Average customer rating:
- The Artists Way
- get out of your own way
- It works!
- not much content
- Worth the Work
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The Artist's Way
Julia Cameron
Manufacturer: Tarcher
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The Artist's Way Workbook
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The Artist's Way Morning Pages Journal
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The Right to Write: An Invitation and Initiation into the Writing Life
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Walking in this World
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Transitions
ASIN: 1585421472
Release Date: 2002-02-28 |
Amazon.com
With the basic principle that creative expression is the natural direction of life, Julia Cameron and Mark Bryan lead you through a comprehensive twelve-week program to recover your creativity from a variety of blocks, including limiting beliefs, fear, self-sabotage, jealousy, guilt, addictions, and other inhibiting forces, replacing them with artistic confidence and productivity.
This book links creativity to spirituality by showing how to connect with the creative energies of the universe, and has, in the four years since its publication, spawned a remarkable number of support groups for artists dedicated to practicing the exercises it contains.
Book Description
NOW AVAILABLE _ Digitally remastered, and on CD for the first time
Read by the author
Customer Reviews:
The Artists Way.......2007-10-02
This book is so incredible. I am starting to see the creative possibilities again.
get out of your own way.......2007-09-27
When I worked at an art supply shop, we carried The Artist's Way as a standard item; oft I would skim through it, purchase the book, then wrap it up and hand it over with a blessing. I never thought that I was blocked creatively or had an issue with the producing of art. 5 or more years have passed, 8 or 9 gifts have been given and this year, for my birthday I bought it FOR MYSELF. How many times do we as creative people take for granted our creativity? ~or~ Are we blocked as people, and therefor our creations suffer as a result??
What Ms. Cameron has done is give us creative types {WE ALL ARE} permission to peel away the layers of ingrained LEARNED crud- at our own pace- to reveal the artist we all need to embrace- be she/he a painter, writer, sculptor, composer, chef- whatever. Set up in weekly chapter format, there are exercises to get one centered- back to self. You start by making a commitment to yourself to write daily, take care of your body mind and spirit, and relish in personal outings of "frivolity."
We all possess within us the strength and understanding of what works and does not. This wonderful book just pushes us along gently to reveal it.
Happy Reading,
Violet {Artist at Large}
It works!.......2007-08-19
I received THE ARTIST"S WAY when it was originally published (1994?). I was living in Japan and had the time and opportunity to work thru it. It was very interesting and informative in revealing myself...to myself! It wasn't until a year later when I returned to the U.S. that a light when off in my head and I realized that the impact the book had made on me was reflecting in my life. My career became easier. My relationships became more meaningful. There was a tremendous block that had been removed and I srongly believe that it was the result of working thru this book. It made me stronger. Over the years I have recommended it to others and I highly recommend this edition to you. (One small thing that it did was to enable me after fourteen years of procrastination to write to former president, Jimmy Carter. Well, he wrote me back!) Good luck with your journey!
not much content.......2007-08-15
This book may impress many people because of its psycho-lingo, its New Age palaver, and its abundance of second person pronouns. There is a 12-week program to follow, but that is probably for the author's desire to become a cult leader and the readers' desire to become cult followers.
But if you want to learn something you don't already know, you might be disappointed. The message of the book, in fifty words or less, is to resist any friends, relatives, or guilty feelings which tell you that creative pursuit is a waste of time.
That is nothing new. A Transactional Analyst might say the same thing, using the terms Parent and Child. A Freudian might say the same thing, using the terms superego and id.
Worth the Work.......2007-08-03
I have yet to make it through this book after a couple of years of trying, but it is well worth the effort to get your inner artist unblocked. Even unfinished it has helped me make great creative strides. Worth the investment. Worth the work.
Book Description
In this long-awaited sequel to the international bestseller The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron presents the next step in her course of discovering and recovering the creative self.
Walking in This World picks up where Julia Cameron's bestselling book on the creative process, The Artist's Way, left off to present readers with a second course-Part Two in an amazing journey toward discovering our human potential. Full of valuable new strategies and techniques for breaking through difficult creative ground, this is the "intermediate level" of the Artist's Way program.
A profoundly inspired work by the leading authority on the subject of creativity, Walking in This World is an invaluable tool for artists.
Customer Reviews:
Want to write? Walk the Talk! .........2007-06-17
Known for her best selling book THE ARTIST's WAY...Julia Cameron is the author of 19 books both fiction and nonfiction. She bills this book as a sequel to THE ARTIST'S WAY...and says it is the 'nextstep in her course of discovering and recovering the creative self. She urges writers and all creatives to inhabit the world with a 'sense of wonder' -- to not just observe. By dividing the volume into 12 weekly 'chapters' she lets us 'rediscover' the wonder of her "morning pages-- a type of journaling --to get the juices flowing' and helps us map our interests. Each 'chapter' or week works on a different aspect of Discovering -- ranging from 1 -- A sense of origin, to 2 sense of proportion to 3 a sense of perspective 4) a sense of adventure 5) a sense of personal territory to 6) a sense of boundaries to 7) a sense of momentum, to 8 -- a sense of discernment and 9 a sense of resiliency and 10 a sensse of comraderie and 11) a sense of authenticity to 12) a sense of dignity. Julia explains in her intro that "walking and talking humanize her life...they draw it to an ancient and comforting scale...and it is on these walks that her best ideas come to her...and no you don't have to walk every day-- she suggests a weekly walk. In the afterword which follows a short epilogue she explains about her 'creative clusters guide"...she noes that there are no franchised or accredited Artist's Way Teachers...for "creative recovery' as she calls it is 'a nonhierarchial, peer-run, collective process"....something I too totally agree with...She also includes guidelines for a group....for many readers...this process could be much more productive than just a weekly book club...for others...the book is still a great guide to going solo--- to reawakening your creative spirit or just re-affirming that YES, you are creative...and that it's never too late to write that play, paint that canvas or sculpt that statue....We are all creative...we just need to recognize our styles and to encourage our innate ability to color outside of the lines and think outside of the box! THERE IS NO ENVELOPE....
