to read it with an open heart as well as mind. Good Luck.
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