Each year in January, I join the Instagram artist challenge established by Tara Leaver, 21 Days in My Art World. Today was Day 4 of the challenge, where we share our favorite Art Books. It’s always a fun day to see the books other artists love and recommend. And, by the end of this day, I usually have a shopping list of books I want to buy. Today, I thought it was about time I shared some of my favorite books here on the blog. These are some of the books I have shared on Instagram in recent years.
📚 Calligraphy- A Book of Contemporary Inspiration by Denise Lach. I fell in love with this gorgeous book immediately and still love spending time enjoying the many pages of inspiring images.
📚 How to Think like Leonardo da Vinci by Michael Gelb. I’m a big fan of this book and have been recommending it for many years. Besides getting more incite into Da Vinci’s world and how he worked, the book is filled with exercises and in-depth processes that have stayed with me. The book introduced me to mind mapping which I use at the beginning of each year to draw out my intentions, hopes, and focus for the year ahead.
📚 Spirit Taking Form - Making A Spiritual Practice of Making Art by Nancy Azara. Many years ago, I took an impactful workshop with Nancy. This book has some of the meditations and processes that I remember from that in-person experience, along with others that help the participant go on an internal exploration.
📚 Artist’s Rule - nurturing your creative soul with monastic wisdom by Christine Valters Paintner. It combines an internal exploration of monastic practices along with art practice. I so enjoyed the experience of going through this book and created a series of paintings, inspired by each chapter.
📚 Perennial Seller, The Art of Making and Marketing Work that Lasts by Ryan Holiday. This is not an art book but it had an impact on my art career. It was not a book I would ever have picked up on my own but when a friend encouraged me to borrow it, I decided to give it a look. As I read the Perennial Seller, it seemed to flip a switch in me and I began to view the idea of marketing my art as another creative outlet or art form.
You may also be interested in:
Promoting Creative Thinking Through Curiosity (references the Michael Gelb book)
Inspiration: Children’s Books