Living and Maintaining a Creative Life: Essays from 40 Working Artists
edited by sharon louden
This book offers working artists a collection of personal stories from people who have been there. By reading their experiences, you gain insight into the practical and essential side of making a living as an artist. these stories validate the artistic struggles we all face and also inspire the possibilities that lie ahead. the diverse perspectives of the artists are at once brutally honest, aspirational, and fun.
You are reading: Art books for adults
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Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Awareness, and Creativity
david lynch
When you admire an artist’s work, you often wonder, “How do they come up with these ideas?” David Lynch charmingly leads readers through his process of finding and harnessing creativity. Lynch, a long-time practitioner of Transcendental Meditation, offers deeply delightful ideas for brainstorming. Weaving life, art, and consciousness together, this book turns the idea of the suffering artist on its head and replaces it instead with the idea that our mental capacity and our ability to achieve inner peace act as our greatest creative engine.
do it: the compendium
curated by hans ulrich obrist
as part of a twenty-year ongoing project, curator hans ulrich obrist recruited more than 60 renowned artists to contribute instructions for creating and exhibiting works of art. These wacky, fun, and quirky essays give you “do-it-yourself” instructions for creating contemporary art and will spark your own creative ideas. It’s also quite exciting to read the writings and connect with such prominent contemporary artists as Ai Weiwei, Marina Abramovic, Jon Baldessari, Matthew Barney, Christian Boltanski, and Louise Bourgeois…just to name a few.
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art & fear: observations on the dangers (and rewards) of artistic creation
david bayles & ted orland
art and fear is one of those books that we have highlighted, folded and marked with dozens of torn sticky notes. is a book that artists continue to recommend and connect with. Simply written, this book addresses the insecurities all artists face when finishing projects or submitting their work for critique. it’s concise, clear, compelling, and worth coming back to again and again. For anyone who has felt internal or external pressures that prevented them from creating (and who hasn’t?), this book deserves a prominent place in your library.
creative block
danielle krysa
This book is both beautiful and insightful. perfect to put on the coffee table and collect from time to time. Jealous Curator Danielle Krysa highlights 50 artists’ strategies for overcoming a creative block and finding inspiration. Presented with large, colorful images, she can flip through the artworks and read selections about how that particular artist meets the challenges of the art world in a refreshingly candid way.
Photo by Arif Riyanto
Photo by Arif Riyanto Making the Leap: Building a Career as a Visual Artist (The Inside Guide to Showcasing and Selling Your Art)
lang cay
This is another one of those heavily marked finds with lots of handwritten notes in the margins. Cay Lang guides him through the (very practical) steps he must take to establish a career as a professional artist. From expert advice on how to promote yourself online to contemporary business best practices, this book helps you understand the ins and outs of galleries, as well as alternative platforms for selling your work. taking the leap provides concrete guidance for artists looking to showcase their work from someone who has had years of experience.
art/work
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jonathan melber, heather darcy bhandari
Do you feel lost when it comes to galleries, contracts and documentation? This book delves into the everyday aspects of what you need to know to run your art business. While there is no magic bullet to getting representation, the art/work offers some practical advice on professional presentations, submission work, and legal documents.
the artist’s guide: how to make a living doing what you love
jackie battenfield
Written for artists from an artist’s perspective, Jackie Battenfield offers the ultimate reference book for artists. Covering a wide range of topics that artists may encounter throughout their careers, the artist’s guide provides a comprehensive overview of what professional artists need to know to have a thriving career. On top of that, there are tons of really nice artwork images to go along with the text and visually drive home the point.
Using real-life examples, Battenfield presents tips on planning, strategies for self-management, marketing promotion, grant writing, and portfolio development. each chapter ends with a “reality check” in which professional artists provide advice on the topic at hand.
art, inc.: the essential guide to building your career as an artist
lisa congdon
lisa congdon started out as a hobbyist and turned her passion into a business that allows her to make a full-time living as an artist. In this practical guide, she uses this first-hand experience to design a framework to take her art career to the next level. This book details specific strategies and tools to help you improve her business acumen and turn her creative drive into a profitable business. Congdon goes into detail about best practices for marketing and promoting her artwork, navigating the world of galleries and collectors, and handling the legal side of things.
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