All of the photographs and text, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted by the artist. No part of this site, or any of the content contained, may be used or reproduced in any manner without express permission of the copyright holder(s).
I really love all of the film shorts on Kate Spade’s website. This one is particularly adorable and rings true to me because I believe that it doesn’t take much to feel adventurous: wearing a bold coat or holding out some pinwheels in the wind can feel unusual and exciting! I think a good code to live by is asking the question, if it’s not breaking any major laws, moral or civil, and not hurting anyone, and it energizes and excites you, then why not?
What’s an adventurous thing you’ve done lately? Small or big? (I want to try incorporating something thrilling into my life each day. Is it silly to make this a habit? Then I’ll be silly.)
“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.”
This song happened to come on the radio as KEXP’s song of the day as I was taking my oldest to school. And even though we were totally late, and I was having one of those awfully hurried mornings where nothing was going according to plan, it was this song that saved me. I sat there with my hands on the wheel, car idling, stresses melting, as I felt my heart soaring higher and higher and I listened to every. last. note.
“How one lives as a private person is intimately bound into the work. And at some point I believe one has to stop holding back for fear of alienating some imaginary reader or real relative or friend, and come out with personal truth. If we are to understand the human condition, and if we are to accept ourselves in all the complexity, self-doubt, extravagance of feeling, guilty, joy, the slow freeing of the self to its full capacity for action and creation, both as human being and as artist, we have to know all we can about each other, and we have to be willing to go naked.” -May Sarton
It reminds me of all those morning walks. Of staying out late in the city streets with Mars, holding hands. Of what it means to be alive. What else makes you feel alive?
+ letting go of identities.
+ pedaling on my bike until I can’t take it anymore… and then coasting for an entire block or two.
+ having the same haircut I had when I was seven. (my long red hair and bangs.)
+ living minutes away from the water, for the past several years. I get antsy without a coast nearby.
+ waking up before everyone else, or staying up later than everyone else. and then doing something crazy with someone else.
+ feeling resentful feelings towards a person, a memory, or a situation all dissolve… at my will.
+ this time of the year.
+ being vulnerable, and then realizing that the possibility of appearing weak, open and emotional is a sign of true strength.
(In one of those “in another life” scenarios, I would love to be a music video maker. Producer? Film maker. You know.. the person in charge of creating a scene, choosing the music, the lights, the costumes, the location, the shots.)
I’ve written and spoken about this book many times before, and there is good reason. This compilation of letters, notes and lectures to the Robert Henri’s students are loosely organized by technical advice, inspiration and teachings that I come back to again and again. A favorite aspect of this book is how I can turn to any page and just jump in. I can’t help but feel like he was somehow a mentor of mine when I growing up… I found a paperback edition when I was around 15 at a used book store and it’s been dogeared and referenced ever since. No artist should be without this one! (On a side note, I’ve also noticed the my reactions to his paintings I’ve been fortunate enough to see at museums strike a very personal chord with me, the same feeling I’ve had before when seeing art professor’s works in galleries have on me. Since this book is all in text, it was much like being taught at school, without ever seeing the professor’s personal work but learning from their style and being schooled in everything they could pass on to me. Then: seeing everything come together in their vision on the wall, understanding how every brushstroke from their hand came onto the canvas for the first time… you understand that work more intensly, more intimatly, it’s a a non visual language that you understand from that mentor relationship.)
+ The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp
I know a book is worthy of teaching me something great when instead of just sitting down and plugging through it, I reach for my notebook and pen and cannot stop taking notes through the length of it. There is an impression (stereotype?) out there that artists, because of their independent nature and willingness to change up the rules, don’t work well or are unreliable and flightly, etc. Though I know that holds up for some, Twyla proves in a stern fashion that there is a great discipline to craft, and it takes more than luck or talent to fulfill that potential. This one will whip you into shape!
+ Trust the Process: An Artist’s Guide to Letting Go
If you are going through a rough patch, creatively speaking. If you are lacking confidence. If you are not sure what step is next. If you doubt that you should even start on the path of being an artist. If you don’t know where or why to begin. This is the book for you, truly a favorite. (Hey, you might even avoid some psychotherapy picking this one up.)
+ Walking in This World by Julia Cameron
I read this so long ago, but had to include it in my list because I remember so many lightbulbs going off over my head while reading it. It was like a bouquet of wattage floating over my red hair, but I know I need to go back and reread it to recall exactly what it was. Most any Julia Cameron book will bring the artist to a good place in my opinion, and she certainly has a lot to choose from. I’ve read most of her books, but this one in particular is special because it inspired the theme to my blog from one little line, “When we express our creativity, we are a conduit for the great creator to explore, express, and expand it’s divine nature and our own. We are like songbirds. When one of us gives voice to our true nature, it is contagious and others soon give tongue as well.” (Bold added so ya’d notice the name there, grin.) I have tried to live by that since those words sunk in years ago, it’s become the spine in my work and I love to feel my enthusiasm build when I hear it flowing in my mind.
What about you, do you have some favorite encouraging books for artists? I’d love to hear your recommendations!
+ Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke
Lisa suggested this one as one of her favorites and I have to agree, there’s a reason it’s popular among artists! Go grab a copy if you haven’t had the chance to read it, it’s a slim little collection of letters, but you might want to take your time and savor it.