A good continuation to but not as good as the Artists Way.......2007-02-03
This is a nice continuation of the Artists Way program, but will not be as effective without having done the Artists Way first. There are a lot more references to "God" and "The Creator" than the first book, and a bit of repeated information in an identical format. That said, I think this book is a perfect continuation for both artistic recovery and artistic expansion, and is very useful.
Sound advice for anyone.......2007-01-25
I read the Artist's Way long ago and thought this would just be a rehashing of it, but it is an excellent book in itself and as a companion to the Artist's Way. It does cover some of the same ground as the previous, but expands on them, and covers some new territory and techniques for living a productively creative life (such as the Walks in addition to Morning Pages, which may sound simplistic, but the importance of them is explained with helpful insight here.) I consider this book as both a way to strengthen the lessons in the Artist's Way, and a small step forward from it. Both are great books to read thoroughly a couple times, then pick up now and then when needing some sage advice and encouragement in creative endeavors, reassurance in the midst of self-doubt, and just to raise the optimism. I also appreciate that Cameron does all this in a non-New-Agey, straightforward way. (While she does touch on spirituality, do not expect language like "the divine cosmic essence of your being" here.) I can imagine even macho tough guys getting something out of these books.
cameron's books are like candy to me..........2006-10-30
One in the Artist's Way franchise, Cameron continues bolstering artists and their recovery through her frank descriptions of creative phases and her prescriptions of activity to work one's way through. these are the pages that bolstered me through the artescape year. it took me 12 months or more to wade through the 12 weeks of her walk, but to take one's time with this material is allowed. i continue to hold julia cameron in high regard--grateful for her work, her confessional nature, her experience with recovery, her commitment to allowing a great creator to work though her. i particularly like the words of other great creatives, celebrated in the margins of her own work through the decorative use of quotes. i found the chapter on dignity, the last chapter, to be particularly poignant--learning that all artists share a glass mountain phase of their creativity. learning i am not alone in my weird ways of hiding and fearing the "real" world when i come down off my creative highs. cameron's books are like candy to me--constant companions who keep me connected to a legacy of creativity. i am grateful for her anecdotes, her name dropping, her truth-telling. i receive tremendous benefit from my 10 year old morning pages habit--and have added artist dates and walks without adhering to them with any religiosity. i recognize, if taken as prescribed, these antidotes to depression would bolster me more equally throughout my days. i am honored to be a loyal reader of cameron's work--admiring the voice i hear on the page, claiming kinship with the author through how she echoes (or is it i who echoes her?) my own inspirational sentiment. i think it's hard to be an artist--and even harder not to be one. i am grateful for the accompaniment of cameron's artists' ways and walks.
The best emotional and spiritual support for artists.......2006-10-20
I read this book so long ago but still reference it often. This book explains how to live with many universal feelings and experiences of being a writer/artist. Cameron's writing has helped me make crucial decisions, bolstered me when motivation waned, taught me that insecurity comes with the territory, shown me to contain my work until it's ready to withstand critiques, when group support is not supportive, and how to set boundaries to improve productivity. I'm grateful to Cameron's generosity in teaching many things I didn't have to stumble over myself until I figured them out.
The struggle to become your best artist-self can be difficult, if not heart-breaking, in a society that often does not honor its artists with sensitivity or an income. Yea, Julia. You've save me from drowning in confusion many times. If I had one book on my shelf to guide my work, this would be it.
Book Description
This book is about the inner sources of spontaneous creation. It is about where art in the widest sense comes from. It is about why we create and what we learn when we do. It is about the flow of unhindered creative energy: the joy of making art in all its varied forms.
Free Play is directed toward people in any field who want to contact, honor, and strengthen their own creative powers. It integrates material from a wide variety of sources among the arts, sciences, and spiritual traditions of humanity. Filled with unusual quotes, amusing and illuminating anecdotes, and original metaphors, it reveals how inspiration arises within us, how that inspiration may be blocked, derailed or obscured by certain unavoidable facts of life, and how finally it can be liberated - how we can be liberated - to speak or sing, write or paint, dance or play, with our own authentic voice.
The whole enterprise of improvisation in life and art, of recovering free play and awakening creativity, is about being true to ourselves and our visions. It brings us into direct, active contact with boundless creative energies that we may not even know we had.
Customer Reviews:
Creative Encouragement.......2007-06-29
Nachmanovitch writes from the perspective of a professional musician, yet makes it easily possible to transfer his ideas to any realm. Nachmanovitch's ideas are consistent with the thinkers today who believe we are in the Creativity Age, and that all people are creative.
