Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking

I got a lot out of the first couple of chapters in this book, but more often than not, I was frustrated with the tone, the flow, and the style of writing. I sometimes stopped and asked myself, "What is the point they are trying to make?" It also had a sort of joyless and depressing tone. It was hard for me to finish. The language could have been more simple and flowing....it was a difficult read sometimes, and peppered with thoughts in parentheses.....frustrating. In all, it felt heavy and sad.

This book addresses flawed, fallible human readers, the ones who hopes to perfect craft despite their many and obvious imperfections. There is a lot to overcome: the inevitable gap between the vision and the actual result, the limits of materials and the difficulty of achieving their full potential, the times when inspiration seems to dry up, and the basic uncertainty that anyone will care about the eventual result. Even the term artist itself creates confusion, especially when capitalized into Artist. Self-doubt of myriad kinds creeps in: do I have enough (or any) talent? Am I just faking it? Why is it so hard for me, and so easy for everyone else?

The authors take a tough love approach: No, it's not easy. Yes you will have doubts and dry spells. If you're any good as an artist, then you'll be painfully aware of the flaws in your work, even the flawed implementation of your initial vision, which only you can know. And, once you've created your work, there's the whole problem of public acceptance and approval (not the same thing). Getting into the galleries and getting sold creates whole new vistas of difficulty and doubt, since neither the gallery owners nor the hoped-for buyers have the same goals that you do.

In the end, it comes down to some tiny core spark that the artist must have inside. It's not "natural talent" - maybe creation comes easily to the Mozarts of the world, but the authors address us mere mortals. That spark isn't some magical inspiration, either, since earning a living in art means you have to pay the rent whether inspired or not. That spark keeps the artist going when the world gives no reason to, and keeps the artist creating even when the magical Muse isn't there for inspirational hand-holding. In the end, the artist's human flaws aren't what defeats the art - they're what drives it. Seeing how each work falls short of perfection shows two things: it shows the flaws, of course, but it also shows a higher goal that could never have been seen otherwise.

-- wiredweird

When I picked up Art & Fear, it was for personal reasons. I didn't quite understand why it was so hard to continue to make increasingly great photographs without feeling so naked. When you have a pro who's work isn't quite as good as yours but, due to a website, confidence, and experience he manages to get a bit further, questions arise about why even trying. This book will answer those question. Esentially, Nothing is getting done while you look at and think about art you want to make of any kind.

I enjoyed the read however found it difficult to continue at times due to the vast spread of artists they are trying to reach. [If you're interested, I found this book in the photography section of the bookstore.] I feel the approach was fair and there was plenty of great info for anyone in any contact with art (even at the level of a son or nephew who is an artist) Expectations are not causing the lower rating for this book as much as how I feel about the content not keeping me interested. The pages didn't grab me and keep me awake after 75% of it was finished. I felt like I was reading repetitive material. However, the messages that were redundant were nessisary. I would suggest this book to any artist. It's short and sweet but I may only suggest it to an avid reader due to the diffculty in completing it. Maybe it was inspiration that I wanted to put the book down so often at the end.... like... I got the point and there was no reason to continue. Regardless worth the read.

If you know an artist, are trying to understand the difficulty in being one, or are an artist... this is for you... IF you're a reader!

This small book is a fabulous tool for artists of any medium. The authors explain motivations and thought processes behind the fears that keep artists from producing work. At times it felt like they had read my diary and then psychologically analyzed it! Any artist can benefit from this wonderful read.

I am reading this book now for the third time and have purchased many copies for friends - a must for the bookshelf of anyone on a creative journey.