“This book is about what it feels like to sit in your studio or your classroom, at your wheel or keyboard, easel or camera, trying to do the work you need to do. It is about committing your future to your own hands, placing free will above predestination, choice above chance… It is about finding your own work.”
— David Bayles and Ted Orland
Are there any artists who do not question themselves and their work?
I know I’m not alone in the artist struggle… Many of us grew up in similar family and social environments where art was not “serious” or “important” work. Art was something that was done around the edges of real work… after dinner, or on the weekends as a hobby.
Creativity was enjoyed in my family, but its real value was as a tool to accomplish important things.
If you identify with this, the book “Art and Fear” may be a valuable tool to bring into your art practice. When I first got the book, I read it and realized how helpful it could be as an audio recording. Since then I have listened to it many times while working in my studio, and sometimes when I am walking or driving. When I return to a section of the book I have already listened to, I am sure I hear things that were not there before. I like to imagine that as I grow as an artist, my ears grow as well!
As usual, I welcome your insights and comments. We are all in this together!
Sharon Casey Art Quilts 