The story of the flute player is skillfully woven throughout the book, and its meaning is clear and timeless.
Improvisation Revealed.......2007-01-11
This book basically tells you to get out of your own way and let your creativity flow! The author has a lot of information in it and I needed a couple of reads to get most of it. I thought it was wonderful, very well written, and the results can be very effective in life. My piano playing has gotten much more free and fun. I rarely play a song the same way twice - just let things flow. If you are into anything creative, I don't think you will be disappointed with this book.
Free Play - Improvisation in Life and Art.......2007-01-05
I LOVE this book and keep it handy because it constantly leads me to my core and helps keep me real.
Play Freely.......2006-08-31
Great book to read if you have lost your spirit to play freely. The entire book can be summarized by the fable presented at the beginning of this book.
I often read the the fable to myself to be reminded of the free play spirit.
Divine Play.......2006-06-19
I have been buying books at Amazon for years, and this is the first review I ever felt compelled to write. Simply put, this is the book I buy and give to family and friends. The knowledge contained in this book is potent and reflect the juicy nuggets of a lucious truth that can be known and experienced in this life. Why just connect with the font of life when you can merge fully into it. I highly recommend this book.
Book Description
From renowned writer and poet Oriah Mountain Dreamer, author of the bestselling The Invitation, The Dance and The Call, comes a practical and inspiring book that explores creativity as a way of accessing and cultivating a spiritually rich life.
'The creative process,' Oriah Mountain Dreamer says, 'is essential to human nature.' It is as essential as spirituality and sexuality, and in fact all three are deeply intertwined. What We Ache For (taken from the second line of the poem, The Invitation) is a practical book allowing readers to embrace the urgency and necessity of their creativity – whether their medium is painting, sculpture, dance, or music. Oriah's passion is writing, and it is that talent which informs the book and its exercises – but the exercises provide readers with a new way to approach their own passions. Following Oriah through this journey, readers learn how to fully embrace their artistic selves as well as forging a new spiritual path. What We Ache For is the practical thread that ties together all of Oriah's previous work – and allows the reader to fully participate in an inspiring and revelatory way.
Download Description
"
In her previous books,
Oriah Mountain Dreamer has challenged readers to live with passion and honesty, to embrace the true, fallible, human self.
What We Ache For is a moving and eloquent call to delve deeply into our creative selves, to do our creative work, and offer it to the world.
The creative process is essential to human nature. It is as essential as spirituality and sexuality, and in fact all three are deeply intertwined.
What We Ache For is a practical book allowing readers to embrace the urgency and necessity of their creativity, whatever their medium -- writing, painting, sculpture, dance, music, or film. As Oriah says, ""Doing creative work allows us to follow the thread of what we ache for into a deeper life, offering us a way to cultivate a life of making love to the world.""
Following Oriah through this journey in such chapters as ""The Seduction of the Artist,"" ""Learning to See,"" and ""Risk and Sacrifice,""
What We Ache For challenges and inspires readers to fully embrace their artistic selves as a way of forging a path of spiritual unfolding.
"
Customer Reviews:
Muse.......2006-07-18
One of the problems for an artist who wants to develop his or her creativity is knowing what creativity is. Some hope to lure a bolt from the blue that will change their view of the world. What they are probably looking for is inspiration.
Most of the books on creativity don't even notice the difference between creativity and inspiration. Add to that that many of the creativity books seem to believe that artists are not creative because of psychological hang-ups and you begin to see the problems an artist may have in working on creativity.
Oriah Mountain Dreamer is a writer who also has spent time as a facilitator and workshop instructor. I was a little reluctant to read this book because the title sounded so mystical. Well, the book is a bit mystical because the author believes in the strong connections between our sexuality, spirituality and creativity. But, surprisingly to me, the book is filled with practical information to help artists explore their creativity.
To the author creativity is finding the way to look at what we know from a new direction or without our preconceived notions. Or to quote a wonderful expression that overuse has turned trite, "thinking outside the box." It means trying to expand the way we see the world, by exploring our experiences at a deeper level, or even more playfully. For example she describes seeing a sign saying "Angels Flight Railway" and wondering where angels would flee and what they would be fleeing from. The author doesn't give us a key to a door in our mind but suggests that we may be able to find a lever.
The book is full of good practical advice, like telling the artist to find a special place to do his or her work, or learning to put aside time that is unscheduled. Some of these elements seem obvious but for me it was useful to hear her suggestions.
Each chapter includes exercises to do. The reader may shy away from them, but they are worth trying. Thinking about which year of your life you would wipe out and why and what the effects would be can provide you with an insight into yourself that can help you shape your art.
This is not a great book, but it is full of useful, practical advice. The artist in search of improved creativity will benefit from reading it.
Great Concept and Exercises, but Difficult to "Translate".......2006-01-14
As someone who is lucky enough to make my creative work my life's work, I was very interested to see what this book had to say. The concept of being true to one's creative process is important to me and I liked the idea of this book, but the execution was somewhat lacking. The narrative was interesting, but often I had a hard time connecting with her experiences and translating them to my life. The exercises at the end of each chapter, however, were very useful and thought-provoking. A good book to help restart or rejuvenate anyone's creative process, and an interesting way to look at what creativity means in a person's life.
