From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Strange Planet and NYC Basic Tips and Ettiquette and Strange Planet comes 99 Stories I Could Tell, a guided journal with 99 prompts plus a customizable cover.
Nathan Pyle takes journalers for a creative ride through the pages of this product--each prompt comes with a mix of black lines (solid boundaries to color) and blue lines (to trace and use as a jumping off point for further imagination. The prompts move from extremely suportive towards the start of the journal (giving the journaler lots of structure so as not to intimidate them) to more free-form, the idea being that the journaler's skills will increase the more they progress.
The prompts themselves are a collection of inventive and humorous trips down memory lane, helping journalers curate and draw their most prized recollections, and also to unearth memories they didn't know they had (a lie you were told as a child that you believed until recently, or the first fictional death you experienced). With a well-honed sensibility for what shares well online and what people are searching for, each of the 99 stories has been chosen because it prompts emotional resonance and will be content people will be excited to share on their social media. The prompts can also be mixed and matched to create all new narratives, the way musical notes can be lined up differently to make new tunes.
Package wise, this journal is a large square, big enough to satisfy doodlers, but light enough to easily fit in a backpack or totebag. The book's jacket is a silk-screened PVC case which adds to the nostalgic feel (reminiscent of a toy); the jacket is also removeable to reveal an uncoated cover where journalers can embellish the design in their own way, making each and every journal totally customizable.
Behind every successful venture, there's a great idea. Based on the notion that creativity is a life skill that must be continually cultivated, Ayan offers ten strategies for finding and harnessing inspiration.
Assembled from the wisdom of 36 legendary art teachers - all of them artists or critics at the top of their field - Akademie X: Lessons in Art + Life is an ideal curriculum for the aspiring artist.
Each of the book's "tutors" has provided a unique lesson that aims to provoke, inspire and stimulate the aspiring artist. These lessons cover some combination of the following: technical advice (e.g. don't make a sculpture bigger than your studio door), assignments (some of which will take five minutes to complete, others five years), tips for avoiding creative ruts (including suggestions for mind‐expanding materials to read, watch or listen to), principles of careful looking (demonstrated with images of artworks, photographs, films or even billboard advertisements), advice on the daily practice of art (how to balance time alone in the studio with building an artistic community), career pointers (how to prepare for a studio visit from a curator or gallerist) and personal anecdotes (e.g. stories from the instructor's own humble beginnings). Taken together, these lessons offer the reader a set of tools for thinking, seeing and living as an artist.
Not only is Akademie X: Lessons in Art + Life the first illustrated text book of its kind for artists, but it will also appeal to anyone interested in contemporary art, providing first hand revelations into the philosophies and techniques of some of the world's best artists and writers.
"This is a book about making art. Ordinary art. Ordinary art means something like: all art not made by Mozart. After all, art is rarely made by Mozart-like people; essentially--statistically speaking--there aren't any people like that. Geniuses get made once-a-century or so, yet good art gets made all the time, so to equate the making of art with the workings of genius removes this intimately human activity to a strangely unreachable and unknowable place. For all practical purposes making art can be examined in great detail without ever getting entangled in the very remote problems of genius."
---from the Introduction
Art & Fear explores the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn't get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way. The book's co-authors, David Bayles and Ted Orland, are themselves both working artists, grappling daily with the problems of making art in the real world. Their insights and observations, drawn from personal experience, provide an incisive view into the world of art as it is expeienced by artmakers themselves.
This is not your typical self-help book. This is a book written by artists, for artists --- it's about what it feels like when artists sit down at their easel or keyboard, in their studio or performance space, trying to do the work they need to do. First published in 1994, Art & Fear quickly became an underground classic. Word-of-mouth response alone--now enhanced by internet posting--has placed it among the best-selling books on artmaking and creativity nationally.
Art & Fear has attracted a remarkably diverse audience, ranging from beginning to accomplished artists in every medium, and including an exceptional concentration among students and teachers. The original Capra Press edition of Art & Fear sold 80,000 copies.
