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BOOKS
Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils and Rewards of Artmaking by David Bayles and Ted Orland (Capra Press, Santa Barbara, 1993). This book explores the way art gets made, the reasons it doesn’t get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way. It is ultimately about finding and committing to your own work.
The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron (JP Tarcher, 1992). This book offers tools for cultivating your creativity including morning pages and artist dates.
Beauty in Photography by Robert Adams (Aperture, 1989). This thoughtful collection of essays offers insights into the creative act of photographing, including the urge to create beauty as a means to defend against the chaos of life.
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott (Pantheon, 1994). This is wonderful book on the creative process, told with humor and wisdom. Although it is geared toward writers, Lamott's insights aptly apply to artists in all media.
Camera Lucida: Reflections on Photography by Roland Barthes, translated by Richard Howard (Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux, 1981). This is an extraordinary book on the nature of photography.
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp (Simon and Schuster, 2003). Renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp shares her very prescient ideas about how to establish a working rhythm and nurture the creative process.
Creators on Creating: Awakening and Cultivating the Imaginative Mind edited by Frank Barron, Alfonso Montuori, and Anthea Barron. (GP Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1997). This book contains writings on the creative process by a variety of artists including Federico Fellini, Maya Angelou, Karen Finley, and Isadora Duncan.
Creating a Life Worth Living: A Practical Course in Career Design for Artists, Innovators, and Others Aspiring to a Creative Life by Carol Lloyd (HarperCollins, New York, 1997). A marvelous resource for anyone trying to answer the question “How can I make a living as an artist?” Lloyd offers practical exercises, and each chapter is accompanied by an interview with individuals who are living and succeeding in their creative careers – film makers, visual artists, composers, and more.
Daybook: The Journal of an Artist by Anne Truitt (Pantheon, 1982). This is the first of three journals by sculptor Anne Truitt who writes beautifully and honestly about being an artist, a teacher, and a mother.
L'Amour Fou: Photography and Surrealism by Rosalind Kraus, Jane Livingston, and Dawn Ades (Abbeville Press, 1985). This seminal book on photographic surrealism includes some of my favorite artists such as Lee Miller, Dora Maar, and Man Ray.
Nine Muses: A Mythological Path to Creativity by Angeles Arrien (Tarcher/Putnam, 2000). Each chapter is devoted to one of the nine muses, detailing their role and symbolism, and then offering practical exercises to stimulate one’s own creative process.
Women Artists and the Surrealist Movement by Whitney Chadwick (Thames & Hudson, reprint 1991). This book provides a great introduction into the fascinating lives of the women artists associated with the very male-centered Surrealist group. In particular, the lives and art of Lee Miller and Dora Maar have been a source of great creative inspiration for me as an artist.
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