Searching to improve creativity.......2005-04-07
In her latest book, the author of "The Invitation" encourages readers - no matter their form of creativity - to look deep into themselves to do what they ache to really accomplish. She proposes by searching our soul, our creativity improves, freeing us.
Each chapter shows the reader how Oriah came to these things herself. At the end there are three types of exercises. There is thinking, how, and doing. Some of these I have seen in other books on writing, but the author acknowledges each of us has our own path to unfolding our souls. By doing so, we are able to delve deep within, create, and share.
I really would have loved to give this book the top rating, but I couldn't. To be honest, I felt the author spent too much time discussing her own journey into searching for what she aches for rather than concentrating on helping the reader discover their own way. As a reader if you are wanting a spiritual book on how creative work unfolds the soul - as the title implies - you may wish to look elsewhere. On the other hand, if you are looking for ways to think and work on your creativity to accomplish goals, this might be the book for you and I recommend it highly.
A Pleasant Ache.......2005-04-06
In this book, Oriah Mountain Dreamer lovingly encourages us to follow our creative yearnings. She shares strategies that help her creative life. Also she gives food for thought as well as concrete exercises. The advice she offers us is provocative and challenging.
Book Description
Learning in and through the arts can develop complex and subtle aspects of the mind, argues Elliot Eisner in this engrossing book. Offering a rich array of examples, he describes different approaches to the teaching of the arts and shows how these refine forms of thinking that are valuable in dealing with our daily life
“Not since John Dewey has an American author written about art, education, and the creation of mind with such power and sensitivity.”—Michael Day, International Journal of Arts Education
“A primer for the future. . . . This book will serve as an inspiration for those needing the language to convince policy makers and curriculum developers of the value of the arts in education, while also serving as a vehicle for illustrating the educational aspirations the very best education can offer.”—Rita L. Irwin, Journal of Critical Inquiry Into Curriculum and Instruction
“[Eisner] has composed a text that is as insightful and inspirational as the educational research he envisions.”—James G. Henderson, International Journal of Education & the Arts
Customer Reviews:
More realistic than subjective.......2006-10-04
Mr. Eisner explain the applications of the skills fostered by the fine arts educational experience. Giving especific examples, the author illuminates the dark side of the fine arts usefullness. On chapter four (soul of the book) deals with what can be expected from the fine arts experience and the real application of the acquired skills. More important, Eisner highlight the fact that the student has a self motivated and intrinsic satisfaction experience when learning thru the arts, something quite difficult to achieve with academics matters.
Book Description
Artists have always known intuitively what science is just beginning to discover: that creating a visual image through any medium can produce physical and emotional benefits for both the creator as well as those who view it. Most important, you don't need to think of yourself as an artist or even believe you have any "talent" to tap into the healing powers of art.
In this remarkable testament to the power of creativity, Barbara Ganim shows step-by-step how to use art to heal body, mind, and spirit. By using guided meditation and artistic techniques, you can gain insight and clarity into depression, anxiety, rage, and even illnesses, including cancer, arthritis, and AIDS.
At once inspirational and instructive,
Art and Healing will teach you how to connect with negative, painful, and even repressed emotions, and then express them through drawing, painting, sculpture, or collage. Releasing these feelings through the creative process frees up the immune system and clears the mind, allowing the body to fight off disease and begin to heal emotional wounds. Filled with actual stories from those who have triumphed over adversity and with more than a hundred different pieces of artwork created using this groundbreaking method,
Art and Healing is sure to provide the tools needed for healing body and spirit.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Interactive Book.......2005-03-16
This is a very good book to help anyone learn about expressive arts and to use them for healing of self or for others. Simple and yet deep at the same time. Ganim takes us on a jouney and show us how to approach our emotions through the art work. The examples of visual pieces are just wonderful.
Excellent for individual work, group therapy, and most definitely children. This book is a very fast read and you may find yourself flying a little to fast through the pages...but I would have to say this is a worthy book to any clinician or client who want to gain understanding for themselves and others.
"art therapy" without the stigma.......2004-12-21
As an artist and teacher who has personally experienced the powerful healing benefits of the creative act, I applaud this book! I believe it can serve many who would not otherwise seek out an art therapist or art therapy texts. Don't dismiss it as "New age hogwash" until you try it yourself -- the proof is in getting those creative juices going and seeing where they take you. You can change and learn in ways that will amaze you --- and the best part is that YOUR creative spirit will show you the way, with a little help from guidebooks such as this.
Detailed yet readable, inspirational and helpful.......2001-06-19
Ms. Ganim's wealth of experience, fluency in art, and intuitive understanding of the human experience comes through in this book. Case studies and excellent color plates help to put life into the points and exercises she gives. There is a tendency to hyperbole and sometimes what seems too good to be true may be just that. But I concede that tendency to anyone who is enthusiastic about their work. This book is made to be used. The exercises are doable and procede in a logical, stepwise fashion. No one needs to be an artist to benefit from these exercises. Ms. Ganim's definition of healing as opposed to cure puts this work in perspective and gives it validity. I would highly recommend it to anyone seriously looking to experience healing in mind, body, and spirit.
