Welcome to The Inbox Jaunt …and Open Line Friday…Everyone Asks, Everyone Answers…As you know, it’s my favorite post of the week.  I love to hear YOUR ideas, favorites, what works for you, what doesn’t…

Just to get things rolling…I’ll start…

FAVORITE BOOKS

I love books about quilting, art, and the creative process…whichever one I’m currently reading is my  favorite.

However, if I had to chose ONE FAVORITE–the book that is the most encouraging and inspirational, I would have to pick Art & Fear, Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking.

Described as “An Artist’s Survival Guide” by authors David Bayles and Ted Orland:  Art & Fear explores the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn’t get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way”.

This is the Introduction:

This is a book about making art.  Ordinary art. Ordinary art means something like:  all art not made by Mozart.  After all, art is rarely made by Mozart-like people–essentially (statistically speaking) there aren’t any people like that.  But while geniuses may get made once-a-century or so, good art gets made all the time.  Making art is a common and intimately human activity, filled with all the perils (and rewards) that accompany any worthwhile effort.  The difficulties art makers face are not remote and heroic, but universal and familiar.

Here’s a description from the author’s website:

Do not mistake Art & Fear for a pop psychology self-help book — we’re not interested in freeing your inner child! This is a book about what it feels like to sit down at your potter’s wheel or keyboard, easel or camera, trying to do the work you need to do. What we’ve tried to do is illuminate the obstacles you face, and offer some artistic strategies for getting past them.

If you have any doubt about quilt making as ART and your struggles as a “quilt-artist” than this book is for you!

What about YOU?

Do you have a favorite book -one that is encouraging, inspirational, thought-provoking?

We’d love to hear!

Lori

PS…All tutorials, information and images are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to re-blog, pin, tweet, or share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt.  For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com.  Thanks!

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