An excerpt:
Today, more than it was however many years ago, art is hard because you have to keep after it so consistently. On so many different fronts. For so little external reward. Artists become veteran artists only by making peace not just with themselves, but with a huge range of issues. You have to find your work...
The primal role of art in awakening and liberating the soul of humanity
- Presents a seven-stage journey of transformation moving from the darkened soul to the light of spiritual illumination - Provides a meditation practice to experience the spiritual energy embedded within art - Includes artists Alex Grey, Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Walter Gaudnek, and others Art and Spiritual Transformation presents a seven-stage journey from the darkened soul to the light of spiritual illumination that is possible through the world of art. Finley Eversole introduces a meditation practice that moves beyond the visual content of an art form in order to connect with its embedded spiritual energy, allowing the viewer to tap in to the deeper consciousness inherent in the artwork and awaken dormant powers in the depths of the viewer's soul. Examining modern and postmodern artwork from 1945 onward, Eversole reveals the influences of ancient Egypt, India, China, and alchemy on this art. He draws extensively on philosophy, myth and symbolism, literature, and metaphysics to explain the seven stages of spiritual death and rebirth of the soul possible through art: the experience of self-loss, the journey into the underworld, the experience of the dark night of the soul, the conflict with and triumph over evil, the awakening of new life in the depths of being, and the return and reintegration of consciousness on a higher plane of being, resulting finally in ecstasy, transfiguration, illumination, and liberation. To illustrate these stages, Eversole includes works by abstract expressionists Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and Mark Rothko and modern visionary artists Alex Grey and Ernst Fuchs, among others, to reveal the powerful and liberating forces art contributes to the transformation and evolution of human consciousness.
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What is art's purpose? In this engaging, lively, and controversial new book, bestselling philosopher Alain de Botton and art historian John Armstrong propose a new way of looking at familiar masterpieces, suggesting that they can be useful, relevant, and - above all else - therapeutic for their viewers. De Botton argues that certain great works offer clues on managing the tensions and confusions of everyday life. Chapters on Love, Nature, Money, and Politics outline how art can help with these common difficulties - for example, Vermeer's Girl Reading a Letter helps us focus on what we want to be loved for; Serra's Fernando Pessoa reminds us of the importance of dignity in suffering; and Manet's Bunch of Asparagus teaches us how to preserve and value our long‐term partners. Art as Therapy offers an unconventional perspective, demonstrating how art can guide us, console us, and help us better understand ourselves.
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Packed with the signature can-do attitude that makes beloved artist Danny Gregory a creativity guru to thousands across the globe, this unique guide serves up a hearty helping of inspiration. For aspiring artists who want to draw and paint but just can't seem to find time in the day, Gregory offers 5- to 10-minute exercises for every skill level that fit into any schedule--whether on a plane, in a meeting, or at the breakfast table--along with practical instruction on techniques and materials, plus strategies for making work that's exciting, unintimidating, and fulfilling. Filled with Gregory's encouraging words and motivating illustrations, Art Before Breakfast teaches readers how to develop a creative habit and lead a richer life through making art.
Inspire your creative spirit--everyday
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced artist, Art Escapes provides the ideas and encouragement you need to discover greater creativity and artistic confidence, even when you're short on time. Professional artist and instructor Dory Kanter shows you how to:
- Experience more fun and greater confidence drawing and painting.
- Express yourself and experiment everyday with an art journal.
- Reinterpret daily life with simple, beautiful sketches.
- Find painting inspiration in unexpected places.
- Paint freely, intuitively and passionately with a simple four-step approach.
- Create new forms of art, including watercolor mosaics, paper weavings and found object collages.
You'll also find 13 drawing, watercolor, mixed media, and assemblage projects, plus several "page-a-day" ideas.
With Art Escapes, you'll learn how to build an art "habit," one that brings joy with every stroke of your brush.