really disappointing.......2001-05-23
As a survivor of serious illness, I was really disappointed by the message of this book that art making would help to reveal the hidden metaphors of illness. Ideas such as cancer results from emotional repression of anger and heart disease is the lack of ability to love are insulting,frankly, to people who have serious medical conditions. The information in this book, while presented in an easy-to-read format, is simplistic in its tone and content. The author spends more time talking about herself and her workshops than giving the reader some real guidance on art making for healing. Illustrations are beautiful, but the content was less than satisfying
Wonderful guidebook for non-therapists!.......2000-01-05
This is a great book for lay people. Many books of this type are too academic, densely written or boring to the average non-professional reader who might be interested in this topic. The writer makes the concept so easy to understand. It's filled with examples of interesting (and often beautiful) art work with words and stories by the creators. Very powerful to have the individuals who themselves have gone through life-threatening illnesses and traumatic situations talk about the healing power of art. Particularly fascinating to see examples of how art can be used globally and with the environment. Kudos to the all the people who shared so honestly their intimate stories and viewpoints, and congratulations to the author for compiling such a compelling body of work.
Average customer rating:
- Lynn speaks to us through Spirit
- I love it!!!
|
Writing Spirit
Lynn V. Andrews
Manufacturer: Tarcher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Creativity
| Self-Help
| Health, Mind & Body
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
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Creativity
| By Topic
| Psychology & Counseling
| Health, Mind & Body
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General
| Writing
| Reference
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General
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New Age
| Religion & Spirituality
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| Astrology
| Chakras
| Channeling
| Divination
| Dreams
| General
| Goddesses
| Meditation
| Mental & Spiritual Healing
| Mysticism
| New Thought
| Reference
| Reincarnation
| Self-Help
| Theosophy
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| Visionary Fiction
General
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| Religion & Spirituality
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General
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ASIN: 1585424730 |
Book Description
You are a writer. Your act of power is the book or the story that you are creating. It is now time for you to bloom.-from Writing Spirit
In Writing Spirit Lynn Andrews discusses her own path to becoming a writer, complete with all the struggles she has faced along the way. By giving examples from her life and examining specific pieces of her own work, she explores the process of writing from beginning to end, and imparts her knowledge to novice and experienced writers alike. Writing Spirit addresses particular issues such as:
- Why are you writing?
- Who are you writing for?
- How can you be true to yourself as an artist?
- What are some of the causes of and solutions to writer's block?
Not straying from her spiritual roots, Andrews explains how being true to your spirit is the key to fulfillment in your work. She leads us on a journey to finding the truth within ourselves and teaches us what it really means to be a writer.
Customer Reviews:
Lynn speaks to us through Spirit.......2007-08-07
Is a muse a spirit guide or some form of higher guidance? If so, how does a muse communicate with a writer? Do you have a guide looking over your shoulder as you type? These are some of the questions answered in Writing Spirit by Lynn Andrews.
This book is for anyone wanting to learn how to tap into inner guidance for creativity in the arts. Whether your medium is literature, oil, pencil, drama or dance, you can be inspired to reach your goals and obtain your heart's desire by taking the first step: Take the first step. Yes, it is that easy. When you take action toward expressing your creativity, divine inspiration will meet you at the piano, at the typewriter, or at the easel.
Learn what it really means to be a writer as you learn how to release your inspiration through Shamanic, spiritual traditions. Lynn Andrews has written 19 books using the principles she teaches in this book.
The first and foremost question Lynn asks a writer to answer is "Why are you writing?" The second question is "Who are you writing for?" It's all about including spirit in your writing and in your life.
Find out what causes writers block and how to overcome it when I post Lynn's interview on my blog http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com on August 10, 2007. I hope you will drop by and listen. She is such a pleasant speaker with a lot of useful information to share.
I love it!!!.......2007-05-14
I have always loved Lynn Andrews writing and I really love this book on writing. I am a writer and enjoy all of her exercises and insights.
This is a great book whether you are thinking about writing a book or just want to improve the quality of your life. I loved the exercise about the shaman dance of power but of course that was the title of my first book!
Another great book by a fabulous teacher and guide. She has touched my heart ever since I first read Medicine Woman.
Customer Reviews:
A written work that really works for the Artist.......2007-09-26
I am both a sculptor and a consultant in the use of art's transformational power to generate social innovation and general well being. Ms. Azara's book is both a personal joy to read and a professional tool.
I recommend it to any person interested in discovering or revisiting their own artistic spirit.
Wonderful.......2006-08-19
This is a wonderful book for artist and non artist alike. You do not need to have experience with meditation to follow the guidelines in this book. It has been a delightful experience to follow the exercises here. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to enjoy a thoughtful art making experience.
Would be better as a CD.......2006-06-29
I enjoyed the ideas in the book but found it ultimately not to be very useful. The book consists mainly of guided meditations focused around aspects of creativity. In a CD form it would be useful as an adjunct to actual meditation.
The information about the artist and her process was interesting and the guided meditations could be useful in a different format. My one biggest wish is for a lot more hands-on creative exercises. There were a few, but in a book geared towards creativity and "making", there should be alot more experiential stuff.
Nancy Azara's artistry.......2006-06-27
In her book, Making a Spiritual Practice of Making Art, Nancy Azara writes about her own approach to art making that incorporates meditation and intention. The beautiful prose could be a book of poems. . . but its utility for artmaking is the absolute strength of her writing. One of the significant struggles for me as an artist is to volley each day between doubt and confidence in my work. Through Ms. Azara's book, I realized that there is also an artistry to trusting myself and my own experience. I have learned through her book and feel that it has helped me to make art with greater risk and richness. I recommend this book for everyone.
Great book, artwork, and information.......2005-09-03
I bought Nancy's book because I enjoy her artwork and was pleased at how it helped me understand her artwork as well as providing a great approach to deal with patients on their issues using a variety of art forms and mediums. Nice examples, and a generally great book!
Average customer rating:
- Tiring
- A paean to the life of creation
- The brighter side of human achievement
- A creative description of creative people
- Don't Miss This!
|
Creators: From Chaucer and Durer to Picasso and Disney
Paul M. Johnson
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0060191430
Release Date: 2006-03-14 |
Book Description
Twenty years ago Paul Johnson published Intellectuals, biographical essays forming what Kingsley Amis described as "a valuable and entertaining Rogues' Gallery of Adventures of the Mind." It was a bestseller in many of the score of languages into which it was translated, but also criticized for describing clever people "so as to bring out their bad behavior" (Bernard Williams, New York Review of Books).
Paul Johnson now meets the charge with this companion volume of essays on outstanding and prolific creative spirits. He looks at writers from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Mark Twain and T. S. Eliot, artists like Dürer, and architects such as Pugin and Viollet-le-Duc. He explains the different ways in which Jane Austen, Madame de Stael, and George Eliot struggled to make their voices heard in the masculine hubbub. Victor Hugo allows him to ask, "Can imaginative genius coexist with low intelligence?" Johann Sebastian Bach gives him the opportunity to focus on the role of genetics in creativity and to explore the strange world of the organ loft. Louis Comfort Tiffany takes him into the technology of glass-making and the tragic vagaries of aesthetic fashion. Some essays make illuminating comparisons: of Turner with his contemporary the Japanese master Hokusai, and of the two great dress designers, Balenciaga and Dior. The final essay examines those two inventive geniuses, Picasso and Disney, and asks which had the greater influence on the visual arts of the twentieth century -- and beyond.
Paul Johnson believes that creation is a mysterious business that cannot be satisfactorily analyzed. But it can be illustrated in such a way as to bring out its salient characteristics. That is the purpose of this instructive and witty book.
Download Description
"
Twenty years ago Paul Johnson published Intellectuals, biographical essays forming what Kingsley Amis described as ""a valuable and entertaining Rogues' Gallery of Adventures of the Mind."" It was a bestseller in many of the score of languages into which it was translated, but also criticized for describing clever people ""so as to bring out their bad behavior"" (Bernard Williams, New York Review of Books).
Paul Johnson now meets the charge with this companion volume of essays on outstanding and prolific creative spirits. He looks at writers from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Mark Twain and T. S. Eliot, artists like Dürer, and architects such as Pugin and Viollet-le-Duc. He explains the different ways in which Jane Austen, Madame de Stael, and George Eliot struggled to make their voices heard in the masculine hubbub. Victor Hugo allows him to ask, ""Can imaginative genius coexist with low intelligence?"" Johann Sebastian Bach gives him the opportunity to focus on the role of genetics in creativity and to explore the strange world of the organ loft. Louis Comfort Tiffany takes him into the technology of glass-making and the tragic vagaries of aesthetic fashion. Some essays make illuminating comparisons: of Turner with his contemporary the Japanese master Hokusai, and of the two great dress designers, Balenciaga and Dior. The final essay examines those two inventive geniuses, Picasso and Disney, and asks which had the greater influence on the visual arts of the twentieth century -- and beyond.
Paul Johnson believes that creation is a mysterious business that cannot be satisfactorily analyzed. But it can be illustrated in such a way as to bring out its salient characteristics. That is the purpose of this instructive and witty book.
"
Customer Reviews:
Tiring.......2007-07-09
I'm reasonably certain I qualify as the intended audience for this book. Relatively conservative, relatively well-read, a skeptic and a bit of a iconoclast. Should be a sympathetic reader. Yet I found it tedious and frustrating. Between his repeated braggadoccio and the lightweight analysis, I was generally disappointed. My son called him a pompous blowhard for his small, but endlessly annoying, autobiographical snippets. For instance, like Durer, he always travels with his watercolors. Cool! He recalls that memorable evening when he, C. S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkien were wrestling with an Eliot poem, and the day he remarked to Anthony Powell.....well, you get the idea. How about that untranslated French? (Sorry, Paul, I'm a mere monolingual dummy.) And the one that nearly sent me screaming into the night, when referring to Pride and Prejudice, he let this fly: "to many, though not to the most discerning, her greatest achievement." Whom is he including in that rarefied group do you think? Ultimately, Paul Johnson reminded me of the Oscar Wilde wannabes I all too frequently met while I was studying in Oxford. Cape, beret, French cigarettes, often with a holder!, and a bon mot for every occasion. Their goal in life was to prove they knew your speciality more thoroughly than you did. I soon learned to recognize their uniform and flee them as I would a man in a white robe and pointy hood.
Paul Johnson is a well-educated man with a breadth of knowledge I could never hope to match. He has read everything, seen paintings everywhere (documenting his worldwide travels while doing so...why did he tell me where these are other than to brag?) and listened carefully to an astounding collection of music. But he brings little real insight to the creative process, other than that these folks all worked very hard. Painted or wrote or read or sewed, they spent years practicing and honing and reworking. But I wonder if another book could be written about creative people who do not fit this mold, massively fertile artists who squandered their time in alcohol or drugs and yet climbed out periodically to produce something majestic.
Bach came from a musical family and worked hard. Genetics were helpful claims Mr. Johnson. But were they? Both Haydns came from a non-musical family and achieved a bit of musical success as well. So what role does genetics play? It varies.... How about education? Well, Eliot had it in spades, but Austen and Dickens did not. Some read endlessly, some not at all. Does it matter? Or how about genius? Are the most creative people the smartest? Slam dunk, right? Well, not quite. Victor Hugo was a dunce, a fool, a lecherous old man (and a lecherous young man as well.) Yet he managed to write books that will last far beyond the scribblings of men far more brilliant. So the conclusion seems to be that creativity comes from lots of different kinds of folks, living lots of different kinds of lives. Didn't need a whole book for that. When there is a heartfelt response to a great work of art, there are tears, or that mysterious welling, or overwhelming joy. I never felt that in this book. Paul Johnson failed to communicate how these masters managed to get their audiences to experience that. Clinical, straightforward, full of copious information, but little insight. Read or listen to the creators themselves. Far more enjoyable.
A paean to the life of creation .......2007-05-04
If in a previous work 'Intellectuals' Johnson was all acid in criticizing those who in his phrase ' put ideas before people'.In this work he is all sweetness in praising great creators who as he sees it ' people before ideas'. Johnson's praise of creation however is not confined to those we normally think of creators. Like the great American pragmatist thinkers he sees ' creation' as an inherent part of human everyday life. Furthermore he gives this concept a religious grounding, by speaking of the idea that God the Creator wishes human beings to be creators also. This idea is Biblically derived, and is a reflection of Johnson's own religious view.
In the opening chapter Johnson commends creators for their courage in overcoming adversities, for their persistence against rejection of many kinds. He writes, " What strikes me, surveying the history of creativity, is how little fertile and productive people often received in the way of honors, money or anything else." He gives the example of Vermeer whose great dedication and hard work did succeed in lifting his family from poverty. He says that Bach and Mozart too never really had full financial security despite their enormous productive efforts.
Johnson is an especial chamption of prolific, hard- working creators. His opening chapter is on Chaucer who virtually invents the modern English language and literature. He then writes of Durer one of those artists who was always learning, expanding and developing his powers in new areas. His third chapter is devoted to Shakespeare who Johnson calls " the most creative personality in human history" Johnson makes studies of two great Shakespeare characters Falstaff and Hamlet. Johnson focuses on the new phrases and words Shakespeare has given to the language. He emphasizes the speed and variety of Shakespeare's creation, the tremendous insight into human life and character. He sees Hamlet as a kind of deep thinker whose reflections throw light on every important aspect of human existence.
If Johnson points to Shakespeare as proof that the great creator can come from anywhere is in no way dependent on high origins- then he in his next chapter on Bach focuses on the opposite aspect, the genetic component. He writes of the Bach family which for three hundred years from the age of Luther to the age of Bismarck were at the heart of German music. Bach is praised not only for his hardworking dedication, but for his enormous originality- his creating in every music form known at the time ( except Opera) and expanding the dimensions and scope of each form.
In the chapter on Turner and Hokusai Johnson writes of creators who did not go outside their own form of creation- who were wholly dedicated to it. "Turner transformed landscape , during his lifetime into the greatest of visual arts,and left the world of painting permanently changed- indeed artists all over the world are still learning from him ..... Hokusai in effect created Japanese landscape painting from nothing, but he also portrayed Japanese life in the first half of the nineteenth century with dazzling graphic skill and an encyclopedia completeness that have never been equaled anywhere"
In his chapter on Jane Austen Johnson focuses on the special difficulties women have had historically in attempting to be creators.He points out that most women were simply barred by their families from any creative endeavor. He tells in a few especially instructive pages the story of George Eliot, who was at the outset something of a rejected if not ugly, then very plain 'duckling'. With the years ' she was increasingly recognized not only as a storyteller of extraordinary gifts but as moral mentor of formidable power. Polite society , far from shutting her out, queued up at her door and was often refused admittance." Jane Austen, Johnson indicates did not have anything like Eliot's success in her own lifetime, but her books are far more widely read today. Johnson points to her early elegance, self- confidence and ebullience in writing. Johnson sees her great transformation coming when she looked into the Romantic novels of her own day, and understood that she could do far better than them."Quite naturally, she perceived that real life , as she knew it from personal experience , was much more fun to write about than impossible adventures of which she knew nothing." Johnson laments her early death and puts her with those creators Keats, Shelley, Mozart, Weber, Girtin, Gericault, Bonningon who died young and left many with a longing for works of theirs which would never be. Johnson also writes of the architects A.W.N. Pugin and Viollet- le-Duc, of Victor Hugo, Mark Twain (For Johnson 'humor'is one of the greatest of all creative gifts) Tiffany, T.S. Eliot, Picasso and Walt Disney.
This is a wonderfully entertaining book. It is centered on a 'positive' subject most people I suspect are happy to read and learn more about . However here I would register one note, if not of dissent, then of reservation.
In his opening chapter Johnson writes of the great creative power of Wagner's operas. Johnson ignores however their evil and destructive ideology- He ignores the fact that great creators have often been evil people. He ignores too the fact that 'destruction is inherent in certain kinds of creation'.And great creators are often those with a kind of overriding ambition, a kind of Faustian hunger that means their creation brings with it great destruction.
The subject is darker than his list of creative heroes indicates. There is a whole literature from Rudolf Wittkauer to Kay Redfield -Jamison on the saturnic, dark, depressive force behind much great creation. And many many of the greatest creators were not the kind of sensible, practical productive businesslike figures Johnson praises. Consider
Johnson as religious believer does not really raise the question of why great creative gift and powers are sometimes given by God to evil people.
In his final chapter he speaks briefly about scientific and technological discovery as creative work. He cites Humphrey Davy's invention of the safety- mask for miners, and the over one thousand inventions of the greatest inventor of all , Edison. But he does not talk about Newton and Einstein. And he does not even begin to point out how scientific and technical creation are at the heart of so many dilemnas, including 'survival' facing Mankind today. In other words here too the darker sides, the more problematic sides of 'creation' are not considered.
Again though, despite these reservations, this is an exceptionally instructive and enjoyable work.
The brighter side of human achievement.......2007-03-26
I always make it a point to dip into the über-prolific Johnson's latest tome; his magnificent "Modern Times" had a most profound effect on the way I see and interpret the world. This latest effort is a sequel, of sorts, to Johnson's incisive "Intellectuals," in which the author drew stark contrasts between the lofty ideals of a gaggle of influential thinkers from Rousseau to Bertrand Russell and the frequently dreadful ways in which they treated the people in their lives. The message: beware letting such busybodies run things, as they recognize only "the heartless tyranny of ideas." As Johnson explains in the Introduction to "Creators", he caught a lot of flak over "Intellectuals"' "mean-spiritedness" (I prefer to call it "unwelcome truth-telling") and thereupon resolved to write a more "positive" survey of some of the world's most accomplished creative minds.
Creators could easily have been several times its final length, and one can sense in several cases how tempted Johnson must have been to expand his survey. In the section on Jane Austen, for example, Johnson manages to squeeze in micro-discussions of several other female authors, such as George Eliot and Mme. de Staël. (Perhaps he was trying to head off accusations of sexism?) By and large, however, Creators cuts the critical commentaries close to the bone and hews to its stated goal of using the figures discussed here to illustrate various ways in which the creative urge may manifest itself. Johnson evinces a clear preference for practical-minded, nose-to-the-grindstone geniuses such as Shakespeare, J.S. Bach, and Albrecht Dürer, who married disdain for overly "intellectual" theorizing to superhuman work ethics. By far the least likable of these pivotal figures is Pablo Picasso, whom Johnson compares unfavorably with Walt Disney in perhaps the most controversial of his essays. (Those who have read Johnson's "Art: A History" will be familiar with Johnson's attitude towards Picasso; it's the direct comparison with Disney, a bête noîre of the same cultural leftists who idolize Picasso, that will drive the latter folks crazy.) The book isn't as memorable or as eye-opening as "Intellectuals", but it will give a reader new to Johnson a fairly decent flavor of the man's working methods (dare I say, his sense of creativity?).
A creative description of creative people.......2007-03-19
Jane Austen produced novels in lieu of children, because she was not pretty enough to attract a potential father. T. S. Eliot produced poems, because his hernias sidelined him from physical things and thus gave him the vast amount of time and energy required to develop his intellect. "Shakespeare is the most creative personality in human history."?
Pablo Picasso was a women-beating communist (that never seems to be brought out by the popular press). Now if I run across a Picasso, in addition to cubes, I will see red.
Paul Johnson also gave me a new appreciation for the accomplishments of Mark Twain and Walt Disney.
Don't Miss This!.......2007-02-09
Paul Johnson has become almost like a family friend. His editorials in Forbes to his ginormous (if you have young adults, you know this word)tomes about history have allowed us to see in our mind's eyes the people and activies that have shaped the modern world. This short work describes some people we thought we knew: creators of fiction, art and fantasy fashion. Johnson brings the creators he describes into a spotlight that reveals finer details...details you don't want to miss.
Book Description
Making art, says Peter London, is a perfect vehicle for recovering our lost sense of unity with Nature. When we draw closer to Nature through art, we simultaneously draw closer to our Selves, and thereby enjoy a richer, more authentic creativity and a deeper, fuller life. Through exercises, theoretical reflections, poetic meditations, and stories, London presents an innovative approach to creativity that engages body, mind, and spirit. A series of guided "Encounters"âsome to be done outdoors, some indoors in the presence of some natural objects, and some entirely in the imaginationâinvites the reader to investigate Nature's secrets and then to celebrate through making a work of art. Topics and exercises include: the essentials of creative practice, such as time, space, media, and intention; cultivating a simple, firsthand way of seeing Nature in all its subtlety, mystery, and intimacy; creating a personal sanctuary in which to communicate directly with Nature; conducting a sacred conversation with archetypal forms of Nature encountered in the imagination; seeking forgiveness from Nature, with the intention of healing our broken primal relationship with the natural world and rediscovering our rightful place in it